The Book in the Manuscript Era

Course Description

“This was a balanced, authoritative overview which gave us the overall contours of the subject in a reliable way, and made a great foundation for further work.” —2017 student An introduction to the manuscript book in the West that covers the period from late antiquity to the beginning of the sixteenth century, using the manuscript resources of Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Topics include: the book form; its materials and construction; the writing and decorating of books; different types of books: biblical, theological, historical, poetic, legal, classical, liturgical and devotional; the histories of books; the manuscript book in the digital age. This is the first course in a three-part sequence that includes The Printed Book in the West to 1800 (H-30) and The Printed Book in the West since 1800 (H-40). This course is intended for those who seek a general overview of the manuscript book in Europe. The course is aimed at beginners, but the instructor will assume that students have a general knowledge of European history during the period covered. Some knowledge of Latin or a modern foreign language would be useful, but not necessary. In their personal statement, applicants should describe the nature of their developing interest in the history of the book and (if relevant) explain briefly the causes of this interest and the purposes to which they propose to put the knowledge gained from the course.

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Advance Reading List

Preliminary Advices

The course will use the following materials as the basic texts. Please read the items on the first list before coming to the class (if possible, reading them in the order in which they are listed). The second list has a series of recommended titles: read selectively in them as time permits, and review the plates and reproductions.

First List

Shailor, Barbara A. The Medieval Book. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1991; reprinted 1994 (Medieval Academy Reprints for Teaching, vol. 28). First published as an exhibition catalog by the Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library in 1988. Part I concentrates on the physical composition of medieval books beginning with the change from papyrus scroll; Part II looks at the genres of medieval manuscripts and their historical place in the cultures that produced them.

Clemens, R. and T. Graham. Introduction to Manuscript Studies. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2007.

de Hamel, Christopher. A History of Illuminated Manuscripts. London: Phaidon, 1994.

Brown, Michelle P. A Guide to Western Historical Scripts from Antiquity to 1600. London: The British Library, 1990.

Second List

These works deal with specific topics to be covered in class (although not every aspect of each work will be considered). They are more detailed (and often more difficult to read) than the books on the first list.

Alexander, Jonathan J. G. Medieval Illuminators and their Methods of Work. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992.

Brown, Michelle P. Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts: A Guide to Technical Terms. Malibu, CA: The J. Paul Getty Museum in association with The British Library, 1994.

Reynolds, L. D. and N. G. Wilson. Scribes and Scholars: A Guide to the Transmission of Greek and Latin Literature. 3rd edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.

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Course Evaluations

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Course History