Ray Clemens
@rayclemens.bsky.social
Medievalist: retired curator of early books and manuscripts (Beinecke Library, Yale University), Latin Paleography, Middle English Paleography, Book History, Hagiography.
I had a wonderful time at Lectures on Tap at Theory in Chicago last night. Great audience and fun questions. Highly recommend their events. lecturesontap.com
November 20, 2025 at 10:29 PM
I had a wonderful time at Lectures on Tap at Theory in Chicago last night. Great audience and fun questions. Highly recommend their events. lecturesontap.com
From ISU's Carthusian Breviary. Any idea who the saint is ? Stephen the protomartyr (stoned to death) or Antony (self-mortification)?
November 14, 2025 at 6:02 PM
From ISU's Carthusian Breviary. Any idea who the saint is ? Stephen the protomartyr (stoned to death) or Antony (self-mortification)?
Wanted to share this beautiful miniature from Illinois State University’s Special Collections. These are from a Carthusian Breviary.
November 2, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Wanted to share this beautiful miniature from Illinois State University’s Special Collections. These are from a Carthusian Breviary.
Some shameless self promotion if anyone happens to be in Chicago and wants a beer and a talk on medieval manuscripts.
October 31, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Some shameless self promotion if anyone happens to be in Chicago and wants a beer and a talk on medieval manuscripts.
October 21, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Chicago No Kings Rally. 10/18/2025
October 19, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Chicago No Kings Rally. 10/18/2025
This unusual animal? is from Newberry Ayer MS 612, a seventeenth century copy of Tarih-i Yeni Dünya, el-musemma be hadis-i nev, A History of the India of the West, written in Turkish. I hope to post more, especially amazing maps that accompany the manuscript.
October 16, 2025 at 12:22 AM
This unusual animal? is from Newberry Ayer MS 612, a seventeenth century copy of Tarih-i Yeni Dünya, el-musemma be hadis-i nev, A History of the India of the West, written in Turkish. I hope to post more, especially amazing maps that accompany the manuscript.
I saw this amazing manuscript at Illinois State University yesterday. They’ve really beefed up their medieval holdings since I taught there. I’ll be posting on them soon. This is a thirteenth-century record of punishments from Italy. Love the parchment.
October 10, 2025 at 3:55 PM
I saw this amazing manuscript at Illinois State University yesterday. They’ve really beefed up their medieval holdings since I taught there. I’ll be posting on them soon. This is a thirteenth-century record of punishments from Italy. Love the parchment.
I’m doing my best to be a cranky old man but I have to admit I love the over-the-top Halloween decorations in my neighborhood.
October 8, 2025 at 3:07 PM
I’m doing my best to be a cranky old man but I have to admit I love the over-the-top Halloween decorations in my neighborhood.
Our brave troops patrolling the rough Gold Coast community in front of the Newberry Library. Keeping our manuscripts safe from their rightful owners, uh, I mean immigrants.
October 4, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Our brave troops patrolling the rough Gold Coast community in front of the Newberry Library. Keeping our manuscripts safe from their rightful owners, uh, I mean immigrants.
This is a wild “D” from Newberry Case MS 1 (French?, 11th century). I see Irish influence—can someone help me find parallels or tell me I’m crazy? I love how rough 11th century parchment is and the wonderful letterforms particularly the x that takes up the space of two normal letters.
October 1, 2025 at 4:52 PM
This is a wild “D” from Newberry Case MS 1 (French?, 11th century). I see Irish influence—can someone help me find parallels or tell me I’m crazy? I love how rough 11th century parchment is and the wonderful letterforms particularly the x that takes up the space of two normal letters.
Happy “E” for Monday! Ecce! Behold! From Newberry Library MS Case 1. French? Early 11th Century.
September 29, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Happy “E” for Monday! Ecce! Behold! From Newberry Library MS Case 1. French? Early 11th Century.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to play with this beautiful manuscript the Newberry Library. This is Newberry MS Case 1, a homiliary from the early 11th century. Love the elongated format. Likely France.
