The Archaeology of Medieval Bookbinding

Studies of the history of bookbinding are often mainly concerned with the exterior decoration. This volume focuses attention primarily on the physical aspects of the binding and its construction principles. It is an expanded version of a series of lectures delivered by the author while Visiting Professor at the University of Amsterdam in 1987, supplemented with the results of ten years of intensive research in major libraries on the continent, the UK and USA. The book surveys the evolution of binding structures from the introduction of the codex 2000 years ago to the close of the Middle Ages. Part One reviews the scanty physical evidence from the Mediterranean heritage, the early Coptic, Islamic and Ethiopian binding structures and their interrelation with those of the Byzantine realm. Part Two features a detailed analysis of Western binding structures, distinguishing the Carolingian, Romanesque and gothic wooden-board bindings as the main typological entities; their structure and function is compared with those of contemporary limp bindings.