pagesofjulia

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

A Burnable Book (whose title, I’m sure, strikes fear into many our hearts) is a to-be-published work of historical fiction, with a pedigree: author Bruce Holsinger is, according to the back of my review copy, “a prolific and award-winning scholar of the medieval period” at the University of Virginia. Thus we should trust him, and his research capabilities. But that’s not all! Any book lover would be charmed by the following passage:

Angervyle possessed a strong sense of history, citing examples of renowned book-buyers from the past, including Plato and Aristotle, as well as some negative exempla of those who spurned their volumes. There was also a long discussion of the treatment and storage of the bishop’s own books. Dripping noses, filthy fingernails, pressed flowers, cups of wine brought too near the precious folios: all of these represented destructive forces to the volumes in his collection, which he sought to preserve and protect against the ravages of their many potential abusers. To this end, he wrote, his plan was to endow a hall of books at Oxford, a chamber that would lend out his collection, rendering it a great public good to the entire Oxford community. “The treasures of our books,” he wrote, “should be available to all.”

Well, naturally. Librarians and modern-day book lovers nod their heads sagely. Dripping noses, indeed! Although, the cups of wine…

This quotation comes from an uncorrected advance proof and is subject to change.

Filed under: tuesday teasers | Tagged: historical fiction |