Writing History in the Anglo-Norman World: Manuscripts, Makers and Readers, c.1066-c.1250

The volume and richness of historical writing in the lands controlled by the kings of England, particularly from the twelfth century, has long attracted the attention of historians and literary scholars. This collection of essays explores the processes involved in writing history, the medieval manuscript sources in which the works of such historians survive, the motivations of those writing about the past in the Middle Ages, and the evidence provided by manuscripts for the circumstances in which copies were made. It also addresses the selection of material for copying, combinations of text and imagery, and the demand for copies of particular works, shedding new light on how and why history was being read, reproduced, discussed, adapted, and written.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 18 October 2022
Publisher: York Medieval Press

The contexts for the works of eleventh and twelfth-century historians are brought to the fore in this collection of essays. History was a popular subject in the Anglo-Norman world, and the volume and richness of historical writing in the lands controlled by the kings of England, particularly from the twelfth century, has long attracted the attention of historians and literary scholars. However, the easy availability of modern editions obscures the creation and circulation of histories in the Middle Ages. This collection explores the processes involved in writing history, particularly the medieval manuscript sources in which the works of such historians survive. It examines the motivations of those writing about the past in the Middle Ages, the evidence provided by manuscripts for the circumstances in which copies were made, the selection of material for copying, combinations of text and imagery, and the demand for copies of particular works. The contributors include Stephen Church, Kathryn Gerry, Anne Lawrence-Mathers, Laura Pani, Charles C. Rozier, Gleb Schmidt, Laura Slater, Michael Staunton, Caoimhe Whelan, and Andrea Worm.

Weight: 448g
Dimension: 155 x 234 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781914049118