Useful Books

by Marc Drogin, ISBN 0486261425, published by Dover, 1989, ~$11.

This is THE Medieval calligraphy reference. Drogin's book belongs in the library of every scribe who wants to know period calligraphic styles and techniques, and the lovely thing is that it is a Dover edition, which means it is durable and inexpensive, as well as being readily available. He shows just about every period hand out there and stoke-by-stroke how to do it. It is, without a doubt, a book that will be referred to time and again. Not to be missed!

by David Harris, ISBN 1564588491, published by Dorling Kindersley, 1995, ~$20.

Dorling Kindersley are becoming immensely popular for publishing very visual guides to many, many topics. Children love their beautiful pictures and adults love them for about the same reasons. Harris's book is no exception. What makes this book so valuable is that each hand is shown using a different colour for each pen stroke, which gives you a far better idea of how each hand is constructed. A superb calligraphic reference, it is recommended highly for its excellent instruction in period calligraphic hands.  

by Edward Johnston, ISBN 0486285340, published by Dover, 1995, ~$38 (Hardcover).

This classic work was originally published around the turn of the century and has been a favourite with scribes ever since. It gives very clear instructions on everything from how to hold your pen to cutting quills and reed pens, making pigments and inks, how to make manuscript books, illumination theory and more, and even a section in the rear on how to carve calligraphy in stone! A real "must own" for the scribe.

by Patricia Seligman, ISBN 1561384585, published by Running Press, 1994. (out of print)

This is a really good book for learning techniques of illumination. It has nice illustrations showing the various techniques one would use to do everything from making paints to gilding. It's a great book to own for learning how to do historiated initials.

ed. by Heather Child, ISBN 0-8008-1198-4, published by Taplinger, 1986, ~$16.

This book is full of valuable technique information on writing instruments, pigments, writing surfaces, letter design, parchment, vellum, quill preparation, gilding, manuscript binding and more! The authors of the articles in the book are all members of the Society of Scribes and Illuminators, so they know of what they speak. A great all around reference book for just about all facets of scribing, a dn one you will find yourself referring to time and again.

by Cennino d'Andrea Cennini, translated by Daniel V. Thompson, ISBN 0-486-20054-X, published by Dover Books, 1978, ~$6.

This is an actual period treatise on painting, making it an excellent near-primary source for information on period painting techniques. It was written in 15th century Florence and is full of information about how the period painter plied his craft. Pigments, binding agents, papers, gilding, stamping and more - it's all here. First hand information from a period artist makes this one book no scribe should be without, and the fact that it is a Dover book makes it a durable and inexpensive book to acquire and use time and again.

by Theophilus, translated from the Latin by John G. Hawthorne and Cyril Stanley Smith, ISBN 0-486-23784-2, published by Dover Books, 1979, ~$10.

This is the oldest extant manual on period crafts, having been written in 1122. It is a manual on period painting, glassmaking and metalwork, so it is not limited to the scribal arts. Still, it does have valuable first hand information on period painting techniques. For example, it covers pigments, binding agents, gilding, glues, varnishes, panel painting, tin leafing, inks -- just about anything you would want to know about the painter's craft of that time period, making it, once again, a valuable primary source for documentation. It is a nice sturdy and inexpensive Dover edition, making it readily accessible even for the scribe on a budget.

by Hellmut Lehmann-Haupt, ISBN 0826202616, University of Missouri Press, 1972.

This book, sadly, is out of print and one has to do some serious hunting to track down a copy, so prices will vary depending on which out-of-print book dealer you work with. It, again, is another one of those primary sources for period illumination techniques. It shows a lot of valuable style techniques, and for those of you who have struggled with acanthus, it shows great construction technique on how to do it. There are a number of good used/rare book dealers online, and they may be able to help you find a copy without emptying your wallet in the process.

by Michelle P. Brown, ISBN 0-89236-217-0, published by J. Paul Getty Museum, 1994, ~$15

This is one book every working scribe ought to have. It is a superb guide to the technical terms used in the study of illuminated manuscripts. It also is, as a result, a book I have referred to time and again for technical information for doing documentation for scrolls I have done. It is chock full of valuable tidbits of information and I use this particular book a lot. Although the illustrations are small, they are of particularly high quality. Highly recommended!

by Daniel V. Thompson, ISBN 0-486-20327-1, published by Dover Books, 1957, ~$9.

