While the library is closed in accordance with government Covid19 guidelines, the staff and wider OCC team are still very active. The Chantry Library recently published the fourth in its series of specialist subject bibliographies. The latest bibliography is by David Plummer, an MA graduate from the book conservation pathway at West Dean College. David has a particular interest in book cultures from, or associated with, the Islamicate cultural world. It was this interest which led him to conduct a research project on the history and diversity of Islamic slip-cases, a form of protective book storage which was popular in many regions of the Islamicate world. This research project was supported by the Frederick Bearman Research Grant which enabled David to conduct field research in libraries ranging from Sarajevo to Manchester. A brief insight into this primary research can be found here.
David gave a lecture summarising his research at the annual Frederick Bearman memorial evening which took place on 11th December 2019 at the Royal Asiatic Society in London. During this lecture, David discussed the visual and textual evidence for slipcases before delving into the nature of his survey. Whilst providing an insight into the variations between slipcases, David was keen to stress the need for a more expansive survey in order to arrive at a more complete understanding. The lecture also included wonderful images of historic slipcases, including some superb examples of decorated papers.
A more detailed version of David’s research will be published in a forthcoming article co-authored by Dr Karin Scheper, a renowned expert in Islamicate bindings. In the meantime, the Chantry Library would like to present a recently published annotated bibliography, in which David overviews a selection of books and articles relating to Islamic slipcases. A number of the books listed by David date back to the 19th century and this is testament to the depth of his research.
Please click here to access David’s bibliography.
By Jasdip Dhillon