Manuscripts

The following exchange took place recently in MEDTEXTL and is reproduced
here without the knowledge or consent of the authors.


  Date:         Sun, 17 May 1992 20:52:34 CST
  Reply-To:     "Medieval Text - Philology, Codicology,
                and Technology etc." <MEDTEXTL [at] UIUCVMD__BITNET>
  Sender:       "Medieval Text - Philology, Codicology,
                and Technology etc." <MEDTEXTL [at] UIUCVMD__BITNET>
  From:         James Marchand <marchand [at] UX1__CSO__UIUC__EDU>
  Subject:      Invasive techniques

  We discussed at length once before the use of invasive techniques in
  deciphering manuscripts.  I picked up a book at K'zoo based mostly on
  the title and one of the articles:  Dechiffrer les ecritures effacees,
  ed. Lucie Fossier et Jean Irigoin.  Editions du Centre National de la
  Recherche Scientifique.  Paris, 1990.  When I mention that there are
  still people out there who are spilling chemicals on manuscripts, I am
  usually greeted with disbelief.  I just mention one of the articles:
  "La revelation chimique des encre palies," by Francoise Flieder.  I
  recently received a request by Octavio Paz for help in deciphering a
  faded manuscript by a deceased Mexican poet.  The manuscript had been
  carried around in his pocket, was written in pencil, and had been
  faded out; a perfect candidate for mono- chromatic light, say, UV or
  infra-red or both, and enhancement.  Alas, it had already been treated
  with chemicals.  Many of our Gothic manuscripts, struck by "die
  wildangewandte Gallapfeltinktur Angelo Mais", are illegible forever,
  as is for the most part the Auxentius manuscript.  We ought to put a
  stop to the use of invasive techniques and intrusive measures in
  dealing with manuscripts, and this includes using the wrong kind of
  ultra- violet lights. Jim Marchand


  Date:         Sun, 17 May 1992 22:52:58 EST
  Reply-To:     "Medieval Text - Philology, Codicology,
                and Technology etc." <MEDTEXTL [at] UIUCVMD__BITNET>
  Sender:       "Medieval Text - Philology, Codicology,
                and Technology etc." <MEDTEXTL [at] UIUCVMD__BITNET>
  From:         Kevin Kiernan <ENG102 [at] UKCC__UKY__EDU>
  Subject:      Re: Invasive techniques

  Jim,

  Does the Fossier and Irigoin collection include "The Electronic
  Subtraction of the Superior Writing of a Palimpsest," by the late John
  Benton?

  Kevin Kiernan, eng102 [at] ukcc__uky__edu


  Date:         Mon, 18 May 1992 06:09:41 CDT
  Reply-To:     "Medieval Text - Philology, Codicology,
                and Technology etc." <MEDTEXTL [at] UIUCVMD__BITNET>
  Sender:       "Medieval Text - Philology, Codicology,
                and Technology etc." <MEDTEXTL [at] UIUCVMD__BITNET>
  From:         John Dagenais <dagenais [at] CASBAH__ACNS__NWU__EDU>
  Subject:      Re: Invasive techniques

  Jim,
  Maybe this would be a good moment to bring some of us (i.e., me) up to
  speed on the alternatives to invasive techniques available now and in
  the near future.  I know that various image processing, computer
  enhancing techniques are out there, but I don't really know what they
  will do for the average reader of manuscripts at this point.  Are they
  being used at all now, or are they still on our wish list? Thanks,

  John Dagenais
  Dept. of Hispanic Studies
  Northwestern University
  Evanston, IL 60208
  j-dagenais [at] nwu__edu


  Date:         Mon, 18 May 1992 09:24:28 EDT
  Reply-To:     "Medieval Text - Philology, Codicology,
                and Technology etc." <MEDTEXTL [at] UIUCVMD__BITNET>
  Sender:       "Medieval Text - Philology, Codicology,
                and Technology etc." <MEDTEXTL [at] UIUCVMD__BITNET>
  From:         Mark Williams <wilm [at] CALVIN__EDU>
  Subject:      Re: Invasive techniques

  I seem to recall talking to a guy from (I think) Jet Propulsion
  Laboratory, of all places, at an American Philological Assn. meeting
  about ten years ago about the availability of JPL's photographic
  enhancement techniques for such things as decipherment of MSS.  He
  told me that JPL was more than willing to perform this service,
  although it would cost a bit.  I never followed up on the
  conversation.  Anybody else know whether this service is still
  available, and at what cost?  Sorry to be so vague on this, but it's
  that time of year....

  Mark Williams                        Internet:  WILM [at] calvin__edu
  Classics Department                  Voice:     (616) 957-6293
  Calvin College                       Fax:       (616) 957-8551
  Grand Rapids, MI
  USA            49546


  Date:         Mon, 18 May 1992 11:14:47 EST
  Reply-To:     "Medieval Text - Philology, Codicology,
                and Technology etc." <MEDTEXTL [at] UIUCVMD__BITNET>
  Sender:       "Medieval Text - Philology, Codicology,
                and Technology etc." <MEDTEXTL [at] UIUCVMD__BITNET>
  From:         Kevin Kiernan <ENG102 [at] UKCC__UKY__EDU>
  Subject:      JPL and image processing

  On Mon, 18 May 1992 09:24:28 EDT Mark Williams said:

  >I seem to recall talking to a guy from (I think) Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
  ...

  John Benton told me about ten years ago that the person who had been
  doing image processing of texts at JPL was no longer there and that
  JPL had moved on to other, less terrestrial interests.

  Kevin Kiernan, eng102 [at] ukcc__uky__edu

  Reply-To:     "Medieval Text - Philology, Codicology,
                and Technology etc." <MEDTEXTL [at] UIUCVMD__BITNET>
  Sender:       "Medieval Text - Philology, Codicology,
                and Technology etc." <MEDTEXTL [at] UIUCVMD__BITNET>
  From:         Willis Johnson <willis [at] VIOLET__BERKELEY__EDU>
  Subject:      Invasive techniques, photocopying

  A couple of summers ago I was at a small archive in London, equipped
  with my lowlight camera (no flash) and tripod preparing to copy a 14th
  century MS.  The archivist suggested that it would be less trouble to
  simply xerox the MS, and offered the use of his own standard office
  style xerox machine! Needless to say I declined, mumbling something
  about making slides. Standards vary... willis [at] violet__berkeley__edu


  Date:         Tue, 19 May 1992 09:24:19 PDT
  Reply-To:     "Medieval Text - Philology, Codicology,
                and Technology etc." <MEDTEXTL [at] UIUCVMD__BITNET>
  Sender:       "Medieval Text - Philology, Codicology,
                and Technology etc." <MEDTEXTL [at] UIUCVMD__BITNET>
  From:         Charles Faulhaber <cbf [at] ATHENA__BERKELEY__EDU>
  Subject:      Re:  Invasive techniques, photocopying

  It is still standard practice in smaller Spanish libraries and
  archives to xerox medieval MSS and documents.

  Apropos, in the latest issue of the Yale Alumni Magazine there were a
  couple of letters chiding the curators of the Beinecke manuscript
  collection (photographed in an article in an earlier issue) for
  improper techniques of handling MSS, including one from a gentlemen
  who insisted that parchment MSS should only be handled with gloves.

  Charles Faulhaber
  UC Berkeley

                                  ***
                   Conservation DistList Instance 6:1
                   Distributed: Friday, June 5, 1992
                        Message Id: cdl-6-1-009
                                  ***