September 25, 2025 at 1:23 AM
Yesterday I had the opportunity to play with this beautiful manuscript the Newberry Library. This is Newberry MS Case 1, a homiliary from the early 11th century. Love the elongated format. Likely France.
A world weary eleventh century initial Q-guy. From Newberry Library MS 2.
September 21, 2025 at 12:36 AM
A world weary eleventh century initial Q-guy. From Newberry Library MS 2.
Yesterday the Newberry Library held a memorial for Robert Williams, calligrapher, book designer, teacher, Renaissance man and decent human. I saw him in April when I returned to the Newberry reading room and he told me about an article on a French manuscript handwriting book he was working on.
September 18, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Yesterday the Newberry Library held a memorial for Robert Williams, calligrapher, book designer, teacher, Renaissance man and decent human. I saw him in April when I returned to the Newberry reading room and he told me about an article on a French manuscript handwriting book he was working on.
On Monday I was fortunate to visit the University of Chicago’s Special Collections to look at their Bacon collection of manorial charter rolls. An almost unstudied font, I will post a "Thesis in a Box" on Substack soon.
September 17, 2025 at 4:36 PM
On Monday I was fortunate to visit the University of Chicago’s Special Collections to look at their Bacon collection of manorial charter rolls. An almost unstudied font, I will post a "Thesis in a Box" on Substack soon.
One of the fun things about living in a city is stumbling across historical artifacts. This is a relic of the Oliver Typewriter Co., established in 1895 by Thomas Oliver (d. 1909) who invented a typewriter that allowed the typist to see the text they were typing.
September 17, 2025 at 3:47 PM
One of the fun things about living in a city is stumbling across historical artifacts. This is a relic of the Oliver Typewriter Co., established in 1895 by Thomas Oliver (d. 1909) who invented a typewriter that allowed the typist to see the text they were typing.
Ha! My best friend in high school’s father had a Gremlin. And he was 6’7”. It was hysterical watching him driving it. Looked like a toy car.
September 15, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Ha! My best friend in high school’s father had a Gremlin. And he was 6’7”. It was hysterical watching him driving it. Looked like a toy car.
My pictures from ground zero on December 21, 2001. My mother had a station she worked at in the Twin Towers. I grew up across the Hudson and thought the Twin Towers were a permanent part of the landscape. My CUNY summer Latin class celebrated finishing our course in Windows on the World.
September 11, 2025 at 6:02 PM
My pictures from ground zero on December 21, 2001. My mother had a station she worked at in the Twin Towers. I grew up across the Hudson and thought the Twin Towers were a permanent part of the landscape. My CUNY summer Latin class celebrated finishing our course in Windows on the World.
This poor person is another marginal initial from Newberry Library MS 2. Not sure if he’s waving or blessing us. Hopefully the latter. I love these scribal drawings wherever they pop up. Southern France, eleventh century.
September 11, 2025 at 5:06 PM
This poor person is another marginal initial from Newberry Library MS 2. Not sure if he’s waving or blessing us. Hopefully the latter. I love these scribal drawings wherever they pop up. Southern France, eleventh century.
Another fun initial from Newberry Library MS 2, southern France, 11th century.
September 10, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Another fun initial from Newberry Library MS 2, southern France, 11th century.
About to spend up to $3,000 to have our dog’s teeth cleaned (she has to be sedated). Kathleen if you want a partial share of a very used dog, let me know.
September 10, 2025 at 1:18 AM
About to spend up to $3,000 to have our dog’s teeth cleaned (she has to be sedated). Kathleen if you want a partial share of a very used dog, let me know.
A medieval head from the Newberry’s oldest codex, Newberry MS 2. From southern France, 11th century.
September 10, 2025 at 12:26 AM
A medieval head from the Newberry’s oldest codex, Newberry MS 2. From southern France, 11th century.