Author Spotlight: Christopher Fletcher

Here is another Author Spotlight, featuring a recent contributor: Dr. Christopher Fletcher, who is Keeper of Special Collections, Bodleian Library. He has authored "A rare book coffer: Mobile medieval manuscripts," 48-49 in MWCC.16.

• What have you contributed to Medieval World?

A short article about a late-medieval book coffer recently acquired by the Bodleian Library in Oxford, where I work.

• Tell us a bit about your background as an historian. What edge do you think it gives you as an author and as an historian?

I did a PhD in modern British literature and art history before joining the British Library as a curator of literary manuscripts. In 2006 I moved to the Bodleian Library, which sits at the center of the university of Oxford. I am a member of the English faculty and a Fellow of Exeter College – founded in 1314. While my academic background is in the modern period, my job allows me to take a general interest in all sorts of things and there is probably not a day that goes by when I don’t learn something new. Every Friday I host a coffee gathering for students, academics and staff where I invite someone to show something fascinating, though I have a strict ten minute rule! It’s the favourite part of my week.

• Do you have a favourite event or figure or object from Middle Ages? Tell us about it.

Gosh – well, I am very fond of a little C15 prayer book from the nunnery at Medingen in Germany. We purchased it in 2015. An ivory plaque inserted in the nineteenth-century (but contemporaneous with the volume) had been removed at some point but me managed to track it down and reunite the pieces. It’s a sweet object used for personal prayer and would have been made by the nuns.

• What sparks your initial interest in writing an article? 

It’s always fun sharing one’s enthusiasm for the collections with a wider audience.

• Tell us a bit about your research and writing process. What research do you usually undertake for your articles? What is the perfect environment/circumstance for you to write?

Well, I rely upon the expertise of curatorial colleagues who produce catalogues that are scholarly and detailed, as well as my own professional experience. In the case of this article, I was pleased to draw attention to research undertaken by Sandra Hindman, who is both a scholar and a dealer – the two often go nicely together!

• What do you find most valuable about this magazine?

I like the colourful and lively approach; it’s enticing and accessible, but not at the expense of erudition!

• What book(s) are you currently reading?

I am just about to start The Flame Throwers by Rachel Kushner. It’s about a female biker and was well received. I am into motorcycles and so the fit seemed good.

• What book(s) on medieval history and culture would you recommend to our readers? Why?

Well, the Bodleian has a small publishing department and there are plenty of amazing medieval items described and illustrated in a book by my friend and colleague, Stephen Hebron, Marks of Genius.

• Anything else you would like to share about your work?

We have an amazing piece of equipment in our imaging studio which allows for the extreme magnification of flat surfaces. Things one can’t see with the naked eye can be dramatically revealed. It was incredible to see a woman’s doodles in an 8th century manuscript. She signed herself Eadburg and it is as though she were sketching comical characters just yesterday.

Women in the Margins: Eadburg and Bodleian Library, MS. Selden Supra 30 – The Bodleian Conveyor