codicological

Codicology is the study of books as physical objects, especially manuscripts, focusing on their construction, materials, and history rather than the textual content. The term derives from codex, the bound-book form that emerged in antiquity and supplanted scrolls.

A codicologist examines how a manuscript was made: the quires or gatherings, signatures, binding structure, spine, covers, endbands, and the way pages are folded and arranged into folios or bifolia. It considers the materials—parchment or vellum, paper, inks, pigments, glues, and bindings—and the tools used to produce and decorate the book. Watermarks in paper, the type of parchment, and the presence of repairs or mutilations help date or locate a manuscript’s origin and production.

Codicology and palaeography are related but distinct disciplines. Palaeography studies handwriting and script styles to date and contextualize texts, while codicology analyzes the book as an artifact and traces its transmission through physical features.

Methods include physical examination, imaging techniques (such as infrared or ultraviolet photography, multispectral imaging), and, when possible, material analysis (pigments or ink tests). Researchers reconstruct original quires, assess binding techniques, and consider provenance. Collaboration with conservators, librarians, and historians is common.

Applications encompass conservation planning, cataloging and metadata creation, digitization, and scholarly interpretation of manuscript collections as cultural heritage. Significance lies in revealing production practices, trade networks, and reading cultures, thereby providing essential context for the study of manuscripts and their textual witnesses.