In January of 1979, a large collection of rare old books at Oxford University was soaked by water from a burst pipe. The 200 books most affected were stored frozen. Tests at Havwell produced the most suitable drying technique -- to dry them fifty at a time in a vacuum chamber on shelves, with Silica Gel (dessicant) and thymol at 745 mm Hg. The drying time was found to be proportional to its volume divided by its surface area; the largest book dried in a few days without any damage other than that caused by the initial soaking. After drying, the pages were not fragile and the books could be handled without risk.