Knowledge of the flesh: using DNA analysis to unlock bibliographical secrets of medieval parchment.

Abstract

The past century has witnessed enormous advances in the variety and sophistication of tools available to analytical bibliographers for the study of the history and transmission of early printed books and texts. Developments in type studies and the identification and tracing of watermarks, printers' devices, ornaments, and woodcuts, coupled with refinement in the techniques and practices of studying and describing the placement and use of these features in print artifacts, have revolu tionized our understanding of the business practices of printers and publishers, deepened and broadened our knowledge of the commercial trade of paper and books printed on it, and facilitated the dating and localizing of the materials comprised in printed books and, in many cases, of the texts these books contain. But the usefulness of the majori ty of these advancements has largely been restricted to the study of books printed on paper or, in the case of watermarks, to manuscripts