| Bestiary: Being an English Version of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, MS Bodley 764 Revised Edition Contributor(s): Barber, Richard (Author) |
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ISBN: 085115753X ISBN-13: 9780851157535 Publisher: Boydell Press OUR PRICE: $28.45 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: January 1992 Annotation: Bestiaries are a particularly characteristic product of medieval England, and give a unique insight into the medieval mind. Richly illuminated and lavishly produced, they were luxury objects for noble families. Their three-fold purpose was to provide a natural history of birds, beasts and fishes, to draw moral examples from animal behaviour (the industrious bee, the stubborn ass), and to reveal a mystical meaning -- the phoenix, for instance, as a symbol of Christ's resurrection. This Bestiary, MS. Bodley 764, was produced around the middle of the thirteenth century and is of singular beauty and interest. The lively illustrations have the freedom and naturalistic quality of the later Gothic style, and make dazzling use of colour. The 136 illuminations are reproduced to the same size and in the same place as in the original manuscript, and the text fitted around them. Richard Barber's translation from the original Latin is a delight to read, capturing both the serious intent of the manuscript and its charm. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Social Science | Folklore & Mythology |
| Dewey: 878.030 |
| Physical Information: 0.7" H x 5.4" W x 8.4" (0.95 lbs) 206 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Bestiaries are a particularly characteristic product of medieval England, and give a unique insight into the medieval mind. Richly illuminated and lavishly produced, they were luxury objects for noble families. Their three-fold purpose was to provide a natural history of birds, beasts and fishes, to draw moral examples from animal behaviour (the industrious bee, the stubborn ass), and to reveal a mystical meaning - the phoenix, for instance, as a symbol ofChrist's resurrection. This Bestiary, MS Bodley 764, was produced around the middle of the thirteenth century and is of singular beauty and interest. The lively illustrations have the freedom and naturalistic quality ofthe later Gothic style, and make dazzling use of colour. This book reproduces the 136 illuminations to the same size and in the same place as the original manuscript, fitting the text around them. Richard Barber's translation from the original Latin is a delight to read, capturing both the serious intent of the manuscript and its charm. RICHARD BARBER has written many books on the history of and life in the middle ages, from his Somerset MaughamAward-winning The Knight and Chivalry, by way of biographies of Henry II and the Black Prince, to an anthology of Arthurian literature from England, France and Germany, Arthurian Legends, and an account of the historical Arthur, King Arthur: Hero and Legend. |
Contributor Bio(s): Barber, Richard: - Richard Barber has published widely on medieval history. The Knight and Chivalry won the 1971 Somerset Maugham Award. His other major interest is historical biography with books on Henry Plantagenet and the Black Prince. His most recent book is Edward III and the Triumph of England: The Battle of Crécy and the Order of the Garter. |