This is not true. The archive is complex and interesting but it is absolutely not the case that preservation was driven by beauty as a primary concern.
I find this hard to believe? Did I word it sloppily? Of course, this is a conversation more than a pointed debate. But I would be surprised to find we go out of our way to preserve things that society doesn't find some aesthetic beauty in.
Does that mean I don't believe we can also have people dedicated to archiving all things? No. The post I responded to had a good example of some of the "lesser quality" preservations of the same work.
Archivists do indeed have goals. Those goals are varied and change over time. But the bulk of material archived from the early modern period was archived for goals entirely separate from the preservation of beauty. It is an error to say that there is a simple misunderstanding of the nature of old books because those that are in the archive are very disproportionately beautiful.
Right. You are talking about archivists. I was making a broader point of society. Especially for many old books, it is not shocking that the ones that were there to be archived were the pretty ones. Many of the very beautiful things were literally done for rich sponsors.
I fully cede that someone whose job is to archive stuff likely does so for the sake of archival. Even there, I suspect there is largely a bend towards things we see as beautiful; but I grant archival for its own beauty is a thing and most of the bend will be before the archivist is involved.
The most common book from the 16th century (and onward) to survive to this day is the family bible, so it was less about beauty and more about religious devotion mixed with the Reformation promoting a more accessible liturgy.
I feel you are just talking past me? Many view the bible as a beautiful book. An heirloom, if you will. And I guarantee you the children's bibles were not nearly as kept as the ones for adults.
I was given a children's hand missal as a First Holy Communion gift. It is bound in black faux leather, it is illustrated in color, and it is inscribed with the dates of my Sacraments, including space for future Matrimony, Religious Consecration, or Holy Orders.
It's the most beautiful book I've ever owned, although it is mass-produced (so to speak.) 40 years later, I still have it carefully preserved and accessible.
Apologies, I meant that to be that "by the numbers" I would feel safe wagering that kid's bibles were not nearly as well kept as "family" ones. For mostly obvious reasons.
Seriously, I could also make the claim that the bible is the most destroyed book in history. Without worrying too much about the final numbers, as that is an easy claim. It is the most printed book in the modern world. It should dominate all followon statistics.
