I stumbled onto this site tonight and oh, what an amazing invention modern technology has given us in the ability to page through and read these original manuscripts! The site is called Turning the Pages, the British Library. Go bury yourself in its riches. The first book I opened was Jane Austen’s A History of England. Honestly, I could hardly believe my eyes.
Also worth studying is the world’s oldest printed “book”: the Diamond Sutra from China, circa 868 A.D. How beautiful. How few books today are worth the cheap paper they are printed on–nothing like the exquisite detail and craftsmanship of earlier centuries–or even the quality common a hundred years ago.
Yes, I’m easily fascinated but still. 
::smiles:: The British Library is one of the pleasures of living in London! It is a truly magnificent place. I spent much of my summer there writing up my Master’s thesis. One afternoon — when wading through Romantic theory was getting too much to bear — I requested a first edition of Little Women to cheer me up. The experience of holding such an old and precious book in my hands was almost too much to behold! I wholeheartedly recommend a visit if any of you ladies plan on coming to England!
Naomi
Isn’t that a fascinating site? My Medieval Art History professor showed it to us when we did manuscripts.
Wow…what a fascinating site! I never heard of such a thing before. I’m actually studying in Oxford right now for the spring, so I was very interested to hear about this.
Blessings,
Kiersti