Medieval History
Nearly 150 early printed books in the Yale Law Library have bindings that incorporate visible pieces of medieval manuscript. A number of these books are featured in the latest exhibit from the Law Library's Rare Book Collection, "Reused, Rebound, Recovered: Medieval Manuscript Fragments in Law Book Bindings." The exhibit is on display through May 2010 in the Law Library.
In 15th- and 16th-century Europe, recycling was second nature. Bookbinders, for their part, cut apart discarded medieval manuscripts and reused the strong, flexible and expensive parchment in their bindings. These scraps reveal information about the distribution and popularity of medieval texts, the evolution of scripts, and the history of printing and binding. A precious few of them preserve the only surviving fragments of long-lost texts.
The exhibit reflects the diversity of medieval material in the Law Library's bindings. The Bible and liturgical manuscripts are well represented, some with early forms of musical notation. Four of the law books contain legal texts in their bindings. Other examples include a sermon, a fragment of Cicero, and two Hebrew manuscripts. One of the fragments is the oldest item in the Law Library's collection, dating from around 975-1075.
While most of the fragments are identified and tentatively dated, a couple remain mysteries. The exhibit coincides with the annual meeting of the Medieval Academy of America, March 18-20 at Yale University. Conference attendees will be invited to try their hand at identifying the fragments.
The exhibit was curated by Benjamin Yousey-Hindes, a Ph.D. candidate at Stanford University, and Mike Widener, Rare Book Librarian at the Lillian Goldman Law Library.
Click here to see more images from Yale University's Flikr Gallery.
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Medieval History
Reused, Rebound, Recovered: Medieval Manuscript Fragments in Law Book Bindings: Exhibit at Yale University
Nearly 150 early printed books in the Yale Law Library have bindings that incorporate visible pieces of medieval manuscript. A number of these books are featured in the latest exhibit from the Law Library's Rare Book Collection, "Reused, Rebound, Recovered: Medieval Manuscript Fragments in Law Book Bindings." The exhibit is on display through May 2010 in the Law Library.
In 15th- and 16th-century Europe, recycling was second nature. Bookbinders, for their part, cut apart discarded medieval manuscripts and reused the strong, flexible and expensive parchment in their bindings. These scraps reveal information about the distribution and popularity of medieval texts, the evolution of scripts, and the history of printing and binding. A precious few of them preserve the only surviving fragments of long-lost texts.
While most of the fragments are identified and tentatively dated, a couple remain mysteries. The exhibit coincides with the annual meeting of the Medieval Academy of America, March 18-20 at Yale University. Conference attendees will be invited to try their hand at identifying the fragments.
Click here to see more images from Yale University's Flikr Gallery.
- Medieval Exhibition Spotlights Stanford Libraries' Manuscript Collection
For centuries, Bibles were painstakingly copied and lavishly illustrated, and then cherished from generation to generation. They became the focus of scholarly, creative and mystical activity for a millennium. You can trace the Bible's literary...
- Bodleian Libraries Cairo Genizah Collection Now Available Online
The Bodleian Libraries have digitized and made available for the first time their exceptional collection of the Cairo Genizah fragments. The website launch is marked by a bequest of five Genizah fragments from the library of the late Eli Weinberg. The...
- Library Completes Digitization Of Medieval Manuscripts
The secrets of the Rare Book and Manuscript Library on the sixth floor of Van Pelt Library have now been revealed on the internet. A two-year grant funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities has allowed Penn to finish digitizing medieval...
- Greetings From Rare Book School In Charlottesville, Virginia.
This summer Rare Book School is excited to offer four courses designed specifically to advance the research of scholars in medieval and renaissance studies. Introduction to Paleography, 800?1500 introduces students to the book-based scripts...
- 35th Annual Saint Louis Conference On Manuscript Studies, 17?18 October 2008
35TH ANNUAL SAINT LOUIS CONFERENCE ON MANUSCRIPT STUDIES, 17?18 OCTOBER 2008 The Knights of Columbus Vatican Film Library at Saint Louis University and its journal, "Manuscripta," are pleased to announce program and registration information for the Thirty-Fifth...