A trove of books written by medieval-era French monks were bound with bizarre “hairy” covers from far-away animals — shedding ...

The material on the covers of books from a French abbey was too hairy to have come from calves or other local mammals.

Strange “hairy” covers of books in medieval Europe were made from seal skin obtained from Viking descendants, a new study has found. It is rare to find medieval manuscripts in their original ...

Books with furry covers are ... manuscripts have an additional second cover, called a chemise, according to the study. The cover isn’t made from fabric or paper, but rather an “atypical” leather with ...