The Medieval Scriptorium: Making Books in the Middle Ages

The book explores medieval manuscript production in the Latin Christian world, featuring vignettes by medieval narrators and exploring the development of the scriptorium from its early Christian beginnings to its eventual decline and the growth of the printing press. It highlights the immense labour, planning, and networks needed to produce each manuscript, providing a unique lens through which to experience medieval life.

Format: Hardback
Length: 344 pages
Publication date: 19 August 2024
Publisher: Reaktion Books

Medieval manuscript production in the Latin Christian world is explored in this book, taking readers on an immersive journey through the process. Each chapter begins with a vivid vignette by a medieval narrator, including a parchment-maker, scribe, and illuminator, introducing various aspects of manuscript production. Sara J. Charles asks the question "What actually is a scriptorium?" and explores the development of the medieval scriptorium from its early Christian beginnings through to its eventual decline and the growth of the printing press. With the written word at the very heart of the Christian monastic movement, we see the immense amount of labor, planning, and networks needed to produce each individual manuscript. By tapping into these processes and procedures, we can experience medieval life through the lens of a manuscript maker.

Weight: 776g
Dimension: 222 x 148 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781789149166