A Guide to Western Historical Scripts from Antiquity to 1600

by Michelle P. Brown

For readers who wish to trace the evolution of scripts in the West from antiquity to the early modern period, and who want to read the work of their scribes, this volume provides a wide-ranging collection of materials supported by 55 full-page illustrations from manuscripts. Brown provides a synopsis of each of the major phases of development, a bibliography at the beginning of each section, and comments on regional and chronological diffusion where appropriate. Each plate is accompanied by a facing page of commentary giving a brief description of the manuscript and its script, followed by a transcription of the text.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Books About Books, Reference, Medieval

138 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Michelle P. Brown is Professor Emerita of Medieval Manuscript Studies at the School of Advanced Study, University of London. She was previously (1986–2004) Curator of Illuminated Manuscripts at the British Library. She has been a historical consultant and on-screen expert on several radio and television programmes. She has published books on the Lindisfarne Gospels, the Luttrell Psalter and the Holkham Bible.

Reviews

[AskHistorians]

52 full-page plates, solid transcriptions, and a sound methodology for beginners in manuscript studies. Brown's book is a wonderful start.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish the images of the manuscripts were bigger, or that the text parts they transcribed were zoomed in somewhere else on the page. As it is, it would be very hard to read the scripts, even if they were ones I was familiar with. Otherwise, Brown gives very detailed information on the development of these scripts, as well as detailed information about particular letter forms found in the samples.

[Micahlibris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid work covering the history of western handwriting from Roman Uncial to Humanistic Hands. Although helpful, Brown's taxonomy and nomenclature is a tad muddled and inconsistent. Derolez's Paleography of Gothic Manuscript Books is a more detailed and consistent effort. I recommend Brown for the beginner or anyone generally interested in calligraphy.