The Vatican Film Library and its journal, Manuscripta, annually host the Saint Louis Conference on Manuscript Studies. The conference, known familiarly as the Manuscripta Conference, has no set theme and serves as a general forum for manuscript scholars to meet and discuss their work with colleagues. Each year a distinguished scholar is invited to deliver the Fr. Lowrie J. Daly, S.J. Memorial Lecture on Manuscript Studies. Topics addressed at the conference range from Antiquity through the early modern period and include, but are not limited to:

Thirty-Ninth Annual Saint Louis Conference on Manuscript Studies
Saint Louis University
12–13 October 2012

Lowrie J. Daly, S.J., Memorial Lecture on Manuscript Studies

David Ganz (Independent Scholar)

Call for Papers—Scholars are invited to submit paper proposals for the sessions described below. Feel free to expand or redirect the focus of these topics, in line with your own interests and/or research. The deadline for submission of paper titles and abstracts of no more than 300 words is January 15, 2012; please send them directly to Susan L'Engle (lengles@slu.edu).

A variety of reasons seems to have prompted the illustration of anatomical studies of the human body in the later Middle Ages. Whether these motivations were medical, theological, or merely theoretical, the body as a physical organism became the focus of both texts and images. Papers dedicated to the construction of human anatomy in all of its meanings are welcome.

This session seeks papers that address the science of book production. Theophilus showed us that there have always been rules for the creation of manuscripts, illuminated or not. What insights do the techniques used by medieval manuscript makers provide for modern scholars? What might new scientific approaches tell us about the process of creation? What other medieval texts might parallel the contributions of Theophilus?

As part of their education, medieval children of certain social classes had access to books. Speakers will explore the ownership of books by children, considering questions such as these: Which texts were deemed appropriate for boys or girls? Which were illuminated, and why? How were books used in the learning process? Are there records that prove ownership by children? What role did parents play in the creation of children’s books? At what age did children become patrons in their own right?