Zoom – Edward Potten and Elizabeth Savage on Carbon-dating “Medieval” Woodblocks: A New Approach to the History of Book Collecting

February Evening Program

In this program, Ed Potten and Elizabeth Savage will introduce Caxton Club members to an entirely new way of understanding woodblocks: as blocks of wood, which are organic materials that can be carbon-dated. The talk will introduce carbon-dating in book collector-friendly terms, survey our proof-of-concept project to carbon-date dubiously “medieval” and “early modern” woodblocks, and explore new evidence that they are instead antiquarian inventions. They are not fakes, intended to deceive. Instead, they shed light on a long-forgotten way that early book collectors explored and honored print heritage by commissioning new “old” woodblocks.

Edward Potten has published widely on book and library history, with a particular focus on the fifteenth century. He was formerly Keeper of Printed Books at the John Rylands Library, and Head of Rare Books, Joint Head of Special Collections, and Associate Director, Special Collections and External Relations, at Cambridge University Library. He is currently the Principal Consultant on an AHRC/DFG Project, a collaboration between the University of Manchester, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, and the University of Erlangen.

Dr. Elizabeth Savage FSA FRHistS is Senior Lecturer in Book History and Communications, School of Advanced Study, and Head of Academic Research Engagement, Senate House Library, University of London. Her books include Early Colour Printing: German Renaissance Woodcuts at the British Museum, Printing Colour 1400–1700, and Printing Colour 1700–1830. She curates and contributes to exhibitions about print heritage, and has convened book history courses.

Please forward this notice to anyone who may find it of interest.

Even if you can’t attend at the scheduled time, if you’re interested, please register. After the program, we’ll send an email to all registrants, asking if you’d like a link to the complete recording. That way you can see the program even if you couldn’t attend live, ran into technical issues, or simply wanted to watch it again.