A children's book laced with poison has been discovered by librarians. A copy of My Own Garden: The Young Gardener's Yearbook, which was published in 1855, was found by staff at Leeds Central Library.
The book, which contains tips for budding young gardeners, was gifted to Caroline Gott by her father William in 1855, according to an inscription on the inside. But experts believe the toxic text owes its vivid emerald green colour to a dye containing arsenic, which can be lethal when ingested.
Senior librarian Rhian Isaac found the book while cross-referencing the library's collection against a global database from The Poison Book Project. She said: “As a librarian, it’s always incredibly exciting to discover any sort of rare, or unusual book in our collection.
