BYU

Harold B. Lee Library

The Failure of The Word: The Bible Conservation Project, 1450-1550

Jeff Peachey

  • Time: 7:00 PM
  • Date: Thursday, November 15, 2007
  • Place: Special Collections Classroom


About the Event

During 2006-7, Jeffrey S. Peachey conducted approximately 45 treatments on late 15th and early 16th Century Bibles for Union Theological Seminary, in NYC. This illustrated lecture includes treatments of a Guttenberg Bible, a Koberger Bible, Bomberg’s Biblia Rabinica and some early Luther texts. Many of the books conserved were featured in Jaroslav Pelikan’s 1996 exhibition catalogue “The Reformation of the Bible, The Bible of the Reformation.” It is rare that a conservator has the privilege of working on a large group of books from a specific time period and geographic location, and Peachey will discuss some of the common structural points of failure. One particularly common problem, cracked or cracking wood boards prompted an ongoing experiment comparing 5 common methods of repair, which will also be discussed. Other common problems, and treatments, include reshaping distorted tawed covering material and clasp straps, removal of damaging previous repairs, methods of restoring spine flexibility and correcting displaced hinging paths.

Jeffrey S. Peachey is the owner of a New York City-based studio for the conservation of books the maker of conservation tools and machines. He is a Professional Associate in the American Institute for Conservation and currently Chair of the Conservators In Private Practice. For more than 15 years, he has specialized in the conservation of books and paper artifacts for institutions and individuals. A consultant to major libraries and university collections in the New York City region and nationally, he has been the recipient of numerous grants to support his work. A well-known teacher, Peachey also provides conservation-focused guidance to students in art, archives, and bookbinding programs.