Manuscript studies are currently regarded as an integral part of the studies of literature and literary history. They are also vital for historical linguists and philologists. Philological analysis of source texts in their natural manuscript context often involves the use of evidence and clues from other disciplines, including material analysis. The way a given text is written and represented on a manuscript folio, its mise-en-page, its background, the contents of the volume, in general, often shed light on the meaning of the text, the process of its composition, dissemination and reception. Such an integrative approach lies at the heart of new philology.