Book Culture

Abstract The chapter surveys the culture of the manuscript book in Byzantium. It proposes a comprehensive study of Greek manuscripts that both looks at the Mediterranean multilingual book culture at large, and takes into consideration all facets (both material and social) that determined the production, circulation, and preservation of manuscripts. Statistics and relevant research tools of the preserved manuscript corpus are offered, while the disparities of such statistics and research tools also are highlighted—as Greek manuscripts remain, to a very large extent, still poorly studied despite the many recent advances. Attention is also drawn to the commerce and mobility of books in Byzantium, to the main human agents (copyists, patrons, and later owners), and main types of book (codices, scrolls, etc.) in Byzantine manuscript culture. The chapter also discusses the issue of forgery, as well as that of books which were used for ritual and other purposes, and were not meant primarily for reading.