Surveys of Illuminated Manuscripts

Examples of decorated letters through the ages. Like the other books in this series, (those marked with a ***), this book contains a short discussion of decorated letters throughout the history of the illuminated manuscript, followed by approximately 40 color plates with commentary. These are very nice, affordable books. Recommended.

Approximately 40 plates and commentary covering Italian books of the 14th-16th centuries. Recommended.

This is another of those hard to categorize books. It could probably have fit into the technique section as well. However, the purpose of the book is to study the working of the medieval illuminator rather than to teach you to make a manuscript. In any event, this is an excellent book, full of plates and useful insight. Recommended.

An exhibition catalogue. While Italian illumination was (in my view) less than stunning in the Middle Ages, it certainly came into its own during the Renaissance. This is a beautiful book, great visual reference and nice text. Recommended.

A very interesting book. It's set up is unusual, as such studies go. Each section contains a bit of history about the era, a timeline of major events, and 7-12 samples of the era's writing. Very nice. Recommended.

Yet another exhibition publication, and, like the others, very beautiful with easy-to-read, informative commentary. This was an exhibition of Flemish painting and manuscript illumination of the late 15th and early 16th century. Another of my personal favorites. Recommended.

An exhibition catalogue, covering the various types of records found in the archives of British local government. There are some very interesting pieces in here! The work tends to be less skilled then that displayed in most surveys of illuminated manuscripts, but it is worthy nonetheless! Recommended.

As the title implies. I would like the book to include more manuscripts--8 of the 40 plates are dedicated to Les Heures du Jeanne d'Evreux, and several other manuscripts occupy 3 plates apiece--as I prefer to see as wide a range of whatever variation existed in a short survey, but on the whole, it is a useful reference. Certainly, I'd never get rid of my copy! Recommended.

An introduction to the Book of Hours, this book follows the order of the Medieval best seller to help you understand exactly WHAT a book of hours IS. Tons of color plates for a book of this size. Recommended.

This is one of first surveys I ever owned. It is a nice, short (80 pages) overview of Western Illuminated Manuscripts. Less focused then some of the other works listed here, this book tries to cover 800 years of book production in a short space--does a good job of it, too. Recommended.

Coffee table book of illuminated manuscript pages; excellent selection of pages, many never before printed. With 235 pages of color plates, a feast for the eyes! Highly recommended.

A subject discussion--pretty light, but interesting--followed by 125 plates on the indicated subject. Not really illuminated manuscripts, but worth considering for comparison; early printers tried very hard to match the quality of the illuminated manuscripts. Recommended.

A survey of 800 years of book production, more in-depth than some, but still very friendly to the casual reader. More than 100 color plates. Recommended.

Very interesting survey; a scholarly (without becoming esoteric) book that takes an unusual approach. Calkins departs from the usual survey/study by choosing to review several manuscripts rather than use individual leaves from a vast number of manuscripts. It's a refreshing change. Recommended.

Not really a book about manuscript art, rather, a survey of all art in France during the stated period. However, the book does a wonderful job of weaving illuminated manuscripts into the whole history of French art. If you are an art history buff, then I would give this book a Highly recommended; however, if you only want surveys strictly about illuminated manuscripts, the cost of this book makes me place it at Somewhat Recommended.

See review above. Recommended.

A small introductory text followed by 112 examples culled from the writing books of the abovementioned centuries. Basically, a book of calligraphic plates. Recommended.

A very short text section followed by 240 plates of writing; spans the 5th c. BC through the 18th c. AD. Primarily a calligraphic visual reference. Recommended.

If you were to purchase only one book on this list, this is the one to get. De Hamel loves his subject, and it shows. This is a lavishly illustrated, easily read, large survey of manuscripts through the centuries. Highly Recommended.

Short, very general treaty on the work and methods of scribes and illuminators. Nicely illustrated. Recommended.

Short discussion on the history of writing and 80 plates of handwriting, most of which are dated between 114 CE-1600. Recommended.

An eye-candy catalogue, lots of color plates; hence, an excellent visual reference. I have never made a secret of my less-than-high opinion of Italian illumination before about 1475, but this book has enough later Italian and Northern illumination to make it most enjoyable. Recommended.

Very short survey; set up as a series of short, introductory essays. Lacks a bibliography, glossary, et cetera. On the other hand, this book is crammed with color plates (a surprisingly large number for a book of its size), and a number of them are from manuscripts not usually represented in surveys. Recommended.

Strictly a visual reference; letters culled from the various nineteenth century books about illuminated manuscripts. See note in review of Humphreys & Jones Art of Illuminated Manuscripts. Somewhat Recommended.

Same type of book as the above, except it focuses on illuminated borders, most of which I am patently unfond. These are seriously ugly and seriously incorrect Victorian interpretations of medieval borders. Not recommended.

About 30 color plates covering calligraphy and illumination from the roman era to the 20th century. An inexpensive visual reference. Be aware that there are only a few pre-1600 plates not already in some of these other surveys. If you have an extensive C&I library, you may not need this book.

This survey looks at Hebrew manuscripts from the 13th through the 17th century. Recommended.

A survey strictly of Books of Hours, concentrating on examples from England, France, and Italy from the 13th-16th century. 89 plates, 72 in color. Recommended.