A Guide to Western Historical Scripts from Antiquity to 1600 - Softcover

Brown, Michelle P.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0712303073 ISBN 13: 9780712303071

Publisher: The British Library Publishing Division, 1999

Synopsis

A survey of the evolution of scripts and a guide to reading historical documents illustrated from a wide range of manuscripts. Fifty-five full-page plates give examples of the major western scripts in broadly chronological sequence, each accompanied by a commentary indentifying the type of script, its historical and regional currency, distinctive features and style, and a transcription. Michelle Brown is a curator in the department of manuscripts at The British Library. She has taught courses in Paleography and History at the University of London and at the Library.

About this title

Review

"The book should be in the hands of every classicist ...It has no rival here or abroad.'

'What the book represents, in essence, is a mini correspondence course in palaeography. ... In a clear and coherent manner, moreover, Brown describes the function of various national hands and how they developed one from the other. ...An untrained student or interested researcher might use the texts and transcriptions as a means of developing expertise before embarking on a program of research' - Epilogue/Epilogue

'It is a pleasure to read so successful a popularizing account, accurate, well-balanced and succinct, together with an excellent selection of illustrations from the famous as well as the less familiar of the surviving Anglo-Saxon manuscripts.' - Times Literary Supplement

.The book should be in the hands of every classicist ...It has no rival here or abroad.' - Bryn Mawr Classical Review

'What the book represents, in essence, is a mini correspondence course in palaeography. ... In a clear and coherent manner, moreover, Brown describes the function of various national hands and how they developed one from the other. ...An untrained student or interested researcher might use the texts and transcriptions as a means of developing expertise before embarking on a program of research'

- Epilogue/Epilogue

'It is a pleasure to read so successful a popularizing account, accurate, well-balanced and succinct, together with an excellent selection of illustrations from the famous as well as the less familiar of the surviving Anglo-Saxon manuscripts.'

- Times Literary Supplement

"The book should be in the hands of every classicist ...It has no rival here or abroad.'

- Bryn Mawr Classical Review

From the Back Cover

A Guide to Western Historical Scripts from Antiquity to 1600 is a much-needed survey of the evolution of scripts and introduction to reading historical documents, extensively illustrated from a wide range of manuscripts. Fifty-five full-page plates give examples of the major western scripts in broadly chronological sequence, each accompanied by a commentary identifying the type of script, its historical and regional currency, distinctive features and style, and a transcription. With an introductory essay and select bibliography, fully revised and updated for this new paperback edition, this is an important and authoritative introduction to the subject.

Edition details

• Publisher: The British Library Publishing Division
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0712303073
• ISBN 13: 9780712303071
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 144