Catalogue of Irish Manuscripts in Houghton Library, Harvard University

Harvard University's Houghton Library houses the largest collection of Irish-language manuscripts in North America, dating to the early Middle Ages. This catalogue provides a comprehensive description of the collection, which includes medieval poetry, sagas, and contemporary writings by post-Famine Irish immigrants. The collection reflects Harvard University's expansion in European languages and literatures during the early twentieth century.

Format: Hardback
Length: 490 pages
Publication date: 19 February 2022
Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press

Harvard University boasts the most extensive collection of Irish-language codices in North America, housed in the Houghton Library, its renowned rare book repository. These manuscripts trace back to the early Middle Ages, marking a significant chapter in the rich heritage of Irish book production. Within the Houghton collection, there are handwritten works that contain versions of medieval poetry and sagas, which were meticulously copied during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Most of the documents in the library fall into this period. Additionally, the collection includes contemporary writings from that era, as well as those by the post-Famine Irish immigrant community in the United States. This comprehensive catalogue offers a detailed account of the entire collection for the first time, serving as an invaluable resource for research into Irish and Irish American cultural and literary output. In the introductory chapter, the authors delve into the origins and development of the collection. This untold story holds a prominent place in the intellectual history of America, reflecting a period of remarkable expansion in Harvard University's scholarship and teaching during the early twentieth century. During this time, the institution's curriculum began to embrace an increasing range of European languages and literatures, along with their respective sources. This indispensable guide provides a thorough exploration of the records held in a major repository, shedding light on the Irish past and the Irish diaspora in America. It holds particular appeal to specialists in early and post-medieval codices, as well as scholars and students of comparative literature, cultural studies, and Irish and Irish American history.

Weight: 756g
Dimension: 160 x 235 x 35 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780268201012