Matthew Holford
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matthewholford.bsky.social
Matthew Holford
@matthewholford.bsky.social
1K followers 500 following 99 posts
Medievalist and librarian, interested in all aspects of manuscript culture.
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Reposted by Matthew Holford
tolonen.bsky.social
Great news! This is out: Opening the black box of EEBO academic.oup.com/dsh/advance-...
Opening the black box of EEBO
Abstract. Digital archives that cover extended historical periods can create a misleading impression of comprehensiveness while in truth providing access t
academic.oup.com
November 9, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Reposted by Matthew Holford
tainonen.bsky.social
3-year postdoc with CODICUM project for a medievalist placed in Odense, Denmark!

Special focus on Latin, palaeography & Dominican text and book history 📖😍🕵️

tinyurl.com/yrt4x8y3
3-year postdoc position in medieval studies
3-year postdoc position in medieval studies The Department of Culture and Language invites applications for a 3-year postdoc position in Dominican studies within the CODICUM project. The position is e...
tinyurl.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Reposted by Matthew Holford
dgplacenames.bsky.social
Made a site where you can practise Old English scansion. You get given a half-line and have to select which of Sievers's five types it belongs to.
Just Beowulf for now, but that's 6364 half-lines to be getting on with: dgplacenames.github.io/scansion/

[Data: clasp.ell.ox.ac.uk/]
November 7, 2025 at 4:36 PM
matthewholford.bsky.social
Just found out about this amazing example of #manuscript #recycling . The whole manuscript is made up from the margins of an earlier liturgical manuscript, cut out and rearranged (hence the unusual format), the (mostly) blank margins then used to copy various magical texts in the mid 16th century.
A magical text written in the 16th century on the previously blank margin of an earlier liturgical manuscript. Part of the original liturgical text can be seen at the bottom of the leaf. The leaf would originally have been part of the outer margin of a large leaf but has been rotated 90 degrees clockwise.
November 6, 2025 at 5:33 PM
matthewholford.bsky.social
The Tanner Bede is on Digital Bodleian! #MedievalSky 📜
digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/6285...
The opening page of the Tanner Bede with heading and an initial
November 1, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Reposted by Matthew Holford
oswaldsraven.bsky.social
📗New project publication📗

"Liturgy, Literature & History: Oswald of Northumbria and the Cult of Saints in the Middle Ages" is now available #OpenAccess from @britishacademy.bsky.social & @livunipress.bsky.social

Free download here: liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/book/10....

#MedievalSky
Book cover
October 29, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Reposted by Matthew Holford
librarycolleen.bsky.social
These "Teaching the Codex" blog posts introducing collation formulas from Dr. Sian Witherden @sianwitherden.bsky.social
have particularly good illustrations that make it clear for students learning about it for the first time. 📜
teachingthecodex.com/author/teach...
Teaching the Codex
Teaching the Codex is an interdisciplinary project on the teaching of palaeography and codicology.
teachingthecodex.com
October 26, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Reposted by Matthew Holford
dr-patriciastoop.bsky.social
Great news!! My special issue on Writing for Third Parties: Commercial Manuscript Production in the Late Middle Ages (Queeste, @amsterdamupress.bsky.social) is now available in open access.

Looking much forward to your reactions!

