The Medieval Scriptorium : Making Books in the Middle Ages

Author: Charles, Sara J.

c 500 CE to c 1000 CE

Published on 19 August 2024 by REAKTION BOOKS in the United Kingdom.

Hardback | 344 pages, 56 illustrations, 46 in colour
222 x 148 x 30 | 776g

This book takes the reader on an immersive journey through medieval manuscript production in the Latin Christian world. Each chapter opens with a lively vignette by a medieval narrator - including a parchment-maker, scribe and illuminator - introducing various aspects of manuscript production. Sara Charles poses the question 'What actually is a scriptorium?', and explores the development of the medieval scriptorium from its early Christian beginnings through to its eventual decline and the growth of the printing press. With the written word at the very heart of the Christian monastic movement, we see the immense amount of labour, planning and networks needed to produce each individual manuscript. By tapping into these processes and procedures, we can experience medieval life through the lens of a manuscript maker.