Censorship

This image shows the entry for Martin Luther, one of the leading figures of the Protestant Reformation during the sixteenth century.  This was a tumultuous moment in European history, and Martin Luther’s 95 Theses and public criticism of the Catholic Church rendered him a dangerous subject of discussion.  Given that this particular book lived in a Catholic monastery during that time period the large X’s through each of the pages devoted to discussion of Luther’s works is understandable.  However, it is still an impressive example of the connection between text and readership.  That is, the monks who kept this book in their library used this book in the way which best served their purpose in life, which meant that they did not want to look at or perhaps acknowledge the reinforcement of beliefs to which they themselves did not adhere.

In the image above, we can see a line of text that was once inked out, most likely by the monks in Buxheim.  In a layer on top of that, however, is what appears to be a strip of white paint, perhaps white-out if it was done recently enough, which was then engraved over.  This appears to be an attempt to restore the text which had been crossed out, perhaps (and arguably likely) after the text had changed hands.  Given that we do not know when this was done to the text or at what point the book may have changed hands to someone who would have wanted to change the markings already in the book, there is little factual information to provide.  That said, this is yet another example of how people can use books and how books function as cultural artifacts.  While Bibliotheca was in a dogmatically ecclesiastical environment, the markings in the text suited its purpose.  At some point, however, someone decided that it was important enough to them to restore this little piece of writing, something which reflects the personal and societal influences on how we use books.