>> In a monastic community like Engelberg, the production of books was subject to the superior’s permission and approval. For each volume, singular provision ha

>> In a monastic community like Engelberg, the production of books was subject to the superior’s permission and approval. For each volume, singular provision had to be made, a capable workforce assembled, tasks assigned, materials resourced, time carved out from the daily routine, and licence granted, typically on a case-by-case basis. The Rule of St Benedict stipulates that monks must not be given writing or bookmaking implements without abbatial permission, ‘no book, no wax tablets, no stylus, nothing whatsoever’ (‘neque codicem, neque tabulas, neque graphium, sed nihil omnino’), at the same time as obliging the abbot to keep a list of whatever is distributed and allocated with his authorisation Interesting to compare this with a modern enterprise >> the picture that emerges with increasing clarity is one of relatively free and open access to books facilitated by large transinstitutional networks and publishing communities.