In the Middle Ages, how were books usually displayed in libraries?

It may sound like something out of a dystopian novel, but it's true; during the Middle Ages, (the period of European history extending from about 500 to 1400 or 1500 CE) many library books were chained to the shelves to prevent theft. To complicate matters for potential thieves, they were often stacked with the spines hidden, which would have been confusing to all.

Before the printing press was invented, (around 1440), books had to be painstakingly copied by hand, which made them very rare. As such they were considered valuable commodities, and due to short supply, became highly sought after.

The way libraries display books today, as well as how we commonly store them at home, (stacked vertically, spines out) is a relatively recent invention. The tradition of tucking a book away on a shelf with the title-bearing spine pointing out, began roughly 480 years ago. The first spine with printing dates from 1535; it was at that time that books began to be displayed in the position we are familiar with today.

A handful of chained libraries still exist today. The Hereford Cathedral Library in Hereford, England, is the world’s largest surviving chained library. Built around 1079-c.1250 CE, it holds 229 illuminated medieval manuscripts and 1200 early printed books. Another fine example is the chained library of Walburga’s Church in the town of Zutphen in the Netherlands. Created in 1561, little has been altered over the centuries in this library’s naturally-lit reading room.