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The Liber pontificalis, the serial biography of the popes running from St Peter to the end of the ninth century, first compiled in Rome during the 'Gothic wars' in the sixth century and continued at various stages in the next three centuries, offers a distinctive narrative of the history of Rome and of the papacy in the early middle ages. This paper argues that the seventh- and early eighth-century sections, too often simply mined for nuggets of information about church buildings, represent the pope in a particular way both in relation to Byzantium in theological and political terms, and as the successor to St Peter in Rome. The papal narrative undermines the usual assumptions about the so-called Byzantine Reconquest and the Roman perception, if not the reality, of the degree to which 'Byzantine rule' was exercised in Italy between the middle of the sixth and first half of the eighth century. Lastly, these 'continuations' have important implications for any interpretation of the purpose and construction of the Liber pontificalis, and of its dissemination beyond Rome in the seventh and eighth centuries. ; This is the author accepted manuscript. It is currently under an indefinite embargo pending publication by Cambridge University Press.

Books before print – manuscripts – were modified continuously throughout the medieval period. Focusing on the ninth and twelfth centuries, this volume explores such material changes as well as the varying circumstances under which handwritten books were produced, used and collected. An important theme is the relationship between the physical book and its users. Can we reflect on reading practices through an examination of the layout of a text? To what extent can we use the contents of libraries to understand the culture of the book? The volume explores such issues by focusing on a broad palette of texts and through a detailed analysis of manuscripts from all corners of Europe. - Gedurende de middeleeuwen waren manuscripten voor boeken voortdurend onderhevig aan veranderingen. Deze kwamen voort uit nieuwe inzichten in bijvoorbeeld het gebruik van koppen bij teksten of de toepassing van hoofdstuknummering. Met de focus op de negende en twaalfde eeuw verkent dit boek de veranderingen die er plaatshadden in de keuze van het gebruikte materiaal, maar ook de veranderende omstandigheden waaronder handgeschreven boeken werden geproduceerd, gebruikt en verzameld. Door een onderzoek naar een breed palet aan teksten en gedetailleerde analyse van handschriften uit alle hoeken van Europa onthult dit boek de relatie tussen het boek en zijn gebruikers.