Jan 23, 2021 | Fun Historical Facts
Pages from one of the first books ever printed in England were recently found by librarians at the University of Reading. The pages, which were hidden away for decades in the pages of a different text, were meant to tell priests how to plan feasts. Sarum Ordinal...
Nov 15, 2019 | Fun Historical Facts
You may remember Erik Kwakkel or Leiden University from earlier posts like A Fantasy Tip From History: Medieval Spam. Erik recently shared the incredible history of St. Albans Bible. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! A Horror Story In 1964, the New York rare book...
Feb 2, 2017 | Fun Historical Facts, Marketing
The first thing that visitors of my blog will see is a banner advertising my latest releases and offers. I also advertise within my books themselves. You know, a simple, “If you liked this book, you may also enjoy the rest of this series, now available on...
Dec 29, 2016 | Fun Historical Facts
In a recent post, I described the many ways Medieval scribes and readers would transport their treasured books. There was one kind of book in particular that demanded its own post. Enter the Irish cumdach or ‘book shrine’. As Erik Kwakkel of Leiden University...
Dec 27, 2016 | Fun Historical Facts
My Kindle has a couple of thousand books in it. Yes, thousand. Its size? smaller than most of my books and small enough to fit my jacket’s inside pocket. Nowadays, we barely spare a thought for the amazing fact that we can carry with us more books than an entire...
Dec 10, 2016 | Fun Historical Facts
Two days ago, thieves broke into a chapel in my local parish. They left with a chalice, two candlesticks, and a Bible. When I heard about it, I wondered if the Bible’s publishers still followed the Medieval tradition of protecting books with curses. Which makes...
Nov 8, 2016 | Fun Historical Facts
It was a slow day in 1450 and Herman Strepel, a scribe in Münster, Germany, was bored. With the last manuscript almost complete, he needed a new client. So, his eyes lit up when a passerby stepped into his store. His clothes spoke of a wealthy merchant. Perhaps even a...
Jul 1, 2016 | Fun Historical Facts, Random Musings
Photo: Leiden, Bibliotheca Thysiana, Inv. nr. 2200 H. Photography Giulio Menna (@sexycodicology), courtesy of Erik Kwakkel May 31st, 1486 turned out to be an unseasonably hot day on the Rhine. Count Philip was holding court. A duke was droning on and on, and the Count...
Jun 29, 2016 | Fun Historical Facts, Random Musings
On January 8, 57 AD, Tibullus, a freed slave in London, promised to repay 105 denarii, a hefty sum, to another freed slave named Gratus. Meanwhile, one friend admonished another that he’s lent too much money and is being gossiped about. And a merchant was making a...
