A month ago, almost to the day, I was in Tacoma, at the Karpeles Manuscript Library and Museum. Have you been there? It has an amazing collection of documents and letters. Only a small number are on display at any time. Although the curator assured me that they have illuminated manuscripts, they were hidden away when I visited, but I did see a letter signed by Queen Elizabeth I! The Karpeles Manuscript Library and Museum reminded me of times when I did see ancient illuminated manuscripts: The Book of Kells at Trinity College in Dublin and others in other museums. Most exciting, though, was an experience when I was a graduate student at the University of Washington. One of my instructors took our class to a hidden-away part of Suzzallo Library where we not only viewed sheets of vellum with Medieval writings and illuminations, but were able to handle them. Imagine touching something that had been written and illustrated so long ago. Think about the people who created it and who treasured it throughout the centuries. If that gives you goosebumps, you will appreciate these books. In the beginning : bibles before the year 1000 is a favorite of mine - but it has never been checked out. You don't know what you have been missing! The Bible illuminated : how art brought the Bible to an illiterate world is new to Plymouth Library. It is accessible and informative. The next two books are just beautiful, and the last two have been illustrated in the style of illuminated manuscripts by modern artists.
In the beginning : bibles before the year 1000 / 220.4074753 INT Michelle Brown, former curator at the British Library, gathers together seventy fragile biblical treasures in this sumptuously illustrated volume that captures the development of both Bible and book, as well as a formative period of early Christian history. The book features a number of rare parchments, codices, illuminated manuscripts, and jeweled bindings, including new finds from the Monastery of St. Catherine's at Mount Sinai, Egypt, and the Niketas Bible of the 10th-century CE, one of the greatest examples of Byzantine illumination. Leading authorities in the field explore the early history of the Bible in the accompanying essays, revealing its transformation into the complex symbol of faith that it is today. - from the publisher
The Bible illuminated : how art brought the Bible to an illiterate world / 745.67 YOR. Within The Bible Illuminated you will be introduced to kings and queens, monks and nuns, scribes and artists, librarians and historians, as well as modern-day collectors all hoping to preserve history by putting personal touches on their own copies of the most influential book of all time -- the Bible. Discover the geographical, theological, and historical contexts of these documents, as well as how illustrations disseminated the Bible among a mostly illiterate population. - from the publisher
The Cloisters Apocalypse. 228.06 CLO A Fourteenth-Century Manuscript in Facsimile (2 Volumes) from the Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Hastings hours / Backhouse, Janet. 745.67 HAS. Written in Latin on vellum, this manuscript was made between 1475 and 1483, probably at Ghent or Bruges in the Low Countries. The painted miniatures are attributed to an artist known as the Master of the First Prayer Book of Maximillian I. This Book of Hours belonged to William, Lord Hastings, who undertook diplomatic missions to the Low Countries. - from the British Library
The Christmas story from the King James Version / Brent, Isabelle. J 232.92 BRE. Splendid illustrations capture the glory of angels, the awe of shepherds, and the worship of kings from afar. Full-color paintings, each burnished with gold as a fifth color, evoke the riches of illuminated manuscripts celebrating the birth of Christ. - from the publisher
Saints : lives and illuminations / Sanderson, Ruth. J 270.092 SAN. With brief biographical sketches and lush pencil and oil portraits, author and illustrator Ruth Sanderson stokes the flame of our centuries old and ongoing interest in the faith and lives of these spiritual examples ― saints who have forever changed the way we look at and live our lives in relationship to God. - from the publisher