‘Accipe et Devora’

Packaging, Presentation and Consumption of MSS and Printed Books, 1350-1550

Proposals to be sent by November 15, 2008

The eleventh biennial EBS conference, hosted by Emma Cayley, Department of French, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Exeter, will be held at the University of Exeter from July 9 to July 12, 2009, with an optional trip to sites of interest in the area scheduled for July 13. Proposals may consider the ‘packaging’ of medieval manuscripts and early printed books, that is, the separate tasks of putting late medieval and early modern texts together (writing, abstracting, editing, correcting, illustrating, printing, and/or binding) or the repackaging of older texts for contemporary audiences. The term “consumption” is frequently used in the context of luxury manuscripts or printed books produced for wealthy owners and may be read metaphorically to apply to a range of texts or to one text (though there may also be papers on literal consumption, bibliophagia, or consumption by time, worms, fire, censors). Lectures or proposed sessions that consider the transition from script to print, bibliographic issues, or the movement between French and English texts (or vice versa) and audiences are particularly encouraged, though papers on any aspect of the history of manuscripts and printed books from 1350-1550, including the copying and circulation of models and exemplars, style, illustration, and/or the influence of readers and patrons, artists, scribes, printers are welcome. Proposals for 10-minute papers describing recent discoveries, bibliographic notes or MS and rare book collections are also needed. Speakers may give a short paper as well as a longer one. The conference is open to all EBS members. Please indicate whether a slide projector, OHP, or computer equipment is needed in your proposal.

American and Canadian abstracts (1-2 pp) should be sent for consideration no later than November 15, 2008, to Martha Driver (EBS, English Department, 41 Park Row, Rm 1525, New York, New York 10038-1598) or FAXed to 212-346-1754 (office). Members in Great Britain and abroad may submit abstracts by the same date to Emma Cayley (e.j.cayley@ex.ac.uk, Dept of French, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Exeter, The Queen’s Drive, Exeter EX4 4QH UK).

[these details from Mike Pincombe]