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The Secret of Medieval Libraries, or Why Monks Kept Books on Chains
The Secret of Medieval Libraries, or Why Monks Kept Books on Chains

Video: The Secret of Medieval Libraries, or Why Monks Kept Books on Chains

Video: The Secret of Medieval Libraries, or Why Monks Kept Books on Chains
Video: How a Perpetual Motion Marble Machine Works (Secret Revealed!) - YouTube 2024, November
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Books on chains
Books on chains

The invention of the printing press was an epoch-making event for the development of book printing. Before that, the folios were handwritten, and their price was simply fantastic, because monks pored over each book for hours, and the process of rewriting sometimes took years. In order to protect manuscripts from fraudsters and thieves, it was customary in the first libraries to attach books to shelves with chains.

Today it seems wild to us, but in medieval libraries, shelves were equipped with special rings for chains, which were long enough to work with a book, but at the same time it was impossible to take it out of the room. The books on the shelves were different from what they were today - spine-back from the reader. This avoided tangling the chain when the book was removed from the shelf.

The practice of "chaining" books with chains lasted until the end of the 1880s, when books began to be published in large quantities, and their cost did not decrease. Today, there are several libraries in the world, where books are also kept on chains.

Hereford Cathedral Library (England)

Hereford Cathedral Library
Hereford Cathedral Library
The world's largest chained book library
The world's largest chained book library

Zutphen Library (Netherlands)

Chained books in the Zutphen Library
Chained books in the Zutphen Library
Zutphen Library, founded in the 16th century
Zutphen Library, founded in the 16th century

Francis Trigge Library (Grantham, England)

The Francis Trigge Library has 80 books on a chain
The Francis Trigge Library has 80 books on a chain

Royal Grammar School Library (Guildford, England)

One of the few surviving school libraries
One of the few surviving school libraries

Library at Umbourne Minster (England)

The library was founded in 1686, the collection of books on chains numbers 150 copies
The library was founded in 1686, the collection of books on chains numbers 150 copies

Library Malatesta (Cesena, Italy)

The Malatesta Library - the oldest public reading room in Europe, is under the protection of UNESCO
The Malatesta Library - the oldest public reading room in Europe, is under the protection of UNESCO

Wales Cathedral Library (Wales, England)

Wales Cathedral Library
Wales Cathedral Library

Old books often cause awe in their readers, because they keep the wisdom carried through the centuries. About how they look the most beautiful and richest libraries in Western Europe, tells a series of works by the famous photographer Frank Bobot.

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