Two codices held by the \u00d6sterreichische Nationalbibliothek<\/strong> that are godsends in this respect bear citing here. Both in the case of the\u00a0Croy Hours<\/strong>, better known as the\u00a0Book of Drolleries<\/strong><\/a>, and in that of the\u00a0Prayer Book of John of Opava<\/strong>, the pristine, artistically valuable bindings have been preserved undamaged till the present day, protecting the illuminated manuscripts<\/strong> through the centuries. Despite the high technical effort this called for, replicating them was not a difficult decision for the publisher.<\/p>\n Deciding on the right binding is frequently fraught with difficulty, because only in the rarest of cases has the pristine\u00a0original binding\u00a0survived to the present day.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n However, it is different with most codices handed down from the Middle Ages<\/strong>. Here, besides the publishing challenge, it is often also a scholarly one. Essentially, only two options offer themselves: if a binding exists that matches the origin and significance of the manuscript, then the publisher will choose it to be reshaped and serve as an exemplar of the binding art<\/strong> of the time. This was done for the facsimile of the\u00a0Hours of Catherine of\u00a0Cleves<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0from the Pierpont Morgan Library<\/strong> or the edition of\u00a0Guido de Columnis – The Trojan War<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0from the \u00d6sterreichische Nationalbibliothek<\/strong>.<\/p>\n But what if this option is not available, as with the\u00a0Ottheinrich Bible<\/strong><\/a>, but the eponym of the oldest illustrated German gospel<\/strong> was one of the most important patrons of magnificent manuscripts<\/strong> of his time? In this case, binding experts designed a new Ottheinrich binding<\/strong>. The original 16th century stampings were done so deftly that even Ottheinrich himself could not have commissioned a more fitting and beautiful binding.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, sometimes it is only feasible to settle for a plain binding, but it is possible to compensate by using materials that do justice to the original, as in the case of the little Prayer Book for Otto III<\/strong><\/a>, the Bamberg Apocalypse <\/a><\/strong>or Gaston Phoebus – Master of Game<\/strong><\/a> from the Pierpont Morgan Library<\/strong>.<\/p>\n When talking about making a facsimile,<\/strong> we need to take into account\u00a0the paper on which modern editions<\/strong> are reproduced. Ranking first among the criteria that the paper must fulfill is durability, which must be coupled with good printability and optimal color reproduction.<\/p>\n In creating a facsimile today, all of the paper used for editions is inspected for various criteria. It is crucial that the paper is non-acidic. Increasingly, slightly alkaline paper grades are used, not just when measured superficially, but also when measuring the paper mass and when printed on.<\/p>\n The fiber quality of the paper used must be so good that its resistance to aging measures up to that of a genuine rag paper.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n In this way, moreover, the paper quality of modern facsimiles fulfills the strict requirements of scholarly libraries.<\/p>\n Because of the small print runs, the paper for individual editions is made in custom batches, something that only a few paper manufacturers still do. Naturally, it has to be ensured that the book block of the facsimile corresponds to the original in volume. The book as a whole must come as close as possible to the model.<\/p>\n![\"Binding](\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Troja_5A.jpg\" "\\"Guido")
![\"Binding](\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/KatharinaVonKleve_00011-1024x1363.jpg\" "\\"Hours")
![\"Front](\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/LOR-stehender-Band.jpg\" "\\"Lorsch")
Paper<\/h3>\n
![\"Cover](\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/BPS-frontal_klein-1024x1379.jpg\" "\\"Oxford")
The commentary volume<\/h3>\n
![\"Picture](\"https:\/\/www.facsimilefinder.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/CI_Stimmung-Kbd_gro\u00df-1024x1245.jpg\" "\\"Commentary\\"")