Work

Book as Bibliotheca: The Emergence of the Commented Edition

Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Since the pioneering research of Louis Holtz and Margaret Gibson, questions have remained about the evolution and significance of a new design in early medieval manuscripts, variously referred to as the “commented edition” or “integrated glossed page.” In this paper I argue that the arrangement of commentary on a central text in columnar format was a codicological innovation crystallizing in Carolingian centers. For the evolution of the design, I chart longstanding experiments in the integration of text and commentary, demonstrating that Carolingian sponsorship was crucial. I set the new design firmly in the contexts of literacy, libraries, and book and biblical culture.
Source: Speculum
Language: English
Subfield: History
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4408932065
FWCI:
Cites: 38
Cited by:
Related to: 10