www.aup-online.com/content/jour...
October 8, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Reposted by Matthew Holford
dannykay68.bsky.social
ATTACKS from bots are a major problem for libraries scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2025/10/07/g...
"Can we differentiate the behavior in our systems from the motives of the operating individual or organization, and should we be in the business of judging “good” and “bad” site visitors and uses?"
Guest Post - “Have You Proved You’re Human Today?” Open Content and Web Harvesting in the AI Era - The Scholarly Kitchen
AI web harvesting bots are different from traditional web crawlers and violate many of the established rules and practices in place. Their rapidly expanding use is emerging as a significant IT managem...
scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org
October 7, 2025 at 6:44 PM
matthewholford.bsky.social
Still time to sign up!
October 7, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Reposted by Matthew Holford
allthebeset.bsky.social
First time I’ve been a first to follow! Join me!
October 3, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Reposted by Matthew Holford
laurenrndll.bsky.social
CFP: “Shaping the Word: the Form and Use of Biblical Manuscripts in the Early Medieval West” at Durham University in July 2026. We are interested in a wide range of papers exploring ways in which scriptural texts (produced roughly c. 500-1000) were presented and used.
Durham Uni, 2–5 July 2026 From c. 500-1000, Christian scriptures were produced and used in a diverse range of forms and contexts. A manuscript may include a single biblical text (the psalter, a gospel), a collection of texts (the Hexateuch, the gospels), or, rarely, a complete “New Testament” or “Bible” in the modern sense. The distinctiveness of a manuscript is shown by content and textual affiliation, its palaeographical and codicological characteristics, and its paratextual features – from illustrations of biblical narratives, author portraits, and illuminated lettering to canon tables, capitula, prefatory materials, and glosses. Once in circulation, a manuscript’s contexts of use may also vary. Different uses correspond to different users with distinct and perhaps conflicting priorities/goals. Production and use(s) may occur at the same site or at far distant times and places. This conference aims to explore topics related to both the physical presentation and the use of scriptural manuscripts produced in the Early Medieval period (c. 500–1000 CE). We welcome paper proposals from scholars working in all areas of this field, including PhD students. Whatever the specific topic, priority may be given to papers that also relate it to the wider focus of the conference on both “form” (or “production”) and “use”. We hope to be able to cover presenters’ full conference costs with the exception of travel. Titles and Abstracts of proposed papers should be submitted to Lauren Randall (lauren.m.randall@durham.ac.uk), copied to Francis Watson (francis.watson@durham.ac.uk), by Monday 17 November. Abstracts should not exceed 150 words. Papers should be 25 minutes, allowing 20 minute discussion. There will be keynote papers/presentations. Please contact us if you have any questions! This event forms part of our sub-project “Text, Format, and Reader”, focused on Codex Amiatinus and funded by the Glasgow-based “Paratexts Seeking Understanding” project (Templeton Religion Trust)
October 3, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Reposted by Matthew Holford
ilikeoldbooks.bsky.social
very pleased to be offering an open ended Archives Cataloguing post working with the University of Edinburgh's wide and deep literary archives. please do share with anyone interested! elxw.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...
Scottish Literary Archives Cataloguer (Corson Endowment)
Scottish Literary Archives Cataloguer (Corson Endowment) The Opportunity: The Heritage Collections department is pleased to advertise an opportunity to join our team as the Scottish Literary Archives ...
elxw.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com
October 1, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Reposted by Matthew Holford
vch-home.bsky.social
#HistoryJob - just a reminder that our colleagues in VCH Herefordshire are looking for *two* contributing editors to bring their first #BigRedBook for over 100 years to fruition.

Details in the link, applications close on 10 October.
Contributing Editors at The Herefordshire Victoria County History Trust
Apply for the Contributing Editors role on jobs.ac.uk, the top job board for academic positions in higher education. View details and apply now.
www.jobs.ac.uk
September 30, 2025 at 10:24 AM
matthewholford.bsky.social
Next Wednesday 8th October, 12.30-1.30: Jiří Vnouček on "A Tale of Two Parchments" - insular and continental parchment preparation.
In person: @bodleian.ox.ac.uk Weston Library, Lecture Theatre
Or livestreamed.
Free: book here visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/event/oct25/...
A tale of two parchments
In this talk, Dr. Jiří Vnouček discusses differences in species choice and membrane preparation of 'Insular' and 'Continental' parchment used for book-making in the early Middle Ages.
visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk
September 30, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Reposted by Matthew Holford
laurajcleaver.bsky.social
FRAGMENTS GALORE 👇
manuelmunoz.bsky.social Dr Manuel Muñoz García @manuelmunoz.bsky.social · Sep 22
Now that I'm back in the UK, a little announcement: I'll be speaking at the Medieval Manuscripts Seminar (Senate House Library) on Tues 30th. Expect fragments galore!

The event is held in person & online!
ies.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...
Pieces of the past: the Small Fragment folder in the Rosenthal Collection at Keio University
ies.sas.ac.uk
September 24, 2025 at 8:21 AM
Reposted by Matthew Holford
alexbamji.bsky.social
Short-term post-doc for arts/humanities researchers! Do you love rare books, manuscripts, archives, art and/or objects? Would you like to explore one of our amazing Cultural Collections @universityofleeds.bsky.social for c. 6 weeks (longer part-time)? Find out more lahri.leeds.ac.uk/brotherton-f...
Brotherton Fellowship | Leeds Arts and Humanities Research Institute
lahri.leeds.ac.uk
September 17, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Reposted by Matthew Holford
warburginstitute.bsky.social
Interested in bookbindings?

