Model of the Medieval Girdle Book

Painting of Saint Catherine of Alexandria holding a traditional girdle book.

Medieval girdle books are small, portable books that were worn by clergy, aristocrats and religious travelers between the late 14th and early 16th centuries . The book is made up of a codex with a leather binding that loosely extends well past the cover of the book. The leather extension is usually tapered to form a tail that can be knotted and tucked under one’s belt, or girdle, hence the name. The tail of the binding is found on the bottom of the book, so that when it is swung upwards, the characters are readable. The genre of the codices there were bound in the girdle format were usually religious, however, there is some evidence that those in the law profession had their books in the girdle format. However, based on the surviving girdle books today, and their depictions in art, the large majority of girdle books are thought to be of religious context.

The girdle book was popular in a relatively restricted geographical area, from the Netherlands to the Upper Rhine valley. Similar to its geographic confinement, the girdle book only remained popular for a period of around 150 years. During its period of popularity, women were major users of the girdle book. Since the inclusion of a girdle belt above the waist became a popular addition to the female medieval outfit around the 15th century, women especially wore girdle books. The girdle book secured at the waist both provided the benefit of hands-free transportation of the book, as well as protection from theft or loss. The complete coverage by the binding also provided protection of the manuscript. Additionally, wearing the girdle book made a statement of one’s high position in society and their literacy and knowledge.

The Study of the Girdle Book

Number of Preserved Girdle Books per Country
Germany	11
United States	3
Denmark	2
Sweden	1 or 2
England	1 or 2
Netherlands	1
Poland	1
Austria	1
Estonia	1

While girdle books are well documented in medieval art, ranging from paintings to carved tombstones, relatively few physical books remain, making them difficult to study. Margit Smith, a librarian at the University of San Diego and a lauded historian of girdle books, estimates that only 23 to 24 known examples remain. Despite this estimated count, it is difficult to determine precisely how many girdle books remain. Oftentimes, the leather extensions were cut off to repurpose the leather, or to make them easier to store. During the late 16th century, manuscripts began to be shelved upright, with their spines pointed out. The construction of the girdle book would prove difficult to house in these shelves.

Another challenge in the study of the girdle book is rooted in the terminology used to describe them. The German words Beutelbuch, translated as “pouch book,” and Buchbeutel, translated as “book pouch,” are often used interchangeably. Buchbeutel invokes the image of a bag used to house a book when it is not used. These words clearly describe two different objects, which presents a difficulty when girdle books are cataloged at libraries. Many more examples of girdle books may be stored at libraries, hidden by this ambiguous cataloging, and can only be identified by close examination. These issues present a large challenge to the study and understanding of the medieval girdle book.

Anatomy of the Girdle Book

Using the few examples remaining today, the structure and construction of the girdle book has been deeply analyzed. In his The Medieval Girdle Book, Smith explains in detail the different general components of the girdle book. He states that there are two main types of girdle books: single cover and double cover. The single cover book “consists of a primary binding only, providing on the bottom edge the long leather extension by which it could be slipped under the belt, or carried by hand.” On the other hand, the double cover book “consists of a primary (inner) and secondary (outer) cover, and either encloses the book-block completely when it hangs from the belt, or leaves the fore-edge and the top edge open.” Most girdle books, in either style, were small and compact, usually between 90mm to 160mm high. This compact style allowed for their transportability and easy access. The covers of the book extended and tapered at the ends, allowing them to be knotted. The knot was then tucked under one’s belt to allow for hands-free transportation. The books hung so that the head was downward, allowing the carrier to pick up the book and read it. Detailed analyses of two preserved gridle books complicate contemporary understanding of their anatomy.

The Yale Girdle Book

The Yale Girdle Book.

