Seite - 29 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Band 07/01

Materiality of Religious Books | 29www.jrfm.eu 2021, 7/1, 13–32 Neglect and Disregard This response appears to be the most common reason for the destruction or at least severe degradation of religious books. People forget books that they do not actively engage in their lives. As a result, these books are not kept in the preser- vative context they require. This neglect suggests an overabundance of books. Conclusion(s) The more we are aware of the history of book confection (recent or ancient), the more able we will be to apply traditional materiality to religious books to- day. This statement holds in terms of the selection of materials, layout options and the use of decorative elements. Such factors dictate and constitute the dialogue between user and book – be that book of religious character or not. Fig. 10: The act of throwing books into the fire – the catastrophe of book annihilation depicted in its most lovely form – executed with very fine line and guilded (University Library Graz, ms. 32, fol. 5r). (Photo: E. Renhart)