Has This Library Solved “The Mystery Of The Mummy Paper?”
Reality or urban legend: were the wrappings of ancient Egyptian corpses recycled and pulped to create so-called “mummy paper?” Archaeologists and other scholars have long debated the veracity of claims that mummies were imported into the U.S. in the mid-nineteenth century, stripped of their burial shrouds, and their bindings (largely composed of linen and other fibers such as papyrus and something akin to canvas) repurposed into printing paper. But, did this really happen? Are we being fleeced? Is this a fabricated tale? Can this yarn be unwound to get to the meat of the matter?
Double Fold
has a sections discussing the issue of mummies for paper. If I recall there were citations to articles where the author got his information.
The book Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper
we have an old 19th century agriculture book made from it..
if the book is checked out and then held until past the due date, the borrower mysteriously dies from choking on some object… we added a note to the item in the catalog that says, “the late fine for this item is death,” so we feel like we’ve done our part.