Otto Ege was a noted book-breaker, chiefly active in the 1940s. Associated with the Cleveland Institute of Art, his efforts were largely driven through the lens of book arts – all of the details that went into the creation of printed materials. One of his motivations in this vein was to make medieval manuscripts accessible to the general public through the sale of individual leaves, for display as works of art, as the price of complete manuscript volumes was beyond the income and interests of the general public. To this end, the manuscript leaves were mounted in mats, suitable for framing and hanging on the wall. As his efforts progressed, he began compiling sets of leaves into portfolios, for personal or library collections.
Schaffer Library is fortunate to possess four groupings of leaves issued by Ege. Two are of his major portfolios -- Original leaves from famous books: eight centuries, 1240 A.D.-1923 A.D., and Original leaves from famous books: nine centuries, 1122 A.D. - 1923 A.D. As the titles indicate, these incorporate leaves from books across the centuries, with samples from medieval manuscripts, incunabula from the earliest period of the printing press, and notable publications as the printing industry evolved from handpress on handmade paper through various automated printing mechanisms, which also highlight the evolution of literary hands and printing fonts. One of the others, Original leaves from medieval manuscripts, is one of his earliest portfolio efforts, of which it is one of six known surviving examples. It incorporates five leaves, all medieval manuscripts. The last, Mms. leaves, 13th-15th centuries, is comprised of eight individually purchased leaves. These represent some of the best of his offerings, including a masterfully decorated leaf from the noted “Beavais Missal” and a leaf from an English rendering of the Vulgate Bible with a prominent illuminated initial.
