Old sand in books
Published by Reblogs - Credits in Posts,
Old sand
Today I looked at a handwritten account book from 1717. It listed a series of expenses paid by the city of Leiden (the Dutch city where I live) to various suppliers - of books, papers, pens. Being a medieval book historian, any source made after 1500 is alien. Because I am used to handling parchment books, it was odd to handle a book that was made out of paper - and a lot of it, for that matter (Pic 1). Also new to me was the fact that related materials were held together by needles (Pic 2) and to see dozens of rare actual receipts, small slips that were crossed out when paid (Pic 3). The biggest surprise, however, was the material that came falling out of the account book: sand (Pic 4). It turns out that this sand was used to dry the wet ink at the time. It was sensational to see a modest mountain of sand, put on the sheets by individuals long gone, appear from the pages as I flipped through them.
Pics (my own): Leiden, City Archives, SA 8207, dated 1717.
https://erikkwakkel.tumblr.com/post/111211786251/old-sand-today-i-looked-at-a-handwritten-account