1 August 2008
Inscriptions and marginalia - a tradition of annotations (repeat)
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How many of you feel comfortable about picking up a pen or pencil and writing inside a book that you might be reading? Although some people might consider this to be disrespectful of the work, there's a long tradition of inscribing thoughts around an existing text. A loose definition for these sorts of annotations is 'Marginalia'. Today on The Book Show we revisit a discussion about the function and value of these inscriptions over the centuries and what they can tell us about the journey a book has taken.
Joining the conversation are three people who have spent a great deal of time surrounded by books of all descriptions.
Professor Margaret Manion is one of Australia's most eminent and valued Art Historians, and brings a deep understanding of Medieval and Renaissance books and manuscripts.
Dr Nikki Hessell teaches Communication and Journalism at Massey University in New Zealand. Prior to that Nikki worked closely with Professor Heather Jackson in Toronto, studying the Marginalia of the Romantic Period, and especially the prolific annotations by Samuel Coleridge - and together Nikki and Heather produced a book called Romantic Readers: The Evidence of Marginalia.
And our third guest is Kay Craddock, whose antiquarian bookshop is something of an institution in Melbourne. Kay and her parents have been dealing in rare and valuable works for many decades and she brings a rich knowledge of the world of the book collector, and the importance of marginalia in determining the provenance and the authenticity of books.
(First broadcast 19/10/2007)
Guests
Professor Emeritus Margaret Manion
An art historian based at the University of Melbourne.
Dr Nikki Hessell
A Lecturer in Massey University's Department of Communication and Journalism in New Zealand. Nikki co-authored a book with Prof. Heather Jackson of the University of Toronto, called Romantic Readers: The Evidence of Marginalia.
Kay Craddock
Owner of Kay Craddock Antiquarian Booksellers, based in Melbourne.
Publications
Title: Romantic Readers: The Evidence of Marginalia
Author: Prof.Heather Jackson
Publisher: Yale University Press, 2005
ISBN-13 978-0300107852
Title: Marginalia: Readers Writing in Books
Author: Prof.Heather Jackson
Publisher: Yale University Press, 2001
ISBN-13 978-0300097207
Presenter
Ramona Koval
Producer
Michael Shirrefs
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