Kathryn M. Rudy

Kathryn Margaret Rudy (born 25 February 1969) is a manuscript historian at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. She is best known for her forensic approach to medieval books, and has pioneered the use of the densitometer to measure the grime that original readers deposited in their books. Her research focuses on the medieval reception of manuscripts, how they were manipulated and handled, and how book-making skills were lost with the advent of the printing industry.

Rudy is a Professor in the School of Art History at the University of St Andrews and held a Leverhulme Major Research Grant (2019-2022). She is a Fellow of the British Academy, Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the recipient of its prestigious Sir Walter Scott medal. She has published five books and regularly contributes to scholarly journals. She performs lectures in the UK and internationally. In 2013 she delivered a TED talk about the secret lives of manuscripts. She is an advocate for digital-born humanities scholarship and open access publishing. Kathryn Rudy’s family hails from Erie, Pennsylvania. Provided by Wikipedia