I am taking a course in Medieval Illumination and have been enjoying reading up on the history.
pickI had never heard of Belle and it was fascinating to read about her. Such a strong and brave woman! The way she built herself up to be one of the first successful career woman is truly inspiring. The book touches on a number of issues including racism and equality. Another main focus is art and manuscript collecting. There were sections it was slow but the writing made you want to read each word. It was refreshing to read a book in first person.
pickSuch an interesting subject to learn about! Hundreds of thousands of ancient manuscripts were tracked down from homes throughout Mali and restored & displayed in Timbuktu. But they had to be secretly smuggled out of the city when Al Qaeda's occupation threatens their safety. Haidara's story, the archivist tasked with their collection & preservation, was so inspiring. My only complaint: the detailed backstory of Al Qaeda's leaders was unnecessary
pickVery satisfying read, though veeery long. The colour illustrations are amazing, and the selections of significant figures involved with manuscripts mostly interesting (though I still think someone like Christine de Pizan should've figured).
I wish this wasn't almost all dudes. I know *why* it is almost all dudes, though I would argue that at the very minimum Christine de Pizan would've been a good addition.
Looking forward to the chapter on Belle Da Costa Greene, about whom I know almost nothing.
I think I need to set daily goals for this one, it's such a chonker! I love the in-line colour illustrations, though; I've been seeing that more often in books in the last couple years, but it's still so good.
pickLots of illustrations, actually in colour too despite being in-line rather than those glossy sheafs of inserted images. I didn't love the snippets of fiction introducing each chapter; I understand their utility for some, but ugh, just get to the facts!
Most interesting fact: we don't think there really was an individual “scriptorium“ in most institutions. Book production probably just happened in cloisters.
Pre-exam brain is not making much headway with this right now, even though I find non-fiction soothing. Lots of history of Christianity, so far, which is pretty inevitable.
