Customer Reviews

Magical Jewels of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance Particularly in England

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This book attempts to trace the general developments of lapidary manuscripts from the ancient world through the Renaissance. In general, the author succeeds in showing continuity as well as factors in development. Students of history and philology will probably find it interesting and useful.

One major complaint I have with the book, however, is that few of the lapidary sections are provided in translation. Consequently, although most of the work is in English, it slightly hard to follow unless you also can read various forms of Latin, Old French, Medieval Spanish, and so forth. I believe the Old English sections are provided in translation, but they are the exception.

Nevertheless, this work has become something of a classic in its field. I would certainly recommend it.

The book explain the history of "Magical Jewels" in Europe from medieval age to XVIII century. This edition is quite similar at the first one, but the photo's reproduction are not very good.

For anyone interested in the history of jewelry, this is a book not to be missed! There is symbolism and meaning behind past people's jewelry and gem choices, and without knowing their meaning, so much context is missed. I enjoyed reading this book cover to cover, and every time I look at a portrait I now understand more about the people in it, and what they are trying to convey to the viewer. This is a book that vastly expanded my understanding of medieval jewelry and I highly recommend it.