Illuminated with illustrations, an exploration of medieval manuscript production that offers insight into both the early history of the book and life in the Middle Ages. This book takes the reader on an immersive journey through medieval manuscript production in the Latin Christian world. Each chapter opens with a lively vignette by a medieval narrator—including a parchment maker, scribe, and illuminator—introducing various aspects of manuscript production. Sara J. Charles poses the question “What actually is a scriptorium?” and explores the development of the medieval scriptorium from its early Christian beginnings through to its eventual decline and the growth of the printing press.
With the written word at the very heart of the Christian monastic movement, we see the immense amount of labor, planning, and networks needed to produce each manuscript. By tapping into these processes and procedures,
The Medieval Scriptoriumhelps us to experience medieval life through the lens of a manuscript maker.
Sara J. Charlesworks and studies at Senate House, University of London. She has previously published on various aspects of the history of the book.
"This fascinating book explores the medieval process of bookmaking and reproduction that was often arduous, back-breaking, eye-straining work for the scribes and copyists involved. We learn how colours were made and calfskin prepared to create parchment and how these beautiful and enduring objects developed. Illuminating."
"A fascinating look at manuscript making in the Middle Ages. . . . In The Medieval Scriptorium, Charles, a book historian at the University of London, illuminates the old, even ancient origins of concepts that remain familiar today. . . . The book introduces us not just to the way that texts have been passed down through the centuries, but how that phenomenon happened."
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![The Medieval Scriptorium: Making Books in the Middle Ages [Hardcover]](/itemImage/2/8/9/1/2_6897492.jpg "The Medieval Scriptorium: Making Books in the Middle Ages [Hardcover]")