Bindings, we have ‘em! Of course most of our 12,000 books in the special collections are bound. But we also have binding models, and these pictured here are from the University of Iowa used by students and others who want to understand the history of the codex and its bindings. Top to bottom: a papyrus book, a single gathering known as early as the 4th century; an Ethiopian-style binding, a stitch-chain sewn binding, covers and text almost equal size like modern paperbacks, with a traditional mirror that allows the reader into the company of illustrious persons in scripture; a limp vellum binding, typical of 16th-century Italian structures; a leather-covered binding, a structure perfected in the 17th-century; and two views of a wooden-board binding, common in the 16th century in Germany and northern Europe, with double-cords laced into the oak boards...
