Re: The Illuminated Books of the Middle Ages

["Stephanie M. Thorson" <smt2@st-andrews.ac.uk>]

Poster: "Stephanie M. Thorson" <smt2@st-andrews.ac.uk>

Alfredo asks:

> In their April 1997 catalog Barnes & Noble offer
> a book that supposedly has a lot of color pictures
> of medieval documents:
> 
> The Illuminated Books of the Middle Ages
> H. N. Humphries & O. Jones
> 126pp
> British Import
> $14.98
> 
> * Has anybody seen this book?
> * What does it include?
> * Is it a coffee-table book?
> * Is it worth fifteen dollars?

I have a copy (it was a gift).  It's a reprint of a Victorian work, so the
reproductions are not photographs - coloured engravings or something.  My
copy is about 3000 miles away just now, and I don't remember exactly. 
They are drawn mostly from Psalters and books of hours and suchlike.  It
is definitely a coffee-table book - lots of pictures, very little helpful
text.  Scribes and illuminators may find it interesting for examples of
border illuminations, etc.  I'm not sure I'd pay $15 for it, but I am also
a starving student and $15 is a fair-sized chunk of change for me.  The
gainfully employed for whom $15 does not constitute most of the weekly
budget might feel differently. 

Alianora
*****************************************************************************
Stephanie M. Thorson			|  SCA: Lady Alianora Munro
Dept. of Scottish History		|  Clan White Wing
University of St Andrews		|  Tarkhan, Khanate Red Lion

=======================================================================
List Archives, FAQ, FTP:  http://sca.wayfarer.org/merryrose/
            Submissions:  atlantia@atlantia.sca.org
        Admin. requests:  majordomo@atlantia.sca.org