In 'Touching Parchment', Kathryn M. Rudy combines 25 years of diligent research on European medieval manuscripts, documenting visible signs of damage that often go overlooked. Through over 900 photographs, she posits that these marks of wear are not just damages but emotionally charged relics that highlight the reader's interactions with the text. Despite their neglect, these manuscripts tell rich stories about the historic ritualistic gestures associated with reading, thus encouraging a deeper appreciation of forgotten relics of the past.
Rudy suggests that the visible damage on medieval manuscripts is not merely a sign of neglect but an interpretable mark that reveals emotional connections.
Kathryn Rudy’s forensics-style research on medieval manuscripts, especially through the Dirty Books Project, introduces a new perspective in the scholarly study of historic texts.
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