An Old Wooden Book.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 139, 30 January 1886, Page 3

An Old Wooden Book.

The process of restoring a characteristic ' old wooden church at Hopperatad, in the Hardes district of Sogne, in Norway, has brought to light a Norwegian mediaeval relic. In a closed niche a book, consisting of six wax tablets, was found carefully inclosed in a casket of wood and leather. The tablets are of boxwood covered with wax, each tablet having a thin border, bo as to binder the tablets from sticking together on closing the book. This precaution has helped to keep it in excellent preservation, The contents are chiefly drawings, made by a fine style, representing scftdes from village and rural life. At the end there is a large catalogue in . Latin of various kinds of animals with a translation 1 into old Norwegian, and from* this it has been conjectured that the greater •„ portion of the book dates from' the clbsepf'', the thirteenth century. But there are mdi- . cations that part of the book is of earlier „ date. The tablets are fastened together «t . the back, and the. cover is carved and. in- J " laid with' various Btnall pieces of different ' coloured woods. The bopk has been placed in the Museum of Antiquities intbeUniver sity of Christiania, and it is intended t% publish it shortly tv f*<s-Bjroile., ■ ' ...