Financially troubled Royal Institution will auction 90 rare books
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.029419
BBC : The Royal Institution (RI) of Great Britain was founded in 1799 by British scholars with the intent of educating the general public about advances in science. In recent years, it has faced competition from other organizations and has fallen into debt. An anonymous donation of £4.4 million ($6.6 million) in 2013 saved the organization from selling its headquarters in London, but it still owed £2 million on a bank loan. In an attempt to pay off that loan by April 2016, the RI will auction 90 books from its historic library, including first editions by Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. The organization is also leasing part of its building to Cartier jewelers. Despite its financial difficulties, the RI’s membership has doubled over the past several years and it has a significant online presence on YouTube and elsewhere.
