Most medieval manuscripts are now held in specialist libraries, but a century ago there was a flourishing international trade in such books, with London at its centre. The first half of the twentieth century saw new record auction prices and many manuscripts leaving Europe for the USA, but also periods of economic depression and social and political upheaval in which both the economic and cultural values assigned to manuscripts were reassessed. The trade in this period determined the physical destination of many manuscripts, and helped set the direction of scholarship. This book examines the trade in hand-written books produced before ca. 1500 and its impact, from the death of the designer, socialist, and manuscript collector William Morris in 1896 to the Second World War.

Laura Cleaver is Professor of Manuscript Studies at the Institute of English Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London.

Table des matières :

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgements

Abbreviations

Introduction

Chapter 1. Death Duties, 1896–1902

Chapter 2. Behind the Scenes at Museums, 1900–1904

Chapter 3. Mythologies, 1904–1908

Chapter 4. American Dreams, 1908–1914

Chapter 5. The Great War for Civilization, 1914–1918

Chapter 6. A Roaring Trade? 1919–1929

Chapter 7. Fall and Decline, 1929–1936

Chapter 8. Manuscripts and Monuments, 1936–1945

Conclusion

Bibliography

Index of Medieval Manuscripts

General Index

Informations pratiques :

Laura Cleaver, Britain and the International Medieval Manuscript Trade, 1896–1945, Leeds, ARC Humanities Press, 2026 ; 1 vol., 356 p. (Book Cultures, Medieval to Modern). ISBN : 978-1-80270-324-5. Prix : GBP 158,00.

Source : ARC Humanities Press