On the 9th of May 2022, guests at Fisher London were treated to a talk by codicologist, Professor Nicholas Pickwoad. During the talk he told us a little of the sleuth-like skills needed to decode the provenance of antiquarian books especially as they appear in art. He regaled us with descriptions of Leonardo's Da Vinci’s notebooks and how he helped to expose a Galileo fake. He taught us all how page-turningly exciting the world of forensic codicology can be.
The adviser on book conservation to the National Trust of Great Britain since 1978, and editor of the Paper Conservator, Professor Pickwoad has worked on the St Catherine’s Monastery Library Project. He is based at the University of the Arts, London and is director of the Ligatus Research Centre, which is dedicated to the history of bookbinding.