Learn all about Greek-style bindings in early modern Venice in this talk and book launch with author Anna Gialdini in conversation with Nicholas Pickwoad

warburg.sas.ac.uk/events/greek...

8 October 2025, 5:30pm - 7:30pm

#BookBindings #EarlyModern #BookHistory
Greek-style bookbindings in early modern Venice and beyond
Please enable JavaScript in your web browser to get the best experience.
warburg.sas.ac.uk
September 17, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Reposted by Matthew Holford
pieterbeullens.bsky.social
Want to work with the FitMA-team? Here is your chance! Join our great project and get paid for it! Two postdoc positions open! #classicsky #medievalsky #philsky
www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...
2 postdoctoral fellows for the ERC-project ‘Fluidity in the Medieval Aristotle. Readers and Readings of the Greek-Latin Translations’ (FitMA)
Intrigued by the Medieval Aristotle? Join our research group!
www.kuleuven.be
August 28, 2025 at 6:03 AM
matthewholford.bsky.social
Enjoying the historically informed street signs in Basel. Why don't we see this in more places?
A Basel street sign. Small text underneath explains the origin of the street name.
August 22, 2025 at 8:27 PM
matthewholford.bsky.social
Call for papers, Leeds IMC 2026 - Big data and medieval manuscripts. Please consider submitting a proposal!
Call for Papers for the International Medieval Congress 2026 6th–9th July 2026, University of Leeds, UK Sponsor: ‘Enabling digital research on manuscript catalogue data,’ a project at the Bodleian Libraries, funded by Digital Scholarship @ Oxford, which seeks to facilitate quantitative analysis of the Bodleian’s western medieval manuscript catalogues. Organisers: Dr Matthew Holford and Dr Sebastian Dows-Miller (Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford) Computational research into the contents, codicology and history of medieval manuscripts is wellestablished. “Quantitative codicology” has since the 1960s used statistical analysis to explore topics from the dimensions of the manuscript page to overall patterns of book production, but many research questions remain open. This session seeks to bring together scholars from across medieval studies who are engaged in the examination of medieval manuscripts through the lens of ‘Big Data’, to facilitate cross-disciplinary exchange within the still underdeveloped fields of quantitative palaeography and codicology. We welcome proposals from all areas of manuscript studies. Topics may include, but are not limited to: • Networks of texts and people associated with manuscripts. • Quantitative approaches to the palaeographic analysis of scripts and hands. • The application of AI and ML to large corpora of manuscript data. • Issues of data quality and provenance in quantitative manuscript studies. • The use of ‘Big Data’ as a tool for teaching manuscript studies. Potential contributors interested in using the tabular outputs of the sponsoring project can find them at the project’s GitHub repository Please send abstracts of maximum 150 words, along with 5 subject keywords and your contact details, to matthew.holford@bodleian.ox.ac.uk. The deadline for receipt of these details is 23:59 BST on 29th August 2025. If you would like to apply to the IMC separately for financial assistance, see the their advice here.
August 7, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Reposted by Matthew Holford
mqassiti.bsky.social
Over 300 medieval #manuscripts from the collection of the Cistercian Abbey of Stams now digitised.
Thanks for sharing, @buecherwurm99.bsky.social!

#medievalsky
July 24, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Reposted by Matthew Holford
uorspeccoll.bsky.social
Interested in rare books collections and all things library? We’re looking for a Graduate Trainee Library Assistant to join our team!
Find out more here:

jobs.reading.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...
Graduate Trainee Library Assistant :Whiteknights Reading UK
Full time, fixed term contact for 12 months
jobs.reading.ac.uk
July 24, 2025 at 11:07 AM
matthewholford.bsky.social
In awe of the Comms person at Cambridge who has made a textual emendation based on a change of a single letter go viral.
July 20, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Reposted by Matthew Holford
lvhicks.bsky.social
Now, if you are wanting to read some good work on #BayeuxTapestry, here's a thread. By the way, the pun wasn't intentional on Wednesday and isn't now. I'm not that funny. First up: Gale Owen-Crocker, textile historian par excellence www.medats.org.uk/officer/gale... #medievalsky 1/
Gale R. Owen-Crocker – MEDATS
www.medats.org.uk
July 12, 2025 at 11:32 AM