Cataloguing this 18th century book of proceedings against witchcraft, sorcery and evil, was an almost spell-binding experience for me (excuse the pun!) because it has intact metal clasps. Coming across unbroken metal clasps was exciting for me because often the metal clasps on rare books are damaged, not functional, or have been lost, sometimes leaving only scraps of leather ties behind.
In the early modern period, book clasps like these held the covers (also known as ‘boards’) of a book together, keeping it closed and protecting the pages from light and dirt. This book from the Heythrop Library’s collection shows how clasps also helped to preserve a book’s shape and keep its pages flat, even after hundreds of years. Often, the shape of books will change and warp over time due to handling, humidity, temperature etc.
These metal clasps are attached to leather bands that are fastened
to the lower board (back cover). On the lower board, you can see how the
leather bands have gold pins keeping them secured to the board. The metal clasps
themselves each have a pierced hole that fits over the corresponding metal peg attached to the upper board (front cover). Click
here to see different styles of book clasps
| Author | Spee, Friedrich von, 1591-1635, author. |
| Title | R.P. Friderici Spee, è Soc. Jesu cautio criminalis seu de processibus contra sagas liber, : magistratibus Germaniae hoc tempore summe necessarius, praeprimis consiliariis et confessariis principum, inquisitoribus, judicibus, advocatis, confessoribus reorum, concionatoribus, aliísque lectu utilissimus. In defensionem recessûs à magis communi doctorum opinone, in inquirendo & procedendo contra magiae suspectos, selectus, Accessione instructionis pro formandis processibus in causis strygum, sortilegorum, & maleficorum, à Sancta Romanae & Universalis Inquisitionis adversus haereticam pravitatem Generali Congregatione anno 1657 praescriptae, locupletatus / per A.D.M.C.A. |
| Imprint | Augustae Vindelicorum : Sumptibus Francisci Josephi Schenfaessel, Bibliopolae, 1731. |
| Descript. | [8], 427, [5] pages ; 18 cm |
What else are we going to discover in Heythrop Library’s collections?
NH
What are your thoughts about the above?