Featured Books with recycled parchment bindings

Happy New Year all!

I do not post much here on this forum, but sometimes it is nice to add some books that I added to my collection. Here are 5 books acquired last december, that are a great addition to my collection of book bindings with recycled parchment (also called Membra disjecta).

When the printing press in western Europe was introduced (around 1455), the old handwritten manuscripts became obsolete. Bookbinders for early modern books started to use the old parchment to strengthen their books. That can be just small strips in the spine or whole covers like these 5 examples. I think all fragments date from the 15th century.

Book 1-4 originate from Franciscan monastery in Dettelbach (Germany) that was closed in 2017.

Book 1,3,4,5 are manuscripts (handwritten), Book 2 is a printed leaf of a so called incunable (book that was printed in the period 1455-1501).

Book 1


Title: Politicorum sive civilis doctrinae libri sex, qui ad principatum maximè spectant
Author: Justus Lipsius
Year: 1604
Publisher: Conrad Neben
Place: Lich (Germany)

I haven't identified the manuscript text yet. I seem to me glossed (a commentary around the original text).
You see the title page seems to have no year of publication on it, but it is hidden in the printers name: IMpensa ConraDI nebenII
This is a so called chronogram. If you take all the capitalized letters as Roman numerals and add them you get:

I+M+C+D+I+I+I = 1+1000+100+500+1+1+1 = 1604






Book 2

Title: Principia Generalia Concordiae Christianae Edivinis Desvmpta Litteris, Et Specialia,...
Author: A R.P. HENRICO MARCELLIO
Year: 1648
Place: Bamberg
Publisher: Andrea Baals

This is the printed one. It is from a book called Missale Benedictinum - Luke 11:14 (Bamberg: Johann Sensenschmidt, 31 July 1481). Funny for me is that the writer of the book was born in a town 20 km from where I live (Someren, the Netherlands).



Book 3


Title: Institutiones iuris romano-bavarici electoralis
Author: Sebastian Khraisser
Year:1644
Place: Augsburg
Publisher: Johannes Weh

The manuscript is Psalm 146, probably from a Missal of Breviary




Book 4

Title: Praelectiones publicae in D. Justiniani Institutionum Juris Quatuor Libros Compositae.
Author: Johann Christoph Schambogen
Year: 1705
Place: Lovain

This is obviously a music sheet. It is from the song Alleluia: Domine, in virtute, from a Graduale.

You even can hear how the music must have sound:








Book 5


Title: De vita religiose instituenda, sive de quotidiana virtutum exercitatione libellus
Author: Jacobo Álvarez de Paz (1560-1620)
Place: Cologne (Germany)
Year: 1613

 

I always enjoy what you share, So informative. I doubt I will come across too many books of the age you collect , but one never knows and it is good to know somethings in advance!

 

Very interesting collection. Thank you for posting, @Ex Libris !

 

Beautiful.

 

What is the translation of the title of the first book shown please?

 

Six books of political or civil doctrine, which relate chiefly to leadership

 

Whenever I see books this old,I think of the Book & Movie-'The Name of the Rose'.

 

Oh good, that's what I thought. I got the "6" but the rest was shaky!

 

Lovely....I do sometimes see old printed paper recycled in more modern bindings, too, and old maps were remade into dustjackets in Britain during the paper shortages after WW2. I even have a customer interested in publisher's jackets made from the publisher's scrap paper.

 

Hi...new to the board, and brought here with a question which you may have already answered! I was trained as a medieval historian, and while I didn't end up in academia I remain very interested, especially in my dissertation topic of early Norman history. Over the past several years, I have acquired several 17th-century books pertaining to that subject. My most recent acquisition is John of Marmoutier's Historiae Gauffredi Ducis Normannorum & Comitis Andegavorum, Turonorum, & Caenomannorum Libri duo, hactenus non editi from 1610. When it arrived, I was surprised and perplexed that the boards are covered by paper with writing on it, which seems unrelated to the content of the book except for the title and author written on the spine.


It's hard to tell from the picture3, but there are raised bands on the spine, as if the paper were layered on top of a leather binding. You can see a seam on the front cover; the writing on the paper on either side of the seam is in opposite orientations.

My initial thought was that the paper was added later for some reason, but now I wonder if it was part of the original binding? I would appreciate the thoughts of anybody who knows more about this sort of thing than I do (which would probably be anybody here!).

 

Welcome to this board . Your book seems to be bound in some kind of legal document, probably dating from the 16th century. I can't see enough of it to determine the language (your book deserves a separate topic imho). Are you sure it is paper or is it vellum/parchment (animal skin)? Vellum is much more durable than paper, so it was often used as binding material.

 

A similar binding from my collection. From a French Bible of 1838

 

Thanks. If I start a new topic, what should I provide?

 

A description of the book and many photo’s.

 

I'll get on it when I get home...

 

Welcome to Antiquers, @Medieval Guy . I look forward to seeing your new posts!

 

Welcome! This is gonna be fun!

 

My father recently gave me some old books with recycled parchment bindings. Honestly, I don't even know where he got them.

 

Please post them here in an own topic! I’d love to see them!