Layout and presentation of the text

doi:10.1017/CHOL9780521782180.006

4 - Layout and presentation of the text

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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 November 2008

M. B. Parkes

Edited by

Nigel J. Morgan and

Rodney M. Thomson

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Nigel J. Morgan: Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Rodney M. Thomson: Affiliation:
University of Tasmania

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Summary

Between 1100 and 1425 there were numerous changes in the ways in which texts were laid out and presented on the page. There were new kinds of texts – a more technical literature than in previous centuries – that were often used for reference purposes as well as for continuous reading. There were also more texts in the vernacular intended for recreation as well as edification. These new texts as well as copies of older ones were produced for new generations of readers: not only for monks but also secular clergy and laymen, who had acquired a more sophisticated level of literacy through higher education, or professional training and experience. Many of these readers required easier access to details of the information contained in a text, in order to apply them to immediate problems. The way in which a text was presented on the page had to be appropriate not only to the needs of these readers but also to the content of the text. Scribes introduced new layouts and new ways of presenting texts. Some of these features first appeared in copies produced for scholars or specialist readers, but subsequently in copies of other texts (including vernacular texts) intended for a wider spectrum of readers, both male and female, to enable them to read more quickly.

Type: Chapter
Information: The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain
, pp. 55 - 74

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHOL9780521782180.006 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2008

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