AUDIOBOOK
About
A breathtaking journey into the hidden history of medieval manuscripts, from the Lindisfarne Gospels to the ornate Psalter of Henry VIII.
Medieval manuscripts can tell us much about power and art, knowledge and beauty. Many have survived because of an author's status-part of the reason we have so much of Chaucer's writing, for example, is because he was a London-based government official first and a poet second. Other works by the less influential have narrowly avoided ruin, like the book of illiterate Margery Kempe, found in a country house closet, the cover nibbled on by mice. Scholar Mary Wellesley recounts the amazing origins of these remarkable manuscripts, surfacing the important roles played by women and ordinary people-the grinders, binders, and scribes-in their creation and survival.
The Gilded Page is the story of the written word in the manuscript age. Rich and surprising, it shows how the most exquisite objects ever made by human hands came from unexpected places.
"Sublimely conceived and beautifully written."
"Fascinating."
"Highlighting instances in which texts about women were radically recentered on men, Wellesley offers a nuanced glimpse of the shifting nature of the written word."
"Thanks to Wellesley's expertise and passion for her subject, we practically hear the voices of the scribes and artists who produced these rare relics of the Middle Ages."
"Fascinating…Wellesley writes about creators, authors, scribes and parchment makers. Manuscripts establish a personal bond across the centuries between her and the men and women who made them."
"Wellesley's elegant voice and careful pacing…make this a delightful listening experience for history buffs and book lovers."
"Holds an irresistible hook, for not just historians but anyone who loves reading."
"The Gilded Page is as good as historical writing gets."
"To read this book is to meet the makers of the English literary Middle Ages."
Medieval manuscripts can tell us much about power and art, knowledge and beauty. Many have survived because of an author's status-part of the reason we have so much of Chaucer's writing, for example, is because he was a London-based government official first and a poet second. Other works by the less influential have narrowly avoided ruin, like the book of illiterate Margery Kempe, found in a country house closet, the cover nibbled on by mice. Scholar Mary Wellesley recounts the amazing origins of these remarkable manuscripts, surfacing the important roles played by women and ordinary people-the grinders, binders, and scribes-in their creation and survival.
The Gilded Page is the story of the written word in the manuscript age. Rich and surprising, it shows how the most exquisite objects ever made by human hands came from unexpected places.
"Sublimely conceived and beautifully written."
"Fascinating."
"Highlighting instances in which texts about women were radically recentered on men, Wellesley offers a nuanced glimpse of the shifting nature of the written word."
"Thanks to Wellesley's expertise and passion for her subject, we practically hear the voices of the scribes and artists who produced these rare relics of the Middle Ages."
"Fascinating…Wellesley writes about creators, authors, scribes and parchment makers. Manuscripts establish a personal bond across the centuries between her and the men and women who made them."
"Wellesley's elegant voice and careful pacing…make this a delightful listening experience for history buffs and book lovers."
"Holds an irresistible hook, for not just historians but anyone who loves reading."
"The Gilded Page is as good as historical writing gets."
"To read this book is to meet the makers of the English literary Middle Ages."