Lewis W

The books I sent for restoration are not Bibles, but they are nonetheless dear friends. In 1798 Napoleon invaded Egypt in an attempt to cut the British off from their colonial possessions in India. As part of his invading force, Napoleon took along a team of academic researchers ("savants," in French), who produced the first major European analysis of Egypt, its monuments and culture. Among this group was a young man named Vivan Denon, who became the first curator of the Louvre Museum. Denon wrote an account of his adventures in Egypt, which was translated and published in English in 1803. Some 50 years ago, I acquired this three volume set (for the paltry price of about $65)--but it was not in good shape. The spines and pages were intact, but the boards and covers had all become detached. Thus the languished for decades, until recently. I contact rare book librarians at our local university who both sent me to the same individual, a well-qualified book restorer. He told me he could put these volumes back into good shape, for $750 --- EACH. That was not possible for me. I poked around and found Leonard's Books and, after some more sleuthing, determined that they knew what they were doing and seemed to have a good product, so I enquired. I was quoted a price far, far lower, so I took a chance and sent off the books. They arrived today and they are excellent. I am very pleased. The photo says it all.