The gilded page : the secret lives of medieval manuscripts /

The gilded page : the secret lives of medieval manuscripts /

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	Wellesley, Mary, 1986- author.
Edition:	First edition.
Imprint:	New York : Basic Books, 2021. ©2021
Description:	ix, 340 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : color illustrations ; 25 cm
Language:	English
Subject:	Manuscripts, Medieval -- England -- History. Transmission of texts -- Social aspects -- England -- History. English literature -- Old English, ca. 450-1100 -- History and criticism. English literature -- Middle English, 1100-1500 -- History and criticism. Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval -- England. Marginalia -- England -- History. English literature -- Middle English. English literature -- Old English. Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval. Manuscripts, Medieval. Marginalia. Transmission of texts -- Social aspects. England. Criticism, interpretation, etc. History.
Format:	Print Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/12640691

Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:	9781541675087 1541675088 9781541675094
Notes:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary:	"The Gilded Page is the story of the written word in the pre-Gutenberg age. Ranging from the earliest intact book in Europe, to the only known literary manuscript to be written in Shakespeare's hand, scholar Mary Wellesley reveals the secret lives of these literary and artistic treasures. Traipsing through the remarkable history, she recounts fires (the only surviving Beowulf manuscript is singed at its edges, losing a bit of its matter every decade) and threats ("this is Elisabeth Danes's book / he that steals it shall be hanged by the neck," reads the marginalia in one treasured text). Some manuscripts were designed to reinforce power-like the psalter commissioned by Henry VIII, with a bold illustration of David fighting Goliath, the king's likeness as David's and his archnemesis Pope Paul III's face drawn on Goliath. Some survive and remain celebrated because of an author's political connections-we have so much of Chaucer's writings, and thus study and revere them, because he was a government official first, a poet second. And although work identified with men was more likely to survive through time, some of the most beguiling and beautiful texts were created by women. Many have been lost, like Julian of Norwich's Revelations of Divine Love. Yet others are relatively recent discoveries, like the manuscript of illiterate Margery Kempe, found in a country house closet by a family searching for ping pong balls, the book's cover nibbled on by mice. But all these objects have their secrets, and their creation and survival tell us much about power and art, knowledge and beauty. Today we associate illuminated manuscripts with wealthy elites, but they were made by ordinary people: the grinders and binders, the scribes and rubricators. We remember the patrons and the authors, but these objects have been much altered-text embroidered by upstart scribes, mistakes made in copying poems, whole chapters lost to time-and our literary inheritance is one of collective authorship. Rich, dazzling, and passionately told, Untitled is a tribute to some of the most exquisite objects ever made by human hands"--

Description
Summary:	A breathtaking journey into the hidden history of medieval manuscripts, from the Lindisfarne Gospels to the ornate Psalter of Henry VIII "A delight--immersive, conversational, and intensely visual, full of gorgeous illustrations and shimmering description." -Helen Castor, author of She-Wolves Medieval manuscripts can tell us much about power and art, knowledge and beauty. Many have survived because of an author's status--part of the reason we have so much of Chaucer's writing, for example, is because he was a London-based government official first and a poet second. Other works by the less influential have narrowly avoided ruin, like the book of illiterate Margery Kempe, found in a country house closet, the cover nibbled on by mice. Scholar Mary Wellesley recounts the amazing origins of these remarkable manuscripts, surfacing the important roles played by women and ordinary people--the grinders, binders, and scribes--in their creation and survival. The Gilded Page is the story of the written word in the manuscript age. Rich and surprising, it shows how the most exquisite objects ever made by human hands came from unexpected places. "Mary Wellesley is a born storyteller and The Gilded Page is as good as historical writing gets. This is a sensational debut by a wonderfully gifted historian." --Dan Jones, bestselling author of The Plantagenets and The Templars
Physical Description:	ix, 340 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : color illustrations ; 25 cm
Bibliography:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:	9781541675087 1541675088 9781541675094