When Books Were Handmade

De Hamel devotes each of the book’s twelve chapters to a different historical figure, whether producer or collector, from the eleventh through the early twentieth centuries. Some are saints, others con-men, with varying levels of wealth and belief in God. All share a passion for illuminated manuscripts that over time were “bought and sold, neglected or treasured, used, copied, taken apart and not always reassembled, rediscovered, loved, read, ignored, identified,” and ultimately deposited in public collections like the British Library. Read Full Article »