The Book in Britain. Vol. 1: c400-1100 1

This is the first comprehensive survey of the history of the book in Britain from Roman through Anglo-Saxon to early Norman times. The expert contributions explore the physical form of books, including their codicology, script and decoration, examine the circulation and exchange of manuscripts and texts between England, Ireland, the Celtic realms and the Continent, discuss the production, presentation and use of different classes of texts, ranging from fine service books to functional schoolbooks, and evaluate the libraries that can be associated with particular individuals and institutions. The result is an authoritative account of the first millennium of the history of books, manuscript-making, and literary culture in Britain which, intimately linked to its cultural contexts, sheds vital light on broader patterns of political, ecclesiastical and cultural history extending from the period of the Vindolanda writing tablets through the age of Bede and Alcuin to the time of the Domesday Book. Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-00_Frontmatter 1 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-01_From Vindolanda to Domesday 21 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-02_Material fabric of early British books 31 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-03_Anglo-Saxon scribes and scriptoria 114 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-04_Writing in Insular world 141 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-05_Script in Wales, Scotland and Cornwall 187 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-06_English vernacular script 194 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-07_Latin script in England 900-1100 207 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-08_Design and decoration of Insular gospel-books and other liturgical manuscripts, c. 600 - c. 900 245 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-09_Decoration of earliest Welsh manuscripts 264 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-10_Book decoration in England, 871-1100 269 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-11_Bookbindings 314 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-12_ Exchanges between the British Isles and Continent, c. 450 - c. 900 331 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-13_Circulation between England and Celtic realms 358 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-14_Circulation between England and Continent 871-1100 364 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-15_Book in Roman Britain 393 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-16_Use of book in Wales 400-1100 409 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-17_Biblical manuscripts of Anglo-Saxon England 426 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-18_Anglo-Saxon gospel-books, c. 900 - 1066 456 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-19_Liturgical books 469 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-20_Anglo-Saxon prayerbooks 480 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-21_Psalters 488 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-22_Music books 502 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-23_Anglo-Saxon schoolbooks 527 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-24_Law books 545 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-25_MSS of ASC 557 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-26_Old English homiliaries and poetic MSS 573 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-27_Patrick, apostle of Irish 583 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-28_Library of Iona at time of Adomnan 590 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-29_Literacy in Anglo-Saxon England 600 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-30_Aldhelm's library 611 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-31_Library of Venerable Bede 626 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-32_Library of Alcuin's York 653 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-33_Library of Cynewulf 685 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-34_King Alfred and his circle 690 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-35_Aelfric's library 699 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-36_Library of Byrhtferth 705 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-37_Library of Wulfstan of York 714 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-38_ Rhygyfarch ap Sulien and Ieuan ap Sulien 721 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-39_Studies of early British books 727 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-40_Bibliography 743 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-41_Concordance of named manuscripts 808 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-42_Index of manuscripts 812 Cambridge History of Book in Britain-1-43_General index 825 "The history of the book offers a distinctive form of access to the ways in which human beings have sought to give meaning to their own and others' lives. Our knowledge of the past derives mainly from texts. Landscape, architecture, sculpture, painting and the decorative arts have their stories to tell and may themselves be construed as texts; but oral tradition, manuscripts, printed books, and those other forms of inscription and incision such as maps, music and graphic images have a power to report even more directly on human experience and the events and thoughts which shaped it. The seven volumes of the History of the Book in Britain will help explain how these texts were created, why they took the forms they did, their relations with other media, and what influence they had on the minds and actions of those who heard, read or viewed them. Its range, too - in time, place and the great diversity of the conditions of text production, including reception - challenges any attempt to define its limits and give an account adequate to its complexity. It addresses, whether by period, country, genre or technology, widely disparate fields of enquiry, each of which demands and attracts its own forms of scholarship. The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain seeks to represent much of that variety. The volumes investigate the creation, material production, dissemination and reception of texts, effectively plotting the intellectual history of Britain."-- Provided by publisher "The history of the book offers a distinctive form of access to the ways in which human beings have sought to give meaning to their own and others' lives. Our knowledge of the past derives mainly from texts. Landscape, architecture, sculpture, painting and the decorative arts have their stories to tell and may themselves be construed as texts; but oral tradition, manuscripts, printed books, and those other forms of inscription and incision such as maps, music and graphic images have a power to report even more directly on human experience and the events and thoughts which shaped it. The seven volumes of the History of the Book in Britain will help explain how these texts were created, why they took the forms they did, their relations with other media, and what influence they had on the minds and actions of those who heard, read or viewed them. Its range, too - in time, place and the great diversity of the conditions of text production, including reception - challenges any attempt to define its limits and give an account adequate to its complexity. It addresses, whether by period, country, genre or technology, widely disparate fields of enquiry, each of which demands and attracts its own forms of scholarship. The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain seeks to represent much of that variety. The volumes investigate the creation, material production, dissemination and reception of texts, effectively plotting the intellectual history of Britain."--Publisher description