Book history scholarship: creation, transmission of knowledge and archives

Abstract

This text takes the form of a conversation between Danné Ojeda and Mathieu Lommen with a preliminary introduction by Danné referring to book history and the history of reading. The talk took place on 14 May 2014, in the Special Collections (Bijzondere Collecties), that house medieval manuscripts, books, prints, among other heritage materials in the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Through the introduction and the following conversation, we will examine books' materiality and form as they define both the history of the book from its infancy and that of reading. The former will help us to understand how books have influenced not only thinking but also human ergonomic behavior towards these artifacts. The text also highlights the development of book forms by examining why certain transformations or deviations to the traditional book form took place and their impact on the history of book development and reading. This is in order to ascertain the consequences of the book's physical transformation on the reader's use and appreciation of it as a basic object of knowledge. In this regard, first the introductory text offers a succinct overview of the changes and transformations of the book's physical forms. Second, the conversation focuses on the Special Collection of the University of Amsterdam in order to expose the criteria, guidelines, and parameters which classify a book as a "collectable object", to be archived for the preservation of a record of the history of books and their forms.