The Poison Book Project research team has developed an emerald green color swatch bookmark. This bookmark is not a conclusive means of identifying emerald green, but visual identification combined with other context clues such as publication date may help narrow down whether a book is likely to be bound in arsenical green cloth.
The color swatch bookmark offers the means to sort a book collection using visual identification, allowing institutions or private individuals to target the books of greatest concern in their collections and make the most efficient and cost-effective use of a consultant to perform instrumental analysis.
For institutions or individuals who cannot afford to contract for follow-up instrumental analysis, the bookmark at least provides some means, albeit imperfect, of estimating risk.
We will send up to 5 bookmarks free of charge. To arrange to receive a greater number of bookmarks, please email poisonbookproject@udel.edu with “Bookmark” in the subject line.