Scribes & Scripts

This spectacular oversize volume offers a new way to look at the illuminated manuscripts of the High Middle Ages—through the magnificent handwriting of their scribes.

In the era from 1000 to 1250, Europe underwent momentous social changes—including a growth in literacy and the emergence of the first universities—that resulted in a demand for more books. This in turn spurred new methods of book production and a critical period of development in calligraphy: through a series of incremental changes, bold leaps, and cultural exchanges, the rounded forms of the Caroline minuscule gave way to the straight strokes of Gothic blackletter, which were easier to produce—and would form the basis of the first typefaces cut by Gutenberg and his contemporaries.

Scribes and Scripts traces this evolution through 56 noteworthy illuminated manuscripts—and their scribes, many of whose names and circumstances are known to us. Author Richard Gameson, an eminent historian of the book, provides a fascinating commentary on the calligraphy and illumination of each manuscript and the career of its scribe, including the social factors that influenced his or her work. At least one page from each manuscript is shown in its entirety, and additional details highlight salient aspects of the calligraphy and decoration. A talented scribe himself, Gameson provides model alphabets and samples of the key stages in the evolution of high medieval script—an invaluable resource for calligraphers.

Scribes and Scripts is perhaps the finest survey of high medieval calligraphy for a general audience, and certainly the richest, for it places the subject in the context of history and, indeed, individual lives. It will be an essential volume, and a source of considerable delight, for anyone interested in calligraphy, illuminated manuscripts, or medieval history.