The Yale Girdle Book contains Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy, which was written around 523 AD. This girdle book is dateable to the fifteenth century and has many notes written in the marginalia, indicating that it was heavily used. The Yale Girdle Book represents one of the few remaining girdle books identified by Smith that is not religious. The height of the codex is 100mm in height, consistent with Smith’s general description of girdle books. The book is bound with soft leather and is closed with a humaniform clasp (a term coined by Jane Greenfield in her work Notable Bindings). This anthropomorphic clasp is rare for girdle books, although most do have some kind of clasp, as pointed out by Smith’s work. The book is also fully enveloped, a characteristic that is also rare for medieval girdle books. In her work Flesh Side: Reading Bodies and Boethius in the Yale Girdle Book, Kayla Lunt argues that this is both a pragmatic and artistic choice by the binder of the Yale Girdle Book, as the unwrapped girdle book resembles “a corpse laid out on its wrapper.” She argues that this detail, in conjunction with the humaniform clasp, invokes the reader to focus on the body, a major topic in the work. The book also contains a turk’s head knot, which allowed it to be slipped under the belt. The unique characteristics of this girdle book present a deeper understanding of it’s anatomy, but due to the limited number of existing books, present a challenge to defining general characteristics of girdle books.

The Cambridge Terrier

Another manuscript that further complicates the definition of the girdle book is the Cambridge Terrier, or Terrarium Cantabrigiae, held by Cambridge University. The book, dated around 1360, keeps record of all the arable land in the Cambridge West Fields. The book's text-block is made of sheepskin parchment and the book stands around 240mm high. It has a primary cover that is made of alum-tawed skin and a secondary cover made out of goatskin.

The Cambridge Terrier.

The manuscript contains the traditional clasp on the outer cover, however, it lacks the upper tapered and knotted end that is traditionally seen on girdle books. Despite its lack of knotted end, the Cambridge Terrier still contains a significant overhang that may imply its use as a belt book or girdle book. In his analysis in The Beast, the Book and the Belt: an Introduction to the Study of Girdle or Belt Books from the Medieval Period, Jim Bloxam argues that the content, context, and form of the Cambridge Terrier may point to it being a girdle book, however, the deviance from the traditional characteristics of the girdle book make it difficult to define.

The Modern Day Model

The relatively few extant girdle books present a significant challenge to their study. Due to their age and the significant bending of the covers over time, the remaining girdle books are fragile and difficult to handle. The 23 books remaining are housed at universities and libraries all over the world, presenting a practical challenge to their study. An important aspect of the girdle book as a form of codex is only understood through the physical usage of the book. As handling of traditional girdle books is impractical, some book artists have created contemporary models based on the traditional extant books.

One such model is held by the University of Pennsylvania in the Kislak Center for Special Collections. The model was made in 2017 by Philadelphia-based book artist and printmaker Alice Austin. Austin has made several girdle book models after learning the form from Renate Mesmer, the Head of Conservation and Preservation at the Folger Shakespeare Library, during a demonstration given in 2014. Renate’s demonstration handout details the major steps involved in creating a replica of the girdle book and gives important historical context on the types of materials used. Using Renate’s handout and demonstration as a guide, Austin details the steps of the model’s construction on her website and attempts to use materials and styles to replicate traditional girdle books. The model is made using alum tawed calf skin, white oak boards, handmade paper, and a brass clasp. The model is in the single cover style and contains a tapered end that culminates in a turk’s head knot, replicating the common knot seen on many traditional girdle books.

Construction of the Modern Day Model

The following gallery shows the major steps, illustrated on her website, in Austin's construction of this girdle book model. These steps, based on Mesmer's handout, seek to model the traditional method of making the girdle book. While the method closely matches the predicted traditional method for girdle book creation, the materials used are more contemporary.

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  Text block is sewn onto linen cords and warm gelatin is applied to the spine.

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  Wooden boards are marked and drilled according to the size of the linen cords and text block. Space for the clasp is also cut.

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  Linen cords are threaded through the wooden blocks and the block is pressed overnight.

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  Leather is fitted over the cover of the book.

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  Leather is pasted to the wooden blocks of the book. Note the significant overhang that forms the leather extension.

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  The leather extension is cut into strips to allow it to be tied into a turk's head knot.

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  The clasp is fitted and pasted to the cover of the book.