Girdle book

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A book hangs from a monk's girdle, ready for instant use and protected from thieves and the elements.
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A book hangs from a monk's girdle, ready for instant use and protected from thieves and the elements.

Girdle books were small portable books worn by medieval monks, clergymen and nobles as a popular accessory to medieval costume between the 13th and 16th centuries. It consisted of a book encased in a length of cloth tapered to a long tail with a large knot at the end which could be tucked into one's "girdle" or belt. The book hung upside down and backwards so that when swung upwards it was ready for reading. It typically contained daily prayers or a calendar and served the utilitarian function of carrying a book hands-free and protecting valuable books from theft and the elements. It also made a visible statement of social position, authority, and in later centuries, wealth.

Girdle books first appeared in the late 13th century and gained popularity through the 15th before becoming ostentatious jewel-encrusted presentation books and falling out of favour late in the 16th century.[1] There are hundreds of artistic representations of girdle books, but only 26 medieval girdle books have survived, the oldest being from Kastl, Germany (ca. 1453).[2]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "Girdle Book Slip-Cover", Crispin Sexi (Jaysen Ollerenshaw), 2005. Accessed December 2006.
  2. ^ " Rare and Beautiful Liturgical Manuscripts on Display at The New York Public Library". Accessed December 2006.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
  • Pictures, from bookbinder Rodrigo Ortega.
  • Pictures, from "The Book Art of Richard Minsky".
  • Pictures, The Law of Jutland. Denmark c. 1490. Rostgaard 6 8ยบ. Parchment, 135 fols.
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