Customer Reviews

Book of Hours (Treasures from the Huntington)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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).

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.

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

I have read this book many times and I enjoy the way that the author has portrayed all of the aspect of all that is good and all that is not.