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The use of a portable NMR device allows a non-invasive investigation of the paper in order to assess the state of conservation of books and documents of historical or artistic interest. The NMR investigation has been found mainly on relaxation measurements whose results seem compatible with different relaxation rates in crystalline and amorphous cellulose domains. By a simplified physical picture based on spin–diffusion it appears possible to detect the alteration of the crystalline/amorphous cellulose balance and therefore to get information on some deterioration processes of paper. The use of a portable NMR device shows great potentiality because of its safe and simple in situ approach to Cultural Heritage documents. In this work, we present a research carried out on a 17th century manuscript. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]