Book of Hours (Treasures from the Huntington) [Paperback]

Simon Marmion (Author), James Thorpe (Introduction)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0873281306 | ISBN-13: 978-0873281300 | Publication Date: June 7, 2004 | Edition: 1

Books of Hours are among the most striking examples of medieval illuminated manuscripts. Commissioned by wealthy men and women for their private religious devotions, these beautifully decorated books contain prayers for the eight canonical hours of the day.
This book reproduces seventeen jewel-like miniature paintings by Simon Marmion from one of the finest Books of Hours in the Huntington Library's collections. Marmion, one of the most accomplished illuminators of the fifteenth century, produced this example sometime between 1450 and 1475. The French manuscript Book of Hours displays a number of scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary. The book's introduction discusses the history and meaning of Books of Hours, both as books of devotion and as works of art.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

James Thorpe is a distinguished scholar and former director of the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens from 1966-1983. He was Professor of English at Princeton for many years and has written numerous works on authors from Chaucer to Wallace Stevens. He is now a Senior Research Associate at the Huntington.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Huntington Library Press; 1 edition (June 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873281306
• ISBN-13: 978-0873281300
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,427,960 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #93 in Books > Arts & Photography > Other Media > Illuminations

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a small masterpiece, March 5, 2005

By 

Howard Berman (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Book of Hours (Treasures from the Huntington) (Paperback)

This book contains all 17 miniatures from a book of hours illustrated by Simon Marmion. All are beautifully painted. Several are noteworthy because the landscape has very deep recession, as if you are looking at a far distance through a tiny window. All of the miniatures are in color (not black and white as in the description). I would recommend this book for anyone who wants an inexpensive example of a beatiful books of hours. I gave it four stars instead of five because the occasional Latin translations are not always accurate and for some reason the author did not give the usual name of this book: the Berlamaine Hours (I'm not sure if my spelling of this name is correct).

5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what I was looking for. Beautiful, too!, October 19, 2007

By 

B. Marold "Bruce W. Marold" (Bethlehem, PA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Book of Hours (Treasures from the Huntington) (Paperback)

The `Book of Hours, Illuminations by Simon Marmion' exactly satisfied one need I was seeking in a book of this sort. It tabulates the exact hour, name, and Biblical correspondence for the traditional eight `hours' of devotions, based primarily on the scriptural life of the Virgin Mary. To this, we have the added value of reproductions from a late Middle Ages Book of Hours, illustrated in a workshop where the master was Simon Marmion. If I were to object to anything about this book, it would be in the size of the pages, no larger than a trade paperback. Given the richness of the illustrations, one would wish to have them in at least quarto size (roughly 8 ½ by 11) to get a fuller sense of the details of the illustrations. On the other hand, one should not feel too deprived, as the illustrations in this book are the same size as the original! The primary reason for my seeking this book out was to fill in that sense of something missing from Christian devotions, when I see both Jews and Muslims do daily prayers. It may be quite unreasonable to do a midnight Matins AND arise at 3 AM for the Lauds, and again at 6 AM for the Prime devotions, but if one is looking for meaningful times to schedule routine activities such as walking the dog, these Hours may be just the thing to enrich your self-imposed spiritual disciplines.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My 2 cents, April 8, 2005

By 

Debbra L. Relaford "Earthship Books" (Durango, CO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Book of Hours (Treasures from the Huntington) (Paperback)

I enjoyed reading this book-I did expect a more varied example of illumination even though the same artist did all the plates.