Collections

(from https://search.proquest.com/docview/215267313?accountid=10267)

As labeled, the first image is a page from the Bridgewater Sammelband, and describes its contents. A Sammelband is a collection of texts bound together in a single codex. These collections are somewhat of a bridge between printed works and manuscripts, because though the collections within made the codices one-of-a-kind, the individual components were often composed of printed sheets bound together. The books (and many early printed books) contained several different works by different authors bound together, and unlike modern printed books, they often lacked any central theme¹, which may represent changes to the book over time, what texts the printer had accessible, or the tastes of a particular buyer². Many of these collections were assembled by a customer, a printer, and a binder, where printed texts were chosen and assembled according to the customer's desires and the printer's store of texts³. The image not only serves to suggest a variety more typical of manuscripts, but also suggests a life not typical of the modern printed book. The third line on the page is crossed out, which suggests something that was there is no longer there. Other Sammelbände show more obvious changes in content throughout their lives, the Cotton Tiberius MS B.v of the British Library has had individual pages inserted into it, several complete works inserted, and at least one work removed⁴. This shows that change even at a very fundamental level manuscripts are susceptible to change, that no parts of a manuscript are safe from deliberate change.

The other image is a screenshot of my phone, a Samsung Galaxy S5 running Android 6.0.1. The picture shows a selection of applications grouped into a folder which I have named 'Meh'. The collection of applications on a given phone shares much of the same variance as a Sammelband. The apps are separate, often unrelated works, by authors as diverse as the Louisiana Secretary of State, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and someone who identifies themselves as 'asdk'. Together, all of the apps on my phone form a (very likely) unique set of works assembled over a period of more than two years selected due to my tastes and needs. The collection of apps is susceptible to many of the same changes the Sammelband undergoes throughout its lifetime. Collections like these appear on numerous phones, tablets, and computers, all of which are influenced directly by their users.