Scribes and Illuminators

Christopher De Hamel's, Scribes and Illuminators is a short book, replete with illustrations, that I read in a single session. It is strictly an introduction rather than a scholarly work. Some topics are covered in more detail than others - the technique of illumination has more coverage than the selection and creation of miniatures or marginalia. The illustrations, in the main, are from medieval manuscripts and depict both the scribe/illuminator at work and examples of finished, and unfinished, pages. The pictures of unfinished pages are particularly useful in illustrating how the scribes and illuminators worked. There are some photographs of the tools used in manuscript production, but a few more would have been nice - especially of the frame used to sew the quires together. Some interesting facts embedded in the text are: parchment tended to curl toward the hair-side of the page because it shrank more, there were a significant number of women scribes, scribes would write around holes made accidentally during the creation of the parchment. Despite the brevity De Hamel manages to cover nearly the whole of manuscript production. And in that light the book is worth reading. However, if you are interested in the minute details of binding, calligraphy, miniatures, marginalia, and/or the tools of the trade you would be better off reading a different book.

Like all this series, this book is a real gem. Clearly written, interesting, informative, with a fine selection of pictures (most in colour), it's truly amazing how much it covers in a small book. Particularly useful are the contemporary illustrations of scribes and painters at work, showing such details as a scribe's sloping desk with holes to hold his quills and inkhorn (cover illustration). The whole construction of a medieval book is explained, from makig the parchment to the final cover. Examples of unfinished manuscripts, not shown in facimile books, provide fascinating insight into the whole production process. The inclusion of charming pictures such as the self-portrait of a scribe and his apprentice, cursing a mouse running off with the the cheese from their lunch table, brings the lives of these workers into immediate and human detail.If you are only going to get one book about medieval scribes and illuminators, this is the one to buy.