Steve Gardham wrote:

I can see why scanning PFM would be difficult. They would have to disbind a copy as each of the 3 volumes is very thick and tightly bound.
The 4th vol would easily scan but I'm guessing you have that.

I wasn't saying to scan the book. I was saying to scan the actual manuscript. It's in the British Library, and they have scanned thousands of manuscripts in their holdings:

https://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Default.aspx

For example, the Beowulf manuscript is here:

https://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Cotton_MS_vitellius_a_xv

And it is in horrible shape.

And here is the Codex Siniaticus, the oldest complete New Testament still in existence:

https://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Add_MS_43725

But although they've scanned a whole bunch of useless manuscripts, the British Library has not digitized the Percy Folio. (I just checked again.) It's almost as if the people who wouldn't let the Folio be published in the first place are still haunting it today. :-)

I paid £90 for my set about 20 years ago and I'm assuming they were so cheap because in beautiful gold lettering on each spine it says 'BISHOP PERRY FOLIO MSS' ??

My copy was rebound, too. Might have the original boards, but the spine is gone and the sewing broken at several points. Mine is labelled in black ink. Maybe the original bindings were defective.

In my experience, it's much easier to find the fourth volume with the bawdy material. Apparently it has been reissued but the main book hasn't. Not sure what that says....