This 16th century book is more than meets the eye. Housed at the National Library of Sweden, this small old book is a marvelous example of sixfold dos-à-dos binding, in which six books are conjoined into a single publication, which you can also read individually with the help of six perfectly placed clasps.
Let’s take a closer look.
National Library of Sweden
A detail of the embellished page edges and clasps. Depending on which clasp is open, the book can be read several ways.
National Library of Sweden
Take a good look of the intricately decorated leather cover.
National Library of Sweden
With its dos-a-dos binding (literally “back-to-back”), readers can peruse the pages in six different ways. Opening different clasps will reveal different directions.
National Library of Sweden
National Library of Sweden
National Library of Sweden
National Library of Sweden
National Library of Sweden
National Library of Sweden
National Library of Sweden
Credit: National Library of Sweden / Flickr