A short communique from Prague: During my visit to the Theological and Philosophical Halls of the Strahov Monastery libraries, I stumbled upon a library collection I have long wanted to see (I would say "in the flesh," if not for the dendrologic nature of the specimens): the xylotecha of Karel of Hinterlagen from 1825. Each volume of this "book" collection consists of various parts of a single specimen of tree wood (including seeds, roots, flowers, et c), contained within a binding, or case, of the specimen's bark, complete with associated lichens and growths. Gilded spine labels in German and Latin complete each volume. Books made from paper in it's purest form.
No comments:
Post a Comment