B-40. Medieval & Early Renaissance Bookbinding Structures
Christopher Clarkson
Students will investigate the diversities of European bookbinding structures, up to and including the early period of more generalized practice and division of labor. Topics of the course include identification (where possible) of the main types of binding structures; dating and provenance; recognition and recording of materials and techniques.
This course is aimed at librarians, archivists, art historians, and conservators specializing in early books and manuscripts, and others who handle such material. The course will emphasize studies of the physical book and binding craft techniques of the period. It will proceed by means of lecture and discussion, and employ a considerable number of slides, diagrams, and samples. The structurally diverse materials of the period will be explored by general descriptions and the use of certain carefully chosen case studies. The instructor will present for discussion his own methods concerning the interpretation and recording of such binding structures. In the face of the extensive losses now occurring to primary source material, problems of preservation and record photography will also be discussed.
In their personal statement, applicants should indicate their background, special interests, and expectations from the course. The course presupposes a general knowledge of European history, but not of binding history.
Course History
Faculty
Christopher Clarkson
Christopher Clarkson (d. 31 March 2017) held conservation positions at the Bodleian Library, the Walters Art Gallery, and the Library of Congress before establishing an independent bookbinding practice in Oxford. An internationally renowned consultant on the care of medieval manuscripts and bindings, he was awarded the Royal Warrant Holders Association’s 2004 Plowden Medal in recognition of significant contribution to the advancement of the conservation profession.
Courses Formerly Offered
- Topics in Medieval and Renaissance Bookbinding Structures (1987)
- B-40. Medieval & Early Renaissance Bookbinding Structures (1984–2013, under slightly varying titles) | co-taught with Michael Gullick (1985 only)
- Comparative Historical Bookbindings and their Preservation (1983) | co-taught with Sue Allen and Gary Frost