Parchment, Papyrus, & Paper: Composing Manuscripts

At the core, a medieval manuscript is composed of bifolia sewn together and bound. But what materials were these pages made of and how does that affect the way you should treat your manuscripts today? Listen in as we discuss paper, parchment, papyrus, amate and wax tablet manufacture during the process of making a manuscript. We will provide some helpful tips on parchment preservation and suggest a few details to look for when trying to identify parchment or paper. 

 

Resources:

On holes and repairs in manuscripts at the Morgan Library & Museum: ​​https://www.themorgan.org/blog/holey-moly-historical-damage-and-repairs-medieval-manuscripts 

A blog on the parchment making process by Meliora di Curci:

https://scribes.lochac.sca.org/articles/parchment.htm 

Another excellent resource on parchment production:

http://web.ceu.hu/medstud/manual/MMM/frame3.html