HIDDEN MESSAGES: research into spines of books

@jasondaley608, F., 2020. X-Rays Reveal “Hidden Library” On The Spines Of Early Books. [online] Smithsonian Magazine. Available at: <https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/x-rays-reveal-hidden-library-spines-early-books-180959317/&gt; [Accessed 11 May 2020].

According to Smithsonian magazine early books used manuscripts from medieval times to line the spines of the books. so that researchers could uncover the fragments of the medieval script without damaging them they X Rayed the books to uncover the test on the spine.

“Erik Kwakkel, a book historian at Leiden University in the Netherlands tells Alberge that one in five early modern books contain the fragments. “It’s really like a treasure trove,” he tells Alberge. “It’s extremely exciting.”

@jasondaley608, F., 2020. X-Rays Reveal “Hidden Library” On The Spines Of Early Books. [online] Smithsonian Magazine. Available at: <https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/x-rays-reveal-hidden-library-spines-early-books-180959317/&gt; [Accessed 11 May 2020].

similarly this technique is done with paintings to uncover the early sketches and changes to the painting. i remember this being used in the tv series Fake or Fortune? the images revealed the metals fragments; cooper, iron and zinc used in medieval ink.

The discoveries revealed 12th century manuscripts from early English and Dutch text.

This made me think of ways in which I can celebrate the spine of the book, it seems a bit of a shame that I am making these books in a fairly labour intensive loving way. The rest of the book is decorative yet the spines are plain and covered. I feel it may be nice to make the most of the spine and decorate it even write messages for the next owner of the book.