The Purpose of Catchwords

In Medieval manuscripts it’s not uncommon to find the first word of each page written at the bottom of the previous page. These repeated words are called “catchwords” and they continue well into the age of print. My vague sense is that they stopped being used around the 18th/19th cent. in printed works.

Catchwords in Erasmus’s 1516 edition

I had always assumed that these catchwords were a type of reader’s aid. I assumed that the idea was that you can have the next word, in whole or in part, at the ready as you turn the page. In this, it’s a bit like a pianist who needs to know what the notes are on the next page so that the music doesn’t stop during the page turn. This explanation, however, doesn’t make  sense of why these catchwords are found on the verso where no page turn is needed. But I just assumed they were included there since the eye has to move from the bottom to the top of a page.

But Michelle Brown has cleared up the reason for me. She says that catchwords are actually a printer’s aid not a reader’s (see Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts, p. 36). They are meant to help facilitate the arrangement of quires during book binding. Brown says they were introduced in Europe by way of Spain, Italy and France around 1,000 and that they may have entered through Islamic influence.

So, there you have it. I’d still like to know more about how they developed and why they became obsolete in printed books. If anybody knows more about the history of this little device, let me know.