The Tres Riches Heures of Jean, Duke of Berry [Paperback]

Musee Conde Chantilly (Author), Jean Longnon (Author), Raymond Cazelles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1989

One of the most successful art books of all time is now available in paperback for the first time. In their now-classic texts, Longnon and Cazelles recount the history of this work from its inception up until modern times. 139 color plates.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Widely praised for providing unprecedented access to perhaps the most closely guarded and celebrated of medieval illuminated manuscripts, Braziller's sublime 1969 facsimile is denatured in this first paperback version. Only the jacket has retained the metallic gold that supplements the four-color art of the cloth edition; within, the plates are flat and often indistinct. The preface, for example, cites the "sparkling diapered background" of a particular night scene, but here the stars not only do not sparkle but are barely perceptible. The absence of the gold has a disastrous effect on the manuscript's famous architectural renderings, robbing them of their depth of field and subtlety of color. The text, written by three unimpeachable art historians, is unchanged, although the legends (previously facing illustrations) are now inconveniently segregated in a section following the plates; one also wishes that the bibliography had been updated. Surely this relatively inexpensive paperback has been designed with the goal of making the Tres Riches Heures even more accessible; ironically, the reproductions are so dramatically inferior that the purchase of the volume is a false economy. $30,000 ad/promo; BOMC and QPBC selections.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Braziller first published the hardcover edition of this now-classic work 20 years ago, and many libraries already own it. This paperback edition may provide a more affordable alternative for smaller collections. The bulk of the volume consists of good reproductions of all the miniatures and many of the decorated text pages in the same size as the original medieval manuscript. No enlarged details are provided. In contrast, the recent volume from Abrams on the Tres Riches Heures, Cazelles's & Rathofer's Illuminations of Heaven and Earth ( LJ 12/88), does provide detail views. Its text, however, draws heavily on the scholarship of the Braziller volume, which is also more accessible to lay readers and students. The effect of looking through a copy of this famous manuscript will be satisfying to a wide audience.
- Kathryn Finkelstein, M.Ln., Cincinnati
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: George Braziller, Inc.; Revised edition (March 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807612200
• ISBN-13: 978-0807612200
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,662,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #65 in Books > Arts & Photography > Other Media > Illuminations

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The hardback version of this art masterpiece is awesome, April 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Tres Riches Heures of Jean, Duke of Berry (Hardcover)

Having read negative reviews of the cheap, paperback version of this book, I took a deep gulp and sprang for the expensive hardback. This is a case where spending more for the hardback version is more than worth it. The pictures are very large size format, with the gold intact (unlike the paperback version). The quality of the paintings is excellent. The book is beautiful to display, look at and/or study. I have been copying one of the illustrations, and having a great time.I love medieval illustrated books. I have not found another one in this large a format, with such detail. If you are into illuminated manuscripts, you must have this one, there can be no argument. (Hardback version)

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Picture Quality is awful, September 5, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Tres Riches Heures of Jean, Duke of Berry (Paperback)

The books begins with an introduction, then many images from the Tres Riches Heures, and at the end there is a commentary of the pictures.

The big problem is that the pictures were made in the sixties, they are fuzzy, unsharp, the colors are not vivid and bright, such a very low quality of photocomposition is no more acceptable at the end of the 20th century. It is high time that a newer edition be made available in English, as is already the case in French.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing 2008 Hardcover Version of the Classic 1969 Edition, November 14, 2009

By 

Hammond Eggs - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Tres Riches Heures of Jean, Duke of Berry (Hardcover)

Several years ago I reluctantly parted with my copy of The Tres Riches Heures in the magnificent 1969 edition published by George Braziller, and I'd been missing it ever since.

So it was with considerable anticipation that I ordered this new Braziller hardcover edition from Amazon at a terrific price. (The same book sells for $125 at the George Braziller website.)

Unfortunately, the 2008 edition, printed and bound in Singapore by Tien Wah Press, bears little resemblance to the stunning 1969 version published in France by Draeger Freres, Paris.

I suspect what we have here is simply a hardback copy of the 1989 paperback edition which Publishers Weekly, in its review printed above, described in extremely negative, and accurate, terms. [Two different 13-digit ISBN numbers appear on the dust jacket: the number on the back inside flap is in fact the same as the paperback edition (!)while the number on the back cover refers to this book.]

The beautiful, illustrated slipcase that graced the original edition has been replaced with a glossy dust jacket. Many pictures seem out of focus--disastrous for these highly detailed and delicate miniatures. The colors are no longer clean and vibrant, and the critical use of gold (gilt)--so radiant in the 1969 book--is gone, and with it, much of the artwork's subtle, other-worldly atmosphere.

Additionally, the informative commentaries, which originally appeared on the facing pages, are now grouped together at the back of the book. Not an improvement, in my opinion.

In short, I am surprised that George Braziller has reissued one of its most celebrated fine art books in such a poor quality edition.

Until a fully-restored version is available, I recommend everyone (myself included) seek out a copy of the 1969 original.

JANUARY 2010 UPDATE: I did seek out, and have received, an excellent used copy of the 1969 edition. Now that I have both books here, sitting side by side, I urge you to forget the 2008 version. Picture clarity and color reproduction (particularly the use of gilt) are unquestionably superior in the original edition.

Used copies are available from online booksellers, including Amazon. I paid $68.00 for mine, and it was worth every penny. I'll be returning the 2008 version to Amazon right away.

FEBRUARY 2011 UPDATE: Please note that reviews (including this one) of the 2008 Braziller edition also appear under listings for other editions from other publishers. Just to be clear, what you are reading now is my review of the 2008 Braziller hardcover edition. My recommendation is to purchase the original 1969 George Braziller volume, published in France by Draeger Freres, Paris.