The Medieval Book as a Physical Object

Most of what we read by medieval people themselves of course comes down to us in the books that they left us. That much is obvious. But what exactly does it mean for the book to have been a physical object? How was the book made? Who bought books? To answer these and other questions, I'll be discussing the nature of the medieval book as a physical thing.

Further Reading

Clemens, Raymond, and Graham, Timothy. Introduction to Manuscript Studies. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 2007.

This book as everything you might want to know about manuscripts. For everyone from the general reader to the new graduate student, you can find out nearly everything about medieval books, archival materials, and more besides, covering everything from the making and storing of the book to how to read its handwriting.

Shailor, Barbara A. The Medieval Book: Illustrated from the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1991

This is a shorter, more general introduction to the medieval book, which has most of what you'd want to know about the medieval book's production.

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