Research Guides: HIST 111: Introduction to Western Civilization (HC): Medieval Manuscipts

The Pemberton Bible and the English Psalter at Haverford

Images from the two books as well as pictures about manuscript production and the use of books.
See these notes for more information about the Pemberton Bible and the psalter

Illustration from the Pemberton Bible

Pemberton Bible, Opening page of the Canon of the Mass. Christ sits in majesty surrounded by the four evangelists represented as the Ox (Luke), the Lion (Mark), the Angel (Matthew) and the Eagle (John). Beneath a priest consecrates the Eucharist for the mass. (Source: Special Collections, Haverford College)

In recent years scholars have turned to early printing with new interpretations based on social and economic history. They have also researched the connections between printing and the visual in a variety of areas including science, geography and religion. Longer term investigations have seen commonalities between early printing and manuscripts.

See the books listed on these pages for further reading about book production, history, and usage.

Learning about Medieval Manuscripts

British Library guide to writing and scripts: history and techniques by Michelle P. Brown
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ISBN: 0712345833
Surveys the many forms in which writing has evolved in East and West, the tools and materials used, and how they have influenced the development of scripts. She examines particularly the processes involved in the production of the medieval book in the West, and assesses the impact of later technological developments in communication on the current state of writing and its future.
Defining the Page in a Digital World by Bonnie Mak
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Publication Date: 2010-01-02
From handwritten texts to online books, the page has been a standard interface for transmitting knowledge for over two millennia. It is also a dynamic device, readily transformed to suit the needs of contemporary readers. In How the Page Matters, Bonnie Mak explores how changing technology has affected the reception of visual and written information.
Introduction to Manuscript Studies by Raymond Clemens; Timothy Graham
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Publication Date: 2007-12-20
"This book provides an orientation to the field of medieval manuscript studies. It will be of help to students in history, art history, literature, and religious studies who are encountering medieval manuscripts for the first time, while also appealing to advanced scholars and general readers interested in the history of the book before the age of print. Every chapter in this guidebook features numerous color plates that exemplify each aspect described in the text and are drawn primarily from the collections of the Newberry Library in Chicago and the Parker Library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge."--BOOK JACKET.
Time Sanctified by Roger S. Wieck; John Plummer; Virinia Reinburg; Larence Poos
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ISBN: 0807611891
Publication Date: 1988-08-01
The illuminated manuscript was the primary vehicle of learning, religion, and art during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Of all the illuminated manuscripts from this period, the Book of Hours was, by far, the most popular and among the most exquisitely made. It contained prayers to be recited by aristocratic and well-to-do lay people. Many books of hours were elaborately decorated.

Manuscript Facsimiles

Book of Beasts by Christpher de Hamel (Introduction by); Bodleian Library Staff (Contribution by); Christopher de Hamel (Introduction by)
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ISBN: 1851243178
Publication Date: 2008-12-31
'The Lord created the various creatures...not only for the sustenance of man but also for their instruction', Thomas of Cobham (AD 1236).In the Middle Ages, people believed that studying animals allowed them to read the Divine Order as written in the natural world. In image and word, medieval bestiaries illustrated beasts in stunning detail and explained their scientific nature as well as their allegorical significance.This bestiary, dating from the mid-13th century and preserved at the Bodleian Library in Oxford since the early 17th century, is one of the finest and most charming medieval English bestiaries. A perfect example of medieval illumination, it is clearly the work of a master artist and was probably destined for an aristocratic home.
The Book of Miracles by Till-Holger Borchert; Joshua P. Waterman
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Publication Date: 2017-07-20
The Book of Miracles first surfaced only a few years ago and is a spectacular discovery. The near-complete illustrated manuscript, created in Augsburg around 1550, is composed of 169 pages of large-format illustrations in gouache and watercolor, depicting wondrous and often eerie phenomena. The mesmerizing images deal with both biblical and folkloric tales, depicting stories from the Old Testament and Book of Revelation as well as events that took place in the immediate present of the manuscript's author.
The 'Brother' Haggadah by Marc Michael Epstein; Raphael Loewe; Jeremy Schonfield (Contribution by)
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ISBN: 9780500110294
Publication Date: 2016-05-31
Created by Sephardi (or "southern") artists and scribes in Catalonia in the second quarter of the fourteenth century, this Hebrew manuscript sets out the liturgy and sequence of the Passover Seder.This exquisitely produced facsimile of the "Brother" Haggadah is accompanied by an introduction by medieval scholar professor Marc Michael Epstein focusing on the historical background of the Passover and iconographic scheme of the manuscript as well as additional historical essays.
Chansonnier de Jean de Montchenu
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ISBN: 8487988946
Publication Date: 2012
Facsimile edition of a 15th-century (ca. 1460-1477), heart-shaped song book belonging to Jean de Montchenu (Ms. Occ. Rothschild 2973). The manuscript is housed in the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
The Hours of Catherine of Cleves by Rob Duckers; Ruud Priem
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ISBN: 0810989573
Publication Date: 2010-01-01
Illuminated with spectacular miniatures and borders in glittering gold and splendid colors for Catherine of Cleves, Duchess of Guelders, this stunning manuscript is arguably the most beautiful ever produced in the Northern Netherlands. The book presents more than 100 leaves of the manuscript, which contains some of the most beautiful illustrations of the Bible ever made, including important scenes from the Old and New Testaments as well as the Stations of the Cross and portraits of the saints. With exquisite new photography, close-up details, and an in-depth discussion of the manuscript, this is the essential volume on a masterpiece.
Illuminating The End of Time by Nigel Morgan
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ISBN: 9781606060711
Publication Date: 2012-03-06
The visionary nature of the Apocalypse - the biblical book of Revelation - along with its detailed descriptions of the end of the world have long made it ideal for illustration. This title offers an illustrated exploration of this 13th-century English Apocalyptic manuscript.
Die Kreuzritterbibel =: The Morgan Crusader Bible = Le Bible des Crusades by Commentary by Daniel H. Weiss
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Facsimile reproduction of 46 leaves of an incomplete manuscript of Old Testament illustrations, possibly commissioned by King Louis IX of France and produced in Paris ca. 1250. The manuscript includes Latin texts accompanying the illuminations; in the 17th century it came into the possession of the king of Persia, and Persian explanations were inscribed in the margins; a later owner added commentary in Judeo-Persian. The Morgan Library has made a digitized version of the manuscript available.
Theatrum sanitatis: Biblioteca casanatense by Ibn Buṭlān, -approximately 1068.
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Call Number: RS79 .T44 1999
The Tacuinum sanitatis was an eleventh-century health handbook written by Ibn Butlan of Baghdad. In it he presents the elements needed for a healthful and happy life. He notes, for example, that it is better to consume brown bread than white. In the fourteenth-century illustrated versions made in Italy the emphasis is on picturing attractive scenes drawing on themes from courtly love, fashionable dress, and estate management for an idealized view of agriculture, food production and the developing stages of shopping and a consumer economy.
Les Très riches heures du Duc de Berry, Musée Condé, Chantilly
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Call Number: H Magill Art ND3363.B5 T713
ISBN: 0500231192
Publication Date: 1969
Commissioned by the influential patron, Jean de Berry, in the early years of the fifteenth century, this masterpiece was executed by the three Limbourg brothers, the greatest miniaturists of the time. The manuscript opens with a calendar illuminating scenes of daily life during the twelve months and is followed by the prayers of offices celebrated at different times of the day. These texts are often accompanied by miniatures, in which the artists' imaginative and decorative genius are fully revealed.