Mysterious Medieval Books May Be Linked to Iceland

A recent study has uncovered that a collection of 12th-century sketchbooks, long considered mysterious due to their unusual bindings, may trace back to Iceland — or at least the North Atlantic region. The findings were reported by The New York Times.

The 16 medieval books, discovered in Clairvaux Abbey in northeastern France, baffled scholars for years because of the coarse, hairy skin used in their bindings — far too rugged to be traditional calfskin. Instead, researchers have now confirmed that the books were bound in seal skin, an unusual material for manuscripts found in mainland Europe.

“These books are too rough and far too hairy to be calfskin,” said Matthew Collins, a bioarchaeologist at the University of Copenhagen and Cambridge University, who led the analysis that traced the origin of the bindings back to the North Atlantic, most likely Scandinavia, Scotland, Greenland, or Iceland.

Dating back to the early 1100s, the books originated in the Clairvaux monastery, once home to one of the largest libraries of the Middle Ages. The manuscripts contain intricate animal drawings and are believed to have been used by Catholic monks for study or spiritual contemplation.

While seal skin was historically used in bookbinding in Scandinavia and Ireland, this marks the first known case of its use on the European mainland. The discovery also sheds light on the scale of medieval trade networks — especially the export of valuable seal products like meat, blubber, and waterproof skin.

Though the abbey lies deep inland, it was located along a trade route, further supporting the theory that these unique materials were imported from northern maritime regions — potentially even Iceland.

The featured photo is for illustrative purposes only. Read our interview with an old book collector in Iceland here.