Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Michelle Brown's New Book

I bought this one:

Manuscripts from the Anglo-Saxon Age
By Michelle P Brown

This beautifully illustrated new book by renowned manuscripts expert
Michelle Brown provides an authoritative introduction to Manuscripts from
the Anglo-Saxon Age, aided by over 140 colour images from the finest
antiquarian manuscripts. It is published by the British Library on 12
December 2007.

Manuscripts from the Anglo-Saxon Age offers a fascinating insight into the
art of book production in the Anglo-Saxon period and a historical overview
of the era by examining its book culture. The publication is lavishly
illustrated with 140 colour images reproduced from the finest Anglo-Saxon
books in the British Library and other major collections.

The Anglo-Saxons first appeared on the historical scene as Germanic pagan
pirates and mercenaries, moving into the declining Roman Empire in the 5th
century AD and forging a series of kingdoms which became 'England'. By the
time of the Norman Conquest in 1066, Anglo-Saxon England was one of the
most sophisticated states in the medieval West, renowned for its
ecclesiastical and cultural achievements.

In Manuscripts from the Anglo-Saxon Age, Michelle Brown demonstrates that
the written word was of tremendous importance in this transformation and
that within a century of the introduction of Christianity and literacy,
the book had become a central element of Anglo-Saxon society and a rich
vehicle for cultural and artistic expression.

For further information, images or review copies, contact Ruth Howlett at
the British Library Press Office: +44 (0)20 7412 7112 or
ruth.howlett@bl.uk

Notes for Editors
Manuscripts from the Anglo-Saxon Age by Michelle P Brown, is published in
hardback by the British Library, 12 December 2007, price £25.00 (176
pages, 255 x 186mm, 140 colour illustrations, ISBN 978 0 0680 5).
Available from the British Library Shop (tel: 020 7412 7735 / e-mail:
bl-bookshop@bl.uk) and online at www.bl.uk/shop as well as other bookshops
throughout the UK.

Michelle P Brown is an internationally renowned manuscripts specialist.
She has published extensively on Anglo-Saxon and medieval history and
manuscripts. Her most important recent publication relating to Anglo-Saxon
England is The Lindisfarne Gospels: Society, Spirituality and the Scribe
(British Library, 2003).

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