A History of Reading in the West Review

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(More customer reviews)The content is wonderful! The book provides much insight to different reading practices and how they change through the years. But...
1. The footnotes need to be on the same page as the text. It is hard to keep your place when you constantly have to flip to the back of the book. Also, if the notes were on the same page, I could see whether or not I needed to read the footnote for more information.
2. Provide tranlations of foreign quotations. I don't know about you, but it has been a while since I had a foreign language course.
3. Some of the chapters could be better edited. For example, in chapter 8 ("Protestant Reformations and Reading"), contributing author Jean-Francois Gilmont needs to pinpoint dates more clearly. He mentions a twenty-year span in which the separation of the printed book from the hand-lettered book was finally completed, but says it happened soon after Luther preached against indulgences (p. 214). If Luther talked to the Archbishop of Mainz in 1518 about indulgences, isn't it logical that it was not in 1540 that the separation was complete?
4. The style of writing seems to jump from readable to dry. I know each chapter is by a different author, but is there any way there could be more fluidity from chapter to chapter?

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From Memory to Written Record: England 1066 - 1307 Review

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(More customer reviews)Moving from reliance on human memory to the written word was a long and interesting process which is fully explored by this book. Prior to Edward I's reign, the assumption was that "time out of mind" was about a century prior to the present. The date before which legal proof of rights was not required had previously been moved forward in time as required: the date of Henry I's death followed by Henry II's coronation followed by Richard I's coronation. But there it stayed fixed by Edward I's statutes. Time out of mind was prior to September 3, 1189. After that date, it was expected that written records rather than human memory would confirm legally valid grants of rights.
The development of a written culture of everyday affairs covers many sorts of artifacts and concepts. Tally sticks as bills and receipts, personal seals functioning as signatures, why we began signing with an "x", and the number of pounds of sealing wax used by the King's Chancery over time are all explored in this book. The development of heraldry as part of the shift from memory to written record is also commented on briefly.
The author carefully studies the question "Were laymen literate?" and tries hard to make the reader understand what being literate meant in this period. Our modern concept of someone who can read AND write simply doesn't fit with concepts held at the time about literacy. The author's conclusions on the pervasiveness of literacy in this period are surprising.
Throughout the book, the very different reasons for and processes surrounding the making of a record, the keeping of a record, and the using of a record are carefully differentiated. This is an outstanding work of history for the student of literacy, of medieval history, and of legal history.

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The second edition of Michael Clanchy's widely-acclaimed study of the history of the written word in the Middle Ages is now, after a much lamented absence, republished in an entirely new and revised edition. The text of the original has been revised throughout to take account of the enormous amount of new research following publication of the first edition. The introduction discusses the history of literacy up to the present day; the guide to further reading brings together over 300 new titles up to 1992. In this second edition there are substantially new sections on bureaucracy, sacred books, writing materials, the art of memory, ways of reading (particularly for women), the writing of French, and the relationship of script, imagery and seals.

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Introduction to Manuscript Studies Review

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(More customer reviews)Raymond Clemens and Timothy Graham provide a spectacular introduction to the fascinating subject of manuscript studies. This well-organized book lays out nicely the various aspects of this field, including all aspects of book production, scribal practice, and script styles, making it a useful read for any student of the medieval period. The clear prose also makes this book accessible to anyone interested in the medieval period and/or the history of book making.
Beyond the actually text, this book is beautiful. It includes a myriad of full color images, highlighting the manuscript features discussed in the text. Consequently, one might derive enjoyment simply by flipping through the book and looking at the pictures, and it might very well be as appropriate sitting on a coffee table as shelved in a scholarly library.
While remaining accessible to a reader of casual interest, this book does not avoid the depth sought by a serious scholar. The book is thoroughly researched, with copious footnotes to direct the curious reader to further reading on particular topics. Even more useful to this end is the copious and well-organized bibliography which covers the all aspects of this broad field.
In short, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in manuscript studies: from the casual admirer to the serious scholar.

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