The European Book in the Twelfth Century
The 'long twelfth century' (1075–1225) was an era of seminal importance in the development of the book in medieval Europe and marked a high point in its construction and decoration. This comprehensive study takes the cultural changes that occurred during the 'twelfth-century Renaissance' as its point of departure to provide an overview of manuscript culture encompassing the whole of Western Europe. Written by senior scholars, chapters are divided into three sections: the technical aspects of making books; the processes and practices of reading and keeping books; and the transmission of texts in the disciplines that saw significant change in the period, including medicine, law, philosophy, liturgy, and theology. Richly illustrated, the volume provides the first in-depth account of book production as a European phenomenon.
- Delivers the first comprehensive study of the European book in the historical period known as the 'long twelfth century' (1075–1225)
- Brings together a number of interrelated cultural-historical events such as monastic reform and the introduction of Greek and Arabic science and philosophy to place in context the development of the manuscript and book during the 'twelfth-century Renaissance'
- Chapters by leading scholars offer a multi-disciplinary approach to studying the phenomenon of the book in the twelfth-century from a European point of view
Reviews & endorsements
'The book should and probably will be perceived as a companion volume to twelfth-century manuscript studies. Whether you read it as a manual to acquire a broader knowledge of the period, or selectively, as a reference tool, its comprehensive character makes it a very accessible introduction to the subject for junior and experienced scholars alike.' Joanna Fronska, Manuscript Studies
Product details
July 2018Hardback
9781107136984
434 pages
235 × 156 × 24 mm
0.84kg
44 b/w illus. 1 table
Available
Table of Contents
- Introduction Erik Kwakkel and Rodney Thomson
- Part I. Book Production:
- 1. Codicology Erik Kwakkel and Rodney Thomson
- 2. Book script Erik Kwakkel
- 3. Decoration and illustration Martin Kauffmann
- 4. Scribes and scriptoria Rodney Thomson
- Part II. Readers and Their Books:
- 5. Scholars and their books Constant Mews
- 6. The libraries of religious houses Teresa Webber
- 7. Modes of reading Jenny Weston
- 8. Practices of appropriation: writing in the margin Mariken Teeuwen
- Part III. Types of Books:
- 9. Hebrew books Judith Schlanger
- 10. Liturgical books Nicolas Bell
- 11. Books of theology and bible study Lesley Smith
- 12. Logic John Marenbon and Caterina Tarlazzi
- 13. Old texts in new contexts: the classical revival Irene O'Daly
- 14. Reading the sciences Charles Burnett
- 15. Medical books Monica Green
- 16. Law books Charles Radding
- 17. Vernacular books Ian Short and Nigel F. Palmer.