Analytical Methods in the Dating of Books and Documents

Abstract

THE problem of establishing the date of origin of specimens of paper, for example, from books or documents, is one which arises frequently, but which is seldom solved without controversy. In many such cases, suspected forgeries of valuable first editions of books are involved, whilst others are concerned with forgeries also, but possibly of greater criminological interest. Where written documents are in question, the ink expert has in the past usually been able to provide the strongest links in the chain of evidence, although with printed matter his contributions are necessarily restricted. However, since the date of the manufacture of the paper must always precede that of the application of ink (whether as handwriting or as print), the date arrived at as the result of an examination of the ink must always represent the paper as younger than it really is, and when the gap between the two dates is a big one, serious errors in dating may arise.