Seven rare books once riddled with bookworm damage were returned to the National Library in Valletta yesterday after they were rescued by businesses.

In May, Lion’s Club Sliema had launched a €9,000 scheme towards the completion of the restoration of the seven volumes of the Hortus Romanus at the National Library, four of which had already been restored.

Barely six months later, the club managed to secure funds from spark-plug manufacturing giant NGK, which paid for the restoration of two books, while Fratelli Galbarini srl, the manufacturers of High Tech Oils, and Servizio Informatica srl financed the restoration of the other book.

NGK and Fratelli Galbarini are represented by Mike Service Station of Qormi, while Servizio Informatica is represented locally by Computation Services of Sliema.

Not happy to rest on its laurels, the club is now sponsoring another 24 books, 21 of which are already fully financed.

The Hortus Romanus is a book containing valuable botanical engravings published between 1772 and 1793, and credited to Giorgio Bonelli.

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