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Dinesh / Photos

Chained books

Books chained to a lectern at the library of Hereford Cathedral. As libraries outgrew chests, this was seen as an adequately secure replacement. This arrangement was less convenient for users, while the most dedicated thieves still found ways to cut chains and disappear with the volumes
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3 comments

Dinesh said:

. . . The general use of chained books seems to date from the thirteenth century, at the Sorbonne. Gerard of Abbeville, who in 1271 donated 300 volumes to the college, asked that they be carefully preserved and chained.

Chains had obvious disadvantages: what if one wanted to consult multiple texts that were not chained to the same lectern? As libraries grew in size and complexity, many institutions avoided chaining their books, and private owners seldom contemplated such a grandiose form of security. Still, the chained library proved remarkably enduring in cathedral, church and college collections. Fresh chains were still being purchased in some libraries as late as the middle of the eighteenth century. Merton College, Oxford, did not unchain its books until 1792. . . . Page 46

THE LIBRARY
5 days ago

Heide said:

Ein Buch so wichtig und wertvoll, dass man es angekettet hat.
Sehr schöne Bildarbeit und einer wissenswerten Erklärung dazu.
5 days ago ( translate )

J.Garcia said:

An image and information notabel, Dinesh
4 days ago ( translate )
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