Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-13
NOVEMBER 13, 1910.
eEM-LADEN BOOKS

iiiS NliS II VI biS petoNA
metals into pure gold, says the Lady's
Pictorial.
The Roman scrolls were adorned with
bosses of gold or gems, and their leaves
having been smoothed with pum'ce
were scented with cedar oil. The By
zantine emperors were great patrons
of books, and the Byzantine coatings
or book covers were famous for their
magnificence; they were of gold, silver,
copper, gilt, set with jewels, and these
massive tones were carried in imperial
professions.
'"The Silver Book" of Ulphilas, bishop
of Moesia, a translation of the Gospels,
was rebuked by st. Jerome. "Your
books are covered with precious
stones," said he, "while Christ died,
naked, before the gate of his temple"
which has been compared to the saying
of Sadi, the Persian poet, concerning
the Mohammedan scriptures: THE
Koran was given to reform the conduct
of men, and men have only thought of
embellishing it's pages"
The books produced in the early CEN
turies of the middle ages were of re-
markable beauty, inwardly and out
wardly; religious manuscripts were en-
riched by illuminations within, while
their covers were of silver, gold or
enamel, encrusted with gems. They
were bestowed as splendid gifts by
bishops and princes on monastic houses
and churches, where they were laid on
the altar or chained to a desk.
Such chained books were named Ca
tenati," a rough outer covering pro-
tected them of dark skin or sealskin,
and later of "chrevotin," a sort OF
leather or "sendal,' a coarse silk. Such
coverings were also called "chemises,"
as "chemise of sandal wood"
oIeA r11o nd in
caskets, in shrines or "capsoe" in Ire
land they were laid in satchels, other
wise named "polaires," or "Tiagha
Ubur," and the Celtic bookbinding pos
sessed a peculiar beauty of it's own.
There were secular bookbinders in
the middle ages who gradually formed
themselves into guilds of craftsmen.
but the monks alone united in arts of
composition, caligraphy illumination,
bookbinding, setting of jewels, enamel
ing and work on leather, silver and
gold in one artist. The monasteries OF
Kenilworth and Sithen were granted
unlimited rights OF hunting that they
might obtain "stag hide" for binding
their books.
The European princes were great
book lovers, and some of their collec-
tions are famous, though now dispersed
far and wide, sometimes reappearing as
treasures cast up on the shores of time
in some museum or library.
CharIemagne was a great patron of
bookbinding, surrounding himself with
italian worl1men; Theolind, queen of
the Lombards. presented a magnificent
gospel overlaid with gold, silver and
Jewels, to the Cathedral of Monza.
The dukes of Burgundy were re-
nowned for their libraries. The Doc
caccio" of Charles the Bold was bound
in red velvet set with five large rubies;
another Burgundian book was velvet
bound, set with fifty-eight pearls OF
great size, with O. small "silver instru-
ment'' for turning the pages. "Pippes"
were also attached to some of these
costly tones; they were little bars OF
silver or gold, forming supports for
markers" sometimes the pippe was set
with rubies. while the numerous mark
ers were adorned with pearls
The library of Phili~ the Good of
Burgundy in the fifteenth century sur"
passed all the European book collec-
TOMS of the time; it contained nearly
10000 volumes, nearly all richly illu-
minated on vellum, with bindings OF
damask satin and velvet encrusted by
jewels, with clasps of chased gold
and gems.
Bruges, where the ducal court was
held, was flied with literary crafts
men, and some of their splendid pro-
ductions are still to be seen in the
BELGIAN roval library.
Henry VI of England possessed a
fine library. Lady Jane Grey. Mary
Queen of Scots and Catherine de Me-
dicis were all book lovers; the Scot
tish queen usually had her books
bound in black, but one notable vol
ume was covered in red velvet. clasped