Books Before Print

✍ Scribed by Erik Kwakkel

• Publisher: Arc Humanities Press
• Year: 2018
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 305
• Series: Medieval Media and Culture
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This beautifully illustrated book provides an accessible introduction to the medieval manuscript and what it can tell us about the world in which it was made and used. Captured in the materiality of manuscripts are the data enabling us to make sense of the preferences and habits of the individuals who made up medieval society. With short chapters grouped under thematic headings, Books Before Print shows how we may tap into the evidence and explores how manuscripts can act as a vibrant and versatile tool to understand the deep historical roots of human interaction with written information. It highlights extraordinary continuities between medieval book culture and modern-world communication, as witnessed in medieval pop-up books, posters, speech bubbles, book advertisements, and even sticky notes.

✦ Table of Contents

Dedication
Contents
List of Illustrations
Preface
Abbreviations
General Introduction
FILLING THE PAGE: SCRIPT, WRITING, AND PAGE DESIGN
Introduction
1. Medieval Script
2. Cracking Codes: Abbreviations in Medieval Script
3. The Empty Part of the Page
4. Footnotes Before Print
5. The First Page of the Manuscript
6. The Last Page of the Manuscript
ENHANCING THE MANUSCRIPT: BINDING AND DECORATION
Introduction
7. Dressing Up the Manuscript
8. Hugging a Manuscript
9. Judging a Book by Its Cover
10. Mary Had a Little Book
11. Drawing with Words
12. Speech Bubbles
13. Model-Books
READING IN CONTEXT: ANNOTATIONS, BOOKMARKS, AND LIBRARIES
Introduction
14. Getting Personal in the Margin
15. Helping Hands on the Page
16. Smart Bookmarks
17. Location, Location
18. Combating Book Theft
THE MARGINS OF MANUSCRIPT CULTURE
Introduction
19. The Incredible Expandable Book
20. Books on a Diet
21. Books on a Stick
22. Slips, Strips, and Scraps: Messaging
23. Slips, Strips, and Scraps: Scholarly Notes
24. Medieval Name Tags
25. Posters Before Print
26. Medieval Book Apps
CONTEXTUALIZING THE MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPT
Introduction
27. Where are the Scriptoria?
28. Desktops
29. Second-Hand Books Before Print
30. Manuscripts on the Move
31. The Skinny on Bad Parchment
32. Destroying Medieval Books (and Why That’s Useful)
Epilogue: The Legacy of the Medieval Book
Recommended Reading by Section
Bibliography
Index of Material Features
Manuscript Index
General Index