Customer Reviews

Introduction to Manuscript Studies

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4 star:		(1)
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Raymond Clemens and Timothy Graham provide a spectacular introduction to the fascinating subject of manuscript studies. This well-organized book lays out nicely the various aspects of this field, including all aspects of book production, scribal practice, and script styles, making it a useful read for any student of the medieval period. The clear prose also makes this book accessible to anyone interested in the medieval period and/or the history of book making.

Beyond the actually text, this book is beautiful. It includes a myriad of full color images, highlighting the manuscript features discussed in the text. Consequently, one might derive enjoyment simply by flipping through the book and looking at the pictures, and it might very well be as appropriate sitting on a coffee table as shelved in a scholarly library.

While remaining accessible to a reader of casual interest, this book does not avoid the depth sought by a serious scholar. The book is thoroughly researched, with copious footnotes to direct the curious reader to further reading on particular topics. Even more useful to this end is the copious and well-organized bibliography which covers the all aspects of this broad field.

In short, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in manuscript studies: from the casual admirer to the serious scholar.

A wonderful and expansive introduction to the study of medieval illuminated manuscripts. A tutorial based on university courses. Describes the processes involved in preparing vellum, making inks, scribing the text, decorating the leaves and binding the books. Provdes guidance on how to interpret text and script forms inclusive of abbreviations and punctuation. Clarifies how to record translated text into acceptable format for academic studies. Gives information on the genre and application for most know types of manuscripts, several in great detail. Loaded with high quality illustrations, photos and charts. One of the best books available on the subject and recommemded for any level of interest. Lacking only in that not all photographic examples are provided with a date of origin. Informative, enlightening and educational!

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I was writing a graduate-level paper on palaeography and codicology (two subjects about which I knew almost nothing) and this book provides all the tools necessary, from the vocabulary to the process of working with a manuscript and even presenting your findings. The style is light and readable, and the pictures - beyond being essential to gaining an understanding of what all this business of textualis and humanist hands and tironian et symbols and whatnot when there isn't a 24-hour archive handy! - are beautiful and beguiling. This makes it just as suitable for an interested, casual reader as for students.

I only wish I had found this book earlier - doubtless there is much more useful information in there than the gems that I stumbled upon.

A potential caveat: I was working with the hard-bound edition, which would doubtless last longer as the coffee book table that this should become in an intellectually curious household. But doubtless the paperback will appeal to people who aren't used to a bit of medieval heft in their books!

This book has a great deal of information all in one location. It is fascinating to browse and to read. When I brought it to my class they immediately purchased it unprompted by me so they could have it for reference. The students in my calligraphy classes felt it was very well done. The bookbinding students also liked it for the history.

This stunningly printed and bound book doesn't end with its high quality format: the text itself is a highly accessible and extensively detailed examination at all aspect of medieval manuscripts. Starting with a comprehensive review of the various types of writing surfaces that have historically been used to carry written words (wood, wax, metal, paper, papyrus, and parchment), the book moves on to cover a detailed exploration of the medieval parchment manuscript (the most common type for all documents of the period), including sections on decoration, glossing, annotation, suggestions for reading an interpreting manuscripts, and a discussion on the various types of content that were reproduced on such manuscripts.

The book is printed in an oversized format, with heavy semi-gloss paper and extensive use of color illustrations and photos, making the book itself a modern day equivalent of the medieval variant. The author's content is so extensive and wide ranging that it has lead a number of authorities to state that the book should be required reading for anyone studying the period. A quick review of the text will likely convince anyone to agree. It is unusual to see so comprehensive a text be also reproduced in such a stunningly gorgeous manner. The book is on par with the quality seen in the books published in France by its national library (the Bibliothèque Nationale de France ), and if one has ever seen such books, that is quite a claim to make. That it is available for under $40 is simply astounding.

The content is as accessible as it is detailed. The author makes good use of explanations when introducing terms, and does not overwhelm the reader with abstract and arcane language, yet still maintains a scholarly tone throughout the volume. Although the physical size and weight of the book can make the book a bit difficult to hold, the book is such a delight with which to interact that it does not matter. The color illustrations and photos are first rate, and the page layout and typeface both pleasant and readable.

Of special interest is a section on damaged manuscripts. This section covers an entire range of potential types of damage that can occur to old manuscripts, and even illustrates many types of damage with representative full color photos. Some before/after photos are supplied for cases where damage is treated by modern methods. This is a very unique aspect of the book.

Finally, the bibliography is truly extensive, a wealth of information for anyone undertaking study in this area, and is arguably worth the price of the volume alone.

A rarity among books today, this startlingly well written book executed with the highest levels of print and page quality makes "Introduction to Manuscript Studies" an unusual and beautiful volume. Five stars for content, five stars for reproductions, five stars for print and page quality, and an easy five stars for price. Combine it with two other gorgeous books, "A History of Illuminated Manuscripts" by de Hamel and "The British Library Guide to Manuscript Illumination" (also by de Hamel) to make a wonderful trio of books on medieval manuscripts.

See also:
A History of Illuminated Manuscripts
The British Library Guide to Manuscript Illumination: History and Techniques (British Library Guides)

Fascinating and informative, this book is not only informative but also an "easy read" for a textbook.
It covers all aspects of manuscript making from the ground up in short, concise topics that are full of information and many corresponding extant examples that graphically illustrate the concept. If you are in anyway working with medieval manuscripts, this book is worth while. No matter how extensive your knowledge, I would bet you could learn something from this book. (did you know you could rent the chapters you need for your University studies as far back as the 13th century?) And if you only work in one area of this field, it will set it full context. Simply Fascinating.

I used this first when I attended a graduate seminar in manuscript studies, and I have kept it at hand for a second seminar and subsequent work alike. It is not only a beautifully presented and thorough introduction--this is where I go first to remind myself what abbreviation to use when transcribing--but it is engagingly written and quite reasonably priced as well. If you are at all interested in writing as an art, a technology, and a medium, you will enjoy this book.

Raymond Clemens and Timothy Graham's Introduction to Manuscript Studies is an aesthetically pleasing, highly informative, and essential guide for the student of medieval Latin paleography. Not only do Clemens and Graham provide a concise history of writing supports used from antiquity through the late Middle Ages, their Introduction contains nearly 300 photographs of the tools and methods employed in manufacturing writing supports as well as a variety of texts housed in Chicago, at the Newberry Library's special collections. This latter genre of photos, in particular, proves especially useful as a template for novice transcribers as Clemens and Graham analyze the distinct abbreviations and letter variations found in each.