The Manuscripts Club: The People Behind a Thousand Years of Medieval Manuscripts
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- Create Date：2023-11-17 02:21:45
- Update Date：2025-09-13
- Status：finish
- Author：Christopher de Hamel
- ISBN：0525559418
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Summary
The people who made， saved and sometimes destroyed medieval manuscripts， over a thousand years of history， from the acclaimed author of Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts
The Manuscripts Club tells of twelve men and women， from the eleventh century to the twentieth， who all share an overwhelming obsession with illuminated manuscripts。 The saint， the patron， the bookseller， the artist， the antiquary， the collector， the rabbi， the savant， the librarian， the editor， the forger and the curator had very different reasons for their passion， but manuscripts animated the lives of them all。
Christopher de Hamel takes us into in their homes and workplaces， from the monasteries and synagogues of Normandy and Moravia to the universities of Germany and the museums of America， to chart a kinship of minds and to peer into these extraordinary lives among manuscripts。 In the pages of his book， remarkable manuscripts tumble through the centuries， connecting a French prince and a Greek peasant and a Black curator。 This is a story about society and manuscripts， what manuscripts do for people， and why they mattered and still matter to us。 He demonstrates the enduring hold on our imaginations that these works carry， and the transcendent human connection that they represent。 It is also a story of greed， discovery and disaster and of the unquenchable joy in the greatest and most treasured books ever made。
The Manuscripts Club tells of twelve men and women， from the eleventh century to the twentieth， who all share an overwhelming obsession with illuminated manuscripts。 The saint， the patron， the bookseller， the artist， the antiquary， the collector， the rabbi， the savant， the librarian， the editor， the forger and the curator had very different reasons for their passion， but manuscripts animated the lives of them all。
Christopher de Hamel takes us into in their homes and workplaces， from the monasteries and synagogues of Normandy and Moravia to the universities of Germany and the museums of America， to chart a kinship of minds and to peer into these extraordinary lives among manuscripts。 In the pages of his book， remarkable manuscripts tumble through the centuries， connecting a French prince and a Greek peasant and a Black curator。 This is a story about society and manuscripts， what manuscripts do for people， and why they mattered and still matter to us。 He demonstrates the enduring hold on our imaginations that these works carry， and the transcendent human connection that they represent。 It is also a story of greed， discovery and disaster and of the unquenchable joy in the greatest and most treasured books ever made。
Reviews
Daniel
，
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book。 Rated 4。0 of 5There was a time when I considered myself more than just an avid reader， but a collector of books。 Had I the resources， I have no doubt that I would have collected manuscripts if I'd had the resources （ie money） and so this title really grabbed my attention。 I have to admit， though， that I had no idea where this book might go。This book is really a series of twelve mini-biographies of people who， through the course of hist This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book。 Rated 4。0 of 5There was a time when I considered myself more than just an avid reader， but a collector of books。 Had I the resources， I have no doubt that I would have collected manuscripts if I'd had the resources （ie money） and so this title really grabbed my attention。 I have to admit， though， that I had no idea where this book might go。This book is really a series of twelve mini-biographies of people who， through the course of history， have been collectors of manuscripts and who very well may have saved （or at least preserved） many rare manuscripts from destruction。 Something that comes across as relatively common is the desire to own a rare item more than owning a specific item due to its significance。 What is also common among the people included here is a real joy among the collectors for manuscripts。Author Christopher de Hamel does a really wonderful job of researching these manuscript collectors （and he gives a lot of credit to others for some of this work） and presenting their lives and collecting rigor in an easy-to-read， conversational tone。 Each of these lives was fascinating in unique ways and I'd be interested in learning more about all of them。Regular readers of my review blog might recognize that the last person in the book， Belle de Costa Greene， was the subject of the historical fiction novel I reviewed in 2021， The Personal Librarian， by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray。My one complaint about the book is a technical one， and I don't know if it's only on my ARC， or if the published version （printed or digital） would be this way as well。 The "Bibliographies and Notes" at the end of the book take up nearly 20% of the book， but the font is roughly half the size of the rest of the book and there are no paragraph indentations。 This makes for a very long， tedious notes section and I truly wish that more of this information had been included in the narrative or at the very least used as individual footnotes。This book contains the following:The Monk: Saint AnselmThe Prince: The Duc de BerryThe Bookseller: Vespasiano da BisticciThe Illuminator: Simon BeningThe Antiquary: Sir Robert CottonThe Rabbi: David OppenheimThe Savant: Jean-Joseph RiveThe Librarian: Sir Frederic MaddenThe Forger: Constantine SimonidesThe Editor: Theodor MommsenThe Collector: Sir Sydney CockerellThe Curator: Belle da Costa GreeneEpilogue: An Evening at the MorganLooking for a good book？ The Manuscripts Club， by Christopher de Hamel， biographizes twelve important figures through history who have collected and preserved rare manuscripts。I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher， through Netgalley， in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Sam Worby
