The transition from roll to codex as the standard format of the book is one of the most culturally significant innovations of Late Antiquity. The Codex and Crafts in Late Antiquity examines surviving evidence in order to better understand how this transition took place. Placing the codex into the general cultural, religious, and technological context of Late Antiquity, the book examines the major types of codices—the wooden tablet codex, the single-quire codex and the multi-quire codex—in all their structural, technical, and decorative features. Georgios Boudalis argues that the codex was not an ingenious invention but rather an innovation that evolved using techniques already widely employed by artisans and craftspeople in the creation of everyday items such as socks, shoes, and baskets, revealing that the codex was a fascinating, yet practical, development.

Table of Contents
Director’s Foreword

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Introduction: The Innovation of the Codex in Late Antiquity

Part I: The Precursors of the Multigathering Codex
Chapter 1: The Wooden Tablet Codex
Chapter 2: The Single-Gathering Codex

Part II: The Multigathering Codex
Chapter 3: The Multigathering Codex: Introduction
Chapter 4: The Sewing of the Gatherings
Chapter 5: The Boards and Their Attachments
Chapter 6: The Spine Lining
Chapter 7: The Endbands
Chapter 8: The Cover and Its Decoration
Chapter 9: The Fastenings
Chapter 10: The Bookmarks and Board Corner Straps

Conclusion

Checklist of Objects in the Exhibition

Bibliography

Index