Tordo's bookbing dump

Stamped on the upper board of this early 16th-century German binding are the words ‘Cave lector’ (‘reader beware’) in now somewhat faded gilt. What might be the reason for such a stamp?

The answer lies in the religious upheaval that swept across Europe during the 16th-century.

The volume, known as a Sammelband, is comprised of twenty separate publications dating from ca. 1496 to 1522. The first is a copy of the papal bull published in 1520 that threatened the theologian and reformer Martin Luther with excommunication. Indeed, about one-third of the texts that make up this collection were written by Luther. Other authors include the Czech reformer Jan Hus, who was executed for heresy in 1415; Ulrich von Hutten, an outspoken critic of the Roman Catholic Church; and Jakob Wimpfeling, a supporter of Luther who later returned to the Catholic faith. 

Measures and base design for the cover done, next thing to do will be to let it sit overnight, all the pages under weight so they're pressed the next day.

I'll keep the finished design for myself until the day I finish this 👀

Medieval book transport

You are looking at two ‘wraps’ (top), the outside and inside of a box (middle), and a leather satchel (bottom). What they share is not just their old age (they are all medieval), but also the purpose for which they were made: to transport a book from A to B. The actual reason for transporting books in these objects varied considerably. The wraps are late-medieval girdle books, which were hanged from the owner’s belt by the knot. The text inside - which was often of legal or religious nature - could be consulted quickly and easily: just unwrap it and read. The box (and the ninth-century book inside) had a more exotic use: the package functioned as a charm for good luck on the battlefield, where it was carried in front of the troops by a monk. The satchel, which also dates from the ninth century, was just a bag to transport a book while on the go - it was popular among monks. Read more about these fascinating devices in my blog post “Medieval Books on the Go” (here).