Iconic books are texts revered as objects of power rather than just as words of instruction, information, or insight. In religious and secular rituals around the globe, people carry, show, wave, touch and kiss books and other texts, as well as read them. This blog chronicles such events and activities. (For more about iconic books, see the links to the Iconic Books Project at left.)

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Bookbindings of the Morgan

Sylvia on Classical Bookworm points out:
Legendumst posted about a new exhibit at the Morgan Library and Museum, Protecting the Word: Bookbindings of the Morgan. Pierpont Morgan was, well, filthy rich, and he purchased a lot of beautiful things including books with exquisite bindings. These are now on display and you can see a handful of them online. I thought I would post one of them—it actually made me gasp when it came up on screen. They aren't sure exactly where and when it was made but they guess Salzburg around 760–790. A hundred years later or so it was "recycled" as the back cover of the Lindau Gospels. The front cover is astonishing also, but I prefer the older one.

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