How Medieval Books Were Made

The medieval book, or codex, consisted of leaves bound up in order as are printed books. The common practice was to take four pieces of vellum and fold them so that each piece formed two leaves. These pieces were then fitted one inside another to form a group of eight leaves, called a section. As many sections as were needed for the entire book were sent to the scribe, who took them apart, wrote the text a page at a time, and perhaps put in the red headings and initial letters. Unlike papyrus, which was so thin that only one side could be used, vellum was thick enough to allow writing on both sides.

After being read and corrected, the sections of the book were sent to the binder, who sewed the sections through the back fold with cords. Wooden covers slightly larger than the leaves were made, and the ends of the sewing cords were laced through holes in the boards to bind together the sections and the covers. Next a large piece of leather was glued over the back of the sections and the wooden sides. Sometimes this cover was decorated with patterns pressed into the leather with heated metal stamps. Because vellum wrinkles when it gets very dry, strips of leather with clasps were attached to the front edges of the boards so that the vellum leaves might be kept flat under pressure and no dust might get between them. If the book was large, metal cornerpieces with knobs were often added to keep the leather cover from touching the desk and being marred.

Many medieval books, especially those made for use in church services, have beautiful decorations and illustrations painted in them in bright colors and gold. The decoration of a book with initial letters, borders in the margins of the pages, and little pictures called miniatures is known as illumination. The colors were prepared by the illuminator himself from colored earths and other substances. These were finely ground and washed, then mixed with gum so that the particles of color would hold fast to the vellum. Gold was beaten into very thin sheets and glued to the page or was ground into a fine powder, mixed with gum and oil, and made into a paint.

By far the greater number of medieval books were Bibles, missals (books containing the service for the celebration of Mass), sermons, and other religious writings. Next in importance were books of law, medicine, natural history, and astrology; the works of Greek and Roman authors; and chronicles and romances. Most medieval books are in Latin, though some of the later ones are in English, French, and the other European languages.

Among the most famous of all manuscript books are several copies of the writings of the Roman poet Vergil, now in the Vatican Apostolic Library. Probably made during the 3rd century AD, they are the earliest books in codex form that have survived to the present time. Another famous manuscript book is the Codex Sinaiticus, the oldest complete manuscript text of the New Testament in Greek.

It was discovered by a Biblical scholar at a monastery near Mount Sinai in a basket of rubbish about to be burned. (For photograph of a leaf of this book, see Bible.) An early manuscript noted for its beautiful writing and fine interlaced decorations is the Book of Kells. This is a copy of the four Gospels made in Ireland during the 8th century.