03-08-2018, 07:40 AM
There are many high-level descriptive internet pages that discuss book binding in the middle ages.
The link I provided in my previous post clearly outlines the advantages of leather.
Other similar pages clarify that wooden boards would typically be oak in England and France, and beech in Italy.
This is exactly what Abigail Quandt stated too, and she also said that beech was more prone to insect attacks than oak.
Another thing that was pointed out by her, and which is consistent with other independent evidence, is that the description of the present binding in the original MS description by Barabara Shailor is incorrect. It is called a limp vellum cover, but it was originally a stiff vellum cover, stuffed (probably) with pressed paper or cardboard.
This is still the case with other manuscripts from the same collection. It is known that Voynich would open and empty the covers, hoping to find some hidden treasures (which he occasionally did).
The link I provided in my previous post clearly outlines the advantages of leather.
Other similar pages clarify that wooden boards would typically be oak in England and France, and beech in Italy.
This is exactly what Abigail Quandt stated too, and she also said that beech was more prone to insect attacks than oak.
Another thing that was pointed out by her, and which is consistent with other independent evidence, is that the description of the present binding in the original MS description by Barabara Shailor is incorrect. It is called a limp vellum cover, but it was originally a stiff vellum cover, stuffed (probably) with pressed paper or cardboard.
This is still the case with other manuscripts from the same collection. It is known that Voynich would open and empty the covers, hoping to find some hidden treasures (which he occasionally did).