A superb reference book covering nearly every aspect of period painting. Sections of the book include carriers and grounds, binding media, pigments and metals and discusses how these were used in period. A very valuable book to own and one that belongs in every scribal library, especially because once again, even if you are a scribe on a tight budget, it is another one of those sturdy and inexpensive Dover editions that make it accessible even to someone with a tight financial situation. Thompson translated Cennini (see above), and this book together with Cennini makes an excellent companion volume. If you can only afford a few books on this list, make them Cennini, Thompson, and Theophilus. One minor annoyance to the serious student is that while Thompson summarises inmformation from many sources, he does not give references or footnotes saying which source what information is from, just giving a general bibliography at the end f the book.

by Michael Wilcox, ISBN 0891346228, published by North Light Books, 1994, ~$22.

Although this book does not deal with anything necessarily period, its value is in teaching the reader colour theory beyond anything we learned in school. For example, Ultramarine blue and bright lemon yellow do NOT make green. However, a Cobalt blue and a bright lemon yellow will yield a specific colour of green. This book will teach the student of painting how to create the same colour desired time and again, so its value lies in the blending of colours to achieve the desired pigment successfully.

by Christopher DeHamel, ISBN 0-8020-7707-2, published by University of Toronto Press, 1992, ~$21.

This Medieval Craftsmen series is particularly nice because the books are short but filled with a lot of really great information, and this book is no exception. I've referred to this book many times when composing documentation for a piece I have done. It gives valuable information on materials and techniques, shows some photos of unfinished works, and breaks down the processes of creating an illuminated book. The chapters are entitled "Paper and Parchment Makers", "Ink Makers and Scribes" and "Illuminators, Binders and Booksellers". Anything written by DeHamel is going to be good, so this little book is a nice addition to any scribal library.

by Jonathan J.G. Alexander, ISBN 0-300-06073-4, published by Yale University Press, 1992, ~$35.

What makes this book so valuable is that is shows unfinished works of illumination, allowing us to see the process of creating an illuminated page. Typically what we see in books is already completed pages, and as much as they are a delight to the eye, one is still sometimes curious as to what the process was to create the page. This book shows us that. It is also chock full of valuable information on process as well as giving plentiful illustrations and exemplars. This book is another one of those "must own" books that will be referred to time and again.  

by Barbara Shailor, ISBN 0-8020-6853-7, published by University of Toronto Press, 1991, ~$18.

This book is really nice in that it explains the process of creation of a Medieval book. It gives plentiful technical information on period book production. Bookbinding, tools, techniques of illumination, calligraphic styles, and book assembly are all here. Excellent illustrations throughout the book give valuable information on period books and the processes required to create one.

by Janet Backhouse, ISBN 8020-4346-1, published by University of Toronto Press, 1997, ~$40.

This book should be owned if for no other reason than it is a gorgeous and lush overview of 1000 years of manuscript painting and shows exemplars that have previously been unpublished that are in the British Library. A book rich in colour illustrations and information written by the Curator of Illuminated Manuscripts at the British Library. A feast for the eyes and a great book from which to study period exemplars from a thousand years worth of manuscript painting. Any book by Ms. Backhouse is highly recommended.

by Janet Backhouse, Phaidon Press Inc.; ISBN: 0714824682, 1993, ~$15

Covering a wide span of time and styles, from the Lindisfarne Gospels (Interlace, c 700) to Italian neo-classical revival in the early 1500s, this book provides a good overview of the subject. Written for the layman rather than the scholar, it nevertheless has an informative introduction on manuscript creation. Since there are examples from 70 manuscripts, descriptions of each are necessarily brief, but still interesting. It is a pity that not all the illlustrations are in colour, but there are still many good-quality colour plates at or near full-size.

