Marginalia
How have the Bible's readers left their mark?
Marginalia are notes written by hand in the margins of a book or manuscript. Many people involved in the production, distribution, and consumption of the Gutenberg Bible have altered the text in various ways. Let's look at some examples that make the Ransom Center's copy of the Gutenberg Bible unique.
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A Mysterious DateFor unknown reasons, the year 1589 was scratched into the gilded h at the beginning of Deuteronomy. | |||
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Pointing the WayAt some point in the Bible's history, one of its readers inserted a passage of text in a chapter of Jeremiah. The annotator uses a hand—complete with a cuffed sleeve and pointing finger—to draw the reader's attention to the addition. | |||
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A Handy TraditionThe pointing hand was already in use by scribes and readers of manuscript texts to point out (literally) key passages or to draw attention to a marginal gloss or note. This example, from a thirteenth-century Latin Bible from England, predates the Gutenberg by about two centuries. Next Topic: OopsPrevious Topic: Illuminations & Rubrications | |||
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