MacArthur-winning poet and translator Peter Cole and essayist Adina Hoffman describe the discovery of the most vital cache of Jewish manuscripts—called “the Living Sea Scrolls”—in an Egyptian repository. Sacred Trash: The Lost and Found World of the Cairo Geniza tells of the people who brought this treasure to light, and explores the medieval documents themselves—letters and poems, wills and marriage contracts, Bibles, money orders, fiery dissenting tracts, fashion-conscious trousseaux lists, prescriptions, petitions, and mysterious magical charms that present a view of 900 years of Mediterranean Judaism.