by Christopher De Hamel, Phaidon Press Inc.; ISBN: 0714834521, 1997, ~$24

Shannon Clark from Colorado writes:

This book is an excellent overview of changing Illumination through the Middle Ages and Early Renaissance. The images are gorgeous and varied. My only real complaint is one of size and proportion. The book fails to give the original sizes of the pages so that the reader has an understanding of scale. Sometimes it can be difficult to determine the origin of the page, if you do want to follow up on size and additional pages.

mckinney@dixie.4ez.com from North Florida writes:

Beautiful illustrations; simply page after page of color. While the text is wonderful as well, the medievalist will appreciate it for the large photographs that allow detail to be seen. A must for the manuscript junkie.

by Musee Conde Chantilly, Jean Longnon, Raymond Cazelles (Contributor), Millard Meiss (Contributor), George Braziller;1989, ISBN: 0807612200 ~$20

Good introductory text with history of the manuscript and commentary on the plates. 139 colour plates, giving nearly all the decorated pages from the manuscript. Unfortunately the quality of the plates in this paperback edition is poor. The definition is rather fuzzy, and fine details, especially of the goldwork, are impossible to see. Nevertheless, it is still a bargain at its price, and invaluable for giving a fairly complete picture of the layout of a luxury Book of Hours.

by Janet Backhouse, Christopher De Hamel, British Library Pubns 1995; ISBN: 0712301410, ~14$

A reader from Clinton, Mississippi, USA at Amazon.com reviews this book:

Good color reproductions & other materials; no translation., June 12, 1998 .This short work depicts in color the surviving leaves of the medieval Becket booklet. Additional reproductions bearing on the dating, style and authorship are conveniently provided. The (English) text briefly summarized the Becket story, directed toward the illustrations. However, the French of the leaves is not translated, though this short additional information would have made the work complete.

by Janet Backhouse,New Amsterdam Books, 1990; ISBN: 1561310212 , ~$19

Merouda Pendray of the SCA says:

Like most of Janet Backhouse's work, this is an excellent, concise study of a particular manuscript in the collection of the British Library. This particular manuscript is a 15th c. book of hours, commissioned from a Parisian workshop by John, Duke of Bedford. The text reads easily. Ms. Backhouse covers a short history of the Duke, to place the book in context, and follows with a modestly comprehensive study of the book as an art object.The book contains around 60 plates, some in black and white, some in color. There are about as many full page illustrations as there are text pages, so the book makes a very suitable visual reference for book artists wanting to illuminate in the style of the Bedford Master.

All in all, a very nice, short study of a justifiably famous medieval manuscript.

by Simon Marmion, James Thorpe, Huntington Library, 1990; ISBN: 0873281306, ~$6

Editorial comment: Seventeen jewel-like miniature manuscript paintings are reproduced in this color facsimile from a fifteenth-century Book of Hours in the Huntington Library collections. The introduction discusses the history and meaning of Books of Hours, both as books of devotion and as works of art. Each plate is accompanied by commentary

by Millard Meiss, Edith W. Kirsch, Hardcover Reprint edition (August 1994) George Braziller; ISBN: 0807613592, ~$52.

The Visconti Hours, one of the most luxurious and unusual Italian Books of Hours from around 1400, is magnificently reproduced in this facimile edition. The introductory text begins with an excellent summary of the political and social context of the book's production for Giangaleazzo Visconti, its noble owner. It continues with a discussion of the book's structure, iconography, and painting techniques, and includes short biographies of the two artists. The plates themselves are of particularly high quality, sharp, clear, and brilliant, with gold stamping. The commentaries are informative. All in all, this book is a must-have for any serious student of medieval illumination, as well as for the simple pleasure of enjoying its outstanding beauty.