'me manus una capit': Martial and the codex

This article examines the interplay between the text and the physical format of the book in Martial’s Epigrams. I argue that he published his codex edition of the Epigrams towards the end of his career, and that this edition was not intended for a broad readership. Instead, I suggest that it was an expensive luxury edition, a literary gimmick. Finally, I argue that Martial uses the roll and the codex as poetic devices.