Bindings have the potential to address unanswered questions about the history of the book: how were book technologies developed? How were they transmitted transnationally along routes of commercial and cultural exchange? What localized historical circumstances shaped the histories of bindings?
The pages in this tab share information about some of the tools and techniques used to pursue these questions in a rigorous way, developed by and in work with conservators, information technologists, and scientists specializing in non-destructive analysis and imaging of heritage objects. As our research results are published we will populate these pages with our own findings in BSR projects––for example, expect updates in the near future from our ongoing work using micro-CT and eZooMS.
Modern Indonesian bamboo pothi book, axial zoom, from the collection of Chris Piuma. Micro-CT image courtesy of Grasselli’s Geomechanics Group, University of Toronto, September 2019.