Through grime, stains, and wax droplets, the filthiest, most well-loved manuscripts tell us the story of how medieval people used – and abused – their books. This week, Danièle speaks with Kate Rudy about what we can learn from the smudges the people of the Middle Ages left behind, how modern technology helps us figure it out, and why we should all appreciate a really dirty book.
Kathryn Rudy is the Bishop Wardlaw Professor at the University of St Andrews, where she researches the reception and original function of medieval manuscripts. Her latest book is Touching Parchment: How Medieval Users Rubbed, Handled, and Kissed Their Manuscripts. Vol. 1: Officials and Their Books, from Open Book Publishers. It’s open access, so you can download it here.
Top Image: Christ Crucified, and God in Majesty, full-page miniatures in a missal for the Use of Clermont, 1455–1474. Clermont-Ferrand, Bibliothèque municipal, Ms. 65, fols 216v-217r. Cliché: IRHT-CNRS
Through grime, stains, and wax droplets, the filthiest, most well-loved manuscripts tell us the story of how medieval people used – and abused – their books. This week, Danièle speaks with Kate Rudy about what we can learn from the smudges the people of the Middle Ages left behind, how modern technology helps us figure it out, and why we should all appreciate a really dirty book.
Kathryn Rudy is the Bishop Wardlaw Professor at the University of St Andrews, where she researches the reception and original function of medieval manuscripts. Her latest book is Touching Parchment: How Medieval Users Rubbed, Handled, and Kissed Their Manuscripts. Vol. 1: Officials and Their Books, from Open Book Publishers. It’s open access, so you can download it here.
The creator and host of The Medieval Podcast is Danièle Cybulskie. Click here to visit her website or follow her on Twitter @5MinMedievalist
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Top Image: Christ Crucified, and God in Majesty, full-page miniatures in a missal for the Use of Clermont, 1455–1474. Clermont-Ferrand, Bibliothèque municipal, Ms. 65, fols 216v-217r. Cliché: IRHT-CNRS
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