Among the glories of extant medieval manuscripts are the splendid illuminated initials in which geometric, curvilinear, animal, religious and other motifs intertwine to form extraordinarily beautiful and decorative letters. For this striking volume, Carol Belanger Grafton has selected 548 illuminated letters-alphabetically arranged-from 19th-century reprints of medieval manuscripts. Here are magnificently ornamented initials-some the length of an...