Binding
When acquired by Louisiana State University, the original sewing of the codices still appeared to be intact but the binding from the 15th century had already been replaced with a 19th century binding and no information was available about the original. Juxtaposing from other manuscripts of the same time frame, however, bindings were generally created from leather over wooden boards and were the last step in the process of finishing the manuscript (Brown, 1994, p. 22). The 19th century binding was on the book so snug as to prevent any real access to the pages. The library quickly had the manuscript rebound, allowing for study (personal communication, E. Smyth March 28th 2012) and viewing.
stephsmanuscript 