The Sphere of the World

This page is a blank flyleaf—a protective sheet of paper placed at the beginning of a bound book. It contains no written text, titles, or marginalia. The surface of the paper exhibits minor foxing, which appears as small, reddish-brown spots caused by the oxidation of minerals or fungal growth over time, as well as light staining consistent with the age of the manuscript.

Early European Books, Copyright © 2011 ProQuest LLC. Images reproduced by courtesy of the National Central Library of Florence original: "Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze". Manuscript Shelfmark: Magl. L.6.9

Technical Terms

Flyleaf: A blank leaf of paper at the beginning or end of a book. Flyleaves serve as a buffer between the heavy binding and the delicate text block, and are often the first place researchers look for signatures of previous owners.

Foxing: The term for the brownish spots that appear on old paper. This is a common form of age-related degradation in historical documents, typically occurring when iron or other minerals in the paper fibers react with humidity.