"We do know that limp binding was used in the 14th & 15th centuries and that it became a quite popular style in the 16th century, with some library collections having over 50% of their works bound in this fashion thanks to the efforts of scholar-publishers. (...) One of the examples that stood out for me was a limp binding with a linen cloth cover, held by the National Library of Sweden. It's a document from 1451-1452, which is simply referred to as the Vadstena Observance. Vadstena was a monastery. (...) It's a simple way of binding things. I can't help but feel that these books are meant for use; a copy meant for wear, rather than a library reference, which would be the grander version of the manuscript that you'd want to keep nice. Some of the records from 14th and 15th century convent libraries certainly agree as most of these books were in the hands of the nuns, with only 9% of the books in the library being limp bound. That doesn't mean these books weren't of value though. They still contained information and have even been documented as being taken as part of the spoils of war." - Amira