The Lindisfarne Gospels: Society, Spirituality and the Scribe. Michelle P. Brown

There is more than enough of interest for both scholar and intellectual tourist. Brown's sleuthing and exposition shed light on the Lindisfarne Gospels, sacred manuscripts in general, Insular art, and the place of important books through the ages. This is a read to be savored.

An excellent, in-depth scholarly study of a beautiful work of art. If you are interested in details about the paint, the layout, the artists, and the monastic world it was made in, then this is the book you want. The 32 color plates reproduce the major pages of the Lindisfarne Gospels, as well as examples from other Insular manuscripts. The CD that comes with this book contains a key to manuscript sigla, and a table showing the textual arrangement of the Lindisfarne Gospels, with selective collation. The CD does not contain any further plates of the manuscript, unless they are hidden where I cannot access them.

The Lindisfarne Gospels: Society, Spirituality & The Scribe by Celtic and Anglo-Saxon cultural history expert Michelle P. Brown (Curator of Illuminated Manuscripts at The British Library), examines this important and influential eighth-century book in the light of both theological analysis and revelations of the latest archaeological finds. Marvelous color plates as well as black-and-white photographs wonderfully enhance the exhaustive, college-level text, which is a master piece of scholarship studying the genesis of the Lindisfarne Gospels, and how this classic was originally physically prepared, written, and bound, as well as the significance of its art, the nuances of its scripted text, and more. A thought-provoking and informatively extensive study, The Lindisfarne Gospels is also available in a soft-cover format.