book-historia:

Waste not, want not

Some books in old bindings may not be entirely what they seem… in addition to housing the text of the main book, they may also harbor fragments of much older manuscripts! Known as “manuscript waste,” these fragments range from single teeny tiny strips to reinforce the binding’s inner structure to entire pages that could be recycled into covers. The strength and durability of vellum means that sometimes when such waste is found, its work of origin can be determined.

From around the 15th to the 17th century, attitudes towards religious practice fluctuated throughout Europe. A particularly violent shift occurred in England under the reign of Henry VIII, in which monasteries (and their books) were all but destroyed. This, as well as numerous less noticeable changes of religious opinion, meant that many religious manuscripts (particularly liturgical works like songbooks) were suddenly outdated; And due to the fact that the majority of medieval manuscripts were written on vellum, an expensive and sturdy material, people were loath to simply throw them away. Instead, they recycled the vellum in creative ways, reinforcing not only book bindings but clothesas well!

(The practice of reinforcing bindings with waste didn’t stop in the 17th century- examples of books using printed paper waste can be found in bindings done all the way up to the 20th century!)

(Books from Senate House Library, the University of Glasgow Library, and my personal collection)

Manuscript waste is such an interestiing topic in book history.

danjaley:

Three things are known about this book:

• It is illustrated.
• It measures 2x3cm (approximately)
• Not a single library worldwide owns it.
  

(My research sometimes reminds me of ts3cc and vice versa)

I solved part of this mystery! These entries in Worldcat are caused by databases that have hidden their owning libraries under one or more additional links. One of the main culprits in my field of research is the Swiss database “Swisscovery”, where I just located 90% of my missing books. Unfortunately not this tiny book here, so there must be more.

Also it looks like I need to go on a tour through Switzerland soon…

Picture #1  Tiananmen, early 1900

Picture #2 Sun Yet Sen, 1929

Picture #3 Chaing Kai Shek, 1945

Picture #4 Original Mao, 1949

Picture #5 Current Mao

Picture #6 Abused Mao, 1989

Mao's Tiananmen Portrait

To understand this image we need to know that before this moment (of portraits) there was no such thing as a public political portrait.  That’s not to say there were no portraits, there were, just that their purpose was radically different.  Traditional paintings of the emperor were more imaginings.  later paintings of the actual emperor became more common with western techniques.  China last dynasty, the Qing have much more portraits but they were not ethnically Chinese so their attitude was also much different.

The first portrait to appear was Sun Yet Sen, commonly recognized as the father of modern China.  It was installed during his funeral period in 1925.  After the Republican Party reclaimed Beijing, Chaing Kai Shek portrait appeared in 1945.   Chaing’s portrait was replaced by Mao’s when the Republican government was overthrown.  It has remained for more than 50 years, even after his death and his mistakes being questioned.  There have been at least 5 different versions in chronological sequence.

The 1949 portrait was painted by Zhou Lingzhao who was well known artist and professor at the National Art Academy.   The government soon decided to replace it with a painting by an unknown whose life work would be the painting.  The anonymity of the painter means the autonomy of the painting: it became no longer a work created by an artist but an image that is always there and changes on its own. People don’t look at it with much interest, yet countless people are photographed in front of it everyday.   

This significance of the painting is most noticed when it is taken down for repair or replacement.  The square suddenly loses focus.  Mao is dead but his Tiananmen portrait  will continue to represent the country and communist leadership.