Timothy Stanley

On Bad Parchment

November 22, 2014 timothywstanley@me.com

While the velvety softness of perfect skin can be quite appealing to handle, getting to know imperfect parchment is ultimately more interesting and rewarding. Damage is telling, as this post shows, and it may shed light on such things as the attitude of scribes (who did not necessarily mind holes on the page), the manner in which a book was stored by its owner (with a missing clasp or in a wet environment), and even the state of mind of those looking at it ('Must cut out golden letters!'). As a book historian it feels good to work with bad skin.

"The Skinny on Bad Parchment" - http://medievalbooks.nl/2014/10/24/feeling-good-about-bad-skin/

Discover more from Timothy Stanley