Borrowing library books was not a casual process in the middle ages. Sometimes borrowing was simply not allowed, and chained monastic libraries are perhaps the best example of this institutional interdiction. Secular libraries, however, almost always allowed borrowing, but not as liberally as one would imagine. For instance, Richard de Bury, the greatest bibliophile of the medieval period... Continue Reading →
Magdalen College, Oxford: part I
Below are some photos from yesterday's study trip to Magdalen College, Oxford. Many thanks to Dr. Christine Ferdinand and her invaluable help in the Old Library.