，
A delight from start to finish
Laura
，
A must read for people who loved Basbanes's A Gentle Madness （and his other works）。 de Hamel introduces us to twelve collectors of manuscripts， from monks sharing them to copy （and illuminate） so their monastery collections can be "complete" to modern day collectors scouring catalogs and rare book sales to also create a "complete" collection。 The competition between them and their rivals， their dedication and focus on their collections was fun to read （and， perhaps， envy）。 I also enjoyed the "me A must read for people who loved Basbanes's A Gentle Madness （and his other works）。 de Hamel introduces us to twelve collectors of manuscripts， from monks sharing them to copy （and illuminate） so their monastery collections can be "complete" to modern day collectors scouring catalogs and rare book sales to also create a "complete" collection。 The competition between them and their rivals， their dedication and focus on their collections was fun to read （and， perhaps， envy）。 I also enjoyed the "meet the collector" parts， even the imagined conversations （based on research， but the author did not speak with anyone long dead！）。 eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley。 。。。more
Casper Van Waesberghe
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Fenomenaal leuk boek dat mijn liefde voor manuscripten volledig heeft herbevestigd， en meer。 Vier sterren ipv vijf voor een schrijnende afwezigheid van vrouwelijke figuren （1 hoofdstuk van de 12 is aan ééntje gewijd） en de duidelijke Britse voorkeur qua voorbeelden van de besproken handschriften。 Toch hebben de prachtige uitgave （de cover alleen al！） en vooral het jongensachtige enthousiasme gemengd met indrukwekkende expertise waarmee de Hamel schrijft over middeleeuwse folio's mijn hartje meer Fenomenaal leuk boek dat mijn liefde voor manuscripten volledig heeft herbevestigd， en meer。 Vier sterren ipv vijf voor een schrijnende afwezigheid van vrouwelijke figuren （1 hoofdstuk van de 12 is aan ééntje gewijd） en de duidelijke Britse voorkeur qua voorbeelden van de besproken handschriften。 Toch hebben de prachtige uitgave （de cover alleen al！） en vooral het jongensachtige enthousiasme gemengd met indrukwekkende expertise waarmee de Hamel schrijft over middeleeuwse folio's mijn hartje meermaals doen opleven :）。 。。。more
Mark Herring
，
Without doubt one of the most riveting and engrossing books I’ve ever read。 Medievals so honored learning that they went to great lengths to preserve it。 Without those scribes， our well of knowledge would be so much more shallow。 This history is as remarkable as it is marvelous。
Elizabeth
，
Medieval manuscripts have dazzled people for centuries， albeit for different reasons as time has marched on。 The Manuscripts Club pulls back the curtain on twelve major players in the lives of these works of art and history。 I greatly enjoyed getting to know these book lovers and how they affected the trajectory of the use and preservation of their beloved manuscripts。 All in all， a lovely but slightly dense work。 A definite read for people who are interested in the history of books。
Mary Lee
，
The illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages are among the greatest works of European art and literature。 We are dazzled by them and recognize their crucial role in the transmission of knowledge。 However， we generally think much less about the countless men and women who made， collected and preserved them through the centuries， and to whom they owe their existence。
Brian Harrison
，
Written by the esteemed and knowledgeable medieval manuscript specialist Christopher De Hamel，we are transported through the various ages to twelve important collectors of the manuscript。In his easy and relaxed stye， De Hamel introduces the reader to each of his chosen subjects within the historical and social settings of their time，and so， as we reach the conclusion of the book， we have a more clear understanding and appreciation of this fascinating and dedicated fraternity of book lovers。With Written by the esteemed and knowledgeable medieval manuscript specialist Christopher De Hamel，we are transported through the various ages to twelve important collectors of the manuscript。In his easy and relaxed stye， De Hamel introduces the reader to each of his chosen subjects within the historical and social settings of their time，and so， as we reach the conclusion of the book， we have a more clear understanding and appreciation of this fascinating and dedicated fraternity of book lovers。With his background as the manuscript specialist at Sotheby`s， and curator of the Parker Library， Corpus Christi College Cambridge， Christopher De Hamil brings all his experience and knowledge of the world of manuscripts to vivid life， and in the process providing a book of sheer delight and enjoyment - highly recommended ！！ 。。。more
Louis Moisan
，
Filled to the brim with scholarly detail， yet charming from beginning to end。 Take your place at the table and come and join the manuscripts club！ Highly recommended。
Til
，