In case you haven’t figured this out, I love books. 🙂 I’ve been accumulating them my whole life—which makes some of them pretty old, though not particularly valuable.

I’m really fascinated by old books. (And books about books. Another post, another time.) Park me in front of the Book of Kells in Dublin and I’m imagining what eighth-century life was like. So I was positively delighted when my friend Evelyn brought this article—and this blogger—to my attention.

Medieval book culture is known in particular for the sizeable books written and kept by monks. Such chunky volumes were efficient as they held a lot of information: one or more very long texts. They were not particularly handy, however, for taking information with you on the road. If that was necessary, the texts were written in girdle books, small objects that could be attached to the owner’s body. … The knot was slipped under the owner’s belt, where the object would dangle until needed.

So it’s a travel book! It’s a long way from a girdle book to a Kindle, but the idea is the same, I think. Those of us who love our books want to take them with us.

Take a look. Then spend some time browsing Erik Kwakkel’s blog. There’s lots of interesting bookish things to see. Then you can click over to read about his research. It’s a big old world, isn’t it? I think it’s marvelous that there are researchers frantically working to find a cure for cancer … and just as thrilled to know Dr. Kwakkel and his fellow researchers are studying the evolution of manuscripts during the twelfth century. (And there’s another blog about that here.)

Enjoy!

Tweet: Girdle books. They’re not what you think. 🙂
Tweet: It’s a long way from a girdle book to a Kindle, but they’re both books-to-go.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”