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What’s Hiding in the Spine? A Study of Adhesives in Medieval Books Using Mass Spectrometry Sharp, Alice Hutton; Fiddyment, Sarah; Lama, Anne; Lockhart, Jessica; Meert-Williston, Deborah; Moreton, Melissa; Williams, Lauren; Gillespie, Alexandra
Abstract
Glues, and in particular glued spines, are notable features of late medieval European books, yet little research has been done into how they were sourced, produced, and used. In this article we present preliminary results from using the paleoproteomic methods of Electromagnetic Zooarchaeology through Mass Spectrometry (eZooMS) and Peptide Mass Fingerprinting (PMF) to identify the source species for animal glues used in late medieval books. We first introduce readers to the principal kinds of glue used in medieval craftsmanship and what is known about their use in bookbinding, principally from the discipline of book conservation. We describe the micro-sampling methods of eZooMS, in which a PVC eraser is rubbed gently on the surface of the book. We then describe the process through which we tested and fine-tuned our sampling methods on eight medieval books held in Canadian repositories, addressing some of the challenges we faced, potential further uses or expansions upon the technique, and the benefits of our collaborative approach to such “manuscientific” studies.
Item Metadata
Title |
What’s Hiding in the Spine? A Study of Adhesives in Medieval Books Using Mass Spectrometry
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Creator | |
Date Issued |
2022
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Description |
Glues, and in particular glued spines, are notable features of late medieval European books, yet little research has been done into how they were sourced, produced, and used. In this article we present preliminary results from using the paleoproteomic methods of Electromagnetic Zooarchaeology through Mass Spectrometry (eZooMS) and Peptide Mass Fingerprinting (PMF) to identify the source species for animal glues used in late medieval books. We first introduce readers to the principal kinds of glue used in medieval craftsmanship and what is known about their use in bookbinding, principally from the discipline of book conservation. We describe the micro-sampling methods of eZooMS, in which a PVC eraser is rubbed gently on the surface of the book. We then describe the process through which we tested and fine-tuned our sampling methods on eight medieval books held in Canadian repositories, addressing some of the challenges we faced, potential further uses or expansions upon the technique, and the benefits of our collaborative approach to such “manuscientific” studies.
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2025-08-20
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0449805
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URI | |
Affiliation | |
Citation |
Hutton Sharp, Alice; Fiddyment, Sarah; Lama, Anne; Lockhart, Jessica; Meert-Williston, Deborah; Moreton, Melissa; Williams, Lauren; and Gillespie, Alexandra, "What’s Hiding in the Spine? A Study of Adhesives in Medieval Books Using Mass Spectrometry" (2022). Western Libraries Publications. 117. https:// ir.lib.uwo.ca/wlpub/117
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Publisher DOI |
10.1484/J.MSS.5.134726
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Peer Review Status |
Reviewed
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Scholarly Level |
Faculty; Researcher
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Rights URI | |
Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Citations and Data
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International