Phonetic transcription (British English) /bʊk klɑːsp/ – (American English) /bʊk klæsp/
book fittings; book fasteners, book closures; album mountings; iron- work
H. Geake, Book Clasps, The British Museum, Portable Antiquities Scheme, 2016, Last edited on 19th February 2025 by Robert Webley (https://finds.org.uk/counties/findsrecordingguides/book-clasps/);
Manishi KC, Book Clasps, May 22, 2023 (https://handmadehappiness.ca/blogs/news/book-clasps?srsltid=AfmBOop6A4Tzyb8_7akAxw2KMk_KQDdHJbNwAvCO6KrMvRObpHKHOThA); C. Forget, Elsevier’s Dictionary of Jewellery and Watchmaking, Canada, Quebec City, Amsterdam, Oxford, New York, Tokyo, 1984, p. 8;
A. Baret, Lexique Français-Anglais, Paris, Garnier Frères, Libraires-Editeurs, 1881, p. 252 (https://www.google.it/books/edition/Lexique_fran%C3%A7ais_anglais/BnASAAAAIAAJ?hl=it&gbpv=1&dq=ferrif%C3%A8re+en+anglais&pg=PA252&printsec=frontcover)
The earliest known use of the noun book clasp is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).
OED’s earliest evidence for book clasp is from 1485.
Oxford English Dictionary website (https://www.oed.com/dictionary/book-clasp_n?tab=factsheet#313213262100)
Definition#
a metal fastening device fixed to the covers of a book, designed to keep it closed and to maintain the pages in a flat and protected condition
H. Geake, Book Clasps, The British Museum, Portable Antiquities Scheme, 2016, Last edited on 19th February 2025 by Robert Webley (https://finds.org.uk/counties/findsrecordingguides/book-clasps/);
(https://grokipedia.com/page/book_clasp)
Syn: book mounts, book fittings; book-clasps
H. Geake, Book Clasps, The British Museum, Portable Antiquities Scheme, 2016, Last edited on 19th February 2025 by Robert Webley (https://finds.org.uk/counties/findsrecordingguides/book-clasps/);
Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) website (https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O83357/designs-for-book-clasps-in-design-rogers-william-harry/)
Phraseology#
medieval book clasps, Book clasps still in place, Medieval and early post-medieval book clasps, one-piece book clasps, over-the-peg book clasps, hooked book clasp Book-Clasps in the Italian Style
H. Geake, Book Clasps, The British Museum, Portable Antiquities Scheme, 2016, Last edited on 19th February 2025 by Robert Webley (https://finds.org.uk/counties/findsrecordingguides/book-clasps/);
(Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) website, https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O83357/designs-for-book-clasps-in-design-rogers-william-harry/)
Literary quotes#
The hooked type of book clasp is generally flatter and flimsier than the pierced type. We know of examples in place on books of the 15th and 16th centuries, and the decoration suggests that they begin in the late medieval period but perhaps become more popular in the 16th century.
H. Geake, Book Clasps, The British Museum, Portable Antiquities Scheme, 2016, Last edited on 19th February 2025 by Robert Webley (https://finds.org.uk/counties/findsrecordingguides/book-clasps/)
Encyclopaedic notes#
There are two main types of medieval book clasp. One fitted over a peg on the opposite cover, and has a pierced terminal, probably to hold a cord to help pull it off the peg. The other type has a hook, which clipped over a bar or hooked into a slot on the opposite cover.
H. Geake, Book Clasps, The British Museum, Portable Antiquities Scheme, 2016, Last edited on 19th February 2025 by Robert Webley (https://finds.org.uk/counties/findsrecordingguides/book-clasps/)
