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Gilded Page: The Secret Lives of Medieval Manuscripts
Gilded Page: The Secret Lives of Medieval Manuscripts | Mary Wellesley
5 posts | 4 read | 8 to read
A breathtaking journey into the hidden history of medieval manuscripts, from the Lindisfarne Gospels to the ornate Psalter of Henry VIII Medieval manuscripts can tell us much about power and art, knowledge and beauty. Many have survived because of an author's status--part of the reason we have so much of Chaucer's writing, for example, is because he was a London-based government official first and a poet second. Other works by the less influential have narrowly avoided ruin, like the book of illiterate Margery Kempe, found in a country house closet, the cover nibbled on by mice. Scholar Mary Wellesley recounts the amazing origins of these remarkable manuscripts, surfacing the important roles played by women and ordinary people--the grinders, binders, and scribes--in their creation and survival. The Gilded Page is the story of the written word in the manuscript age. Rich and surprising, The Gilded Page shows how the most exquisite objects ever made by human hands came from unexpected places.
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NotCool
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These manuscripts offer a corrective to the popular perception that medieval manuscripts were all written by monks. Our imagination of the past is delineated by patriarchalism infused by prejudice. If we were wrong in imagining that all scribes were men, what else might we be wrong about?

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iread2much
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Pickpick

This was an interesting read, I appreciated the translation of old English and the call numbers of the books cited.
The book provides a lot of information about manuscripts and the people who requested, paid for, made, and saved them.
4/5 stars, read for a mix of medieval history, history of the book, and an exploration of the British Manuscripts currently available

dabbe #awesomealoy (I hope I spelled that right!) 🖤🐾🖤 5mo
iread2much @dabbe you did 😁 5mo
AnnCrystal 💕🐕🐾💝. 5mo
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iread2much @AnnCrystal 💜🐕😊 5mo
MemoirsForMe Aloy is so dang cute! ❤️ 5mo
iread2much @UwannaPublishme thank you 😊 now that‘s not as bite-y she‘s pretty adorable in person too 5mo
25 likes6 comments
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SayersLover
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Pickpick

Excellently researched and put together! Wellesley makes these fascinating treasures accessible for the modern reader. I enjoyed it, but it‘s not the sort of book where when I‘m done reading I feel inspired to go buy a copy for all my friends.

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JenniferP
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Starting off 2023 with this nonfiction book about medieval manuscripts. Every year I give litsy a try and fail to keep up - maybe 2023 is the year I commit!

catiewithac This looks like a good book! 2y
charl08 Ooh I want to read this one! 2y
BarbaraBB I am extremely glad you keep trying! 2y
24 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Palimpsest
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this book about manuscripts. Some of the books she talks about in detail are the Cuthbert Gospel, Malory‘s Morte Darther, Beowulf, and Henry VIII private prayer book. The author also talks about known and more likely unknown artists of illuminated manuscripts such as The Master of the Leaping Figures, written letters of the time period, female authors, discoveries of texts, and disasters. I enjoyed the history surrounding these 📚

BiblioLitten Oh looks good! 3y
batsy Great review! This looks so good. 3y
51 likes3 stack adds2 comments