André Bouwman is curator of medieval manuscripts at Leiden University Libraries. Irene O'Daly is associate professor at the Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society and specialises in book history, history of science and the reception of classical ideas and texts in the Middle Ages. With contributions from 36 guest authors from the Netherlands, Belgium and abroad.

Select Guide Rating

• Foreword — Kurt De Belder 5The Middle Ages as an open book — Frits van Oostrom 12Windows to the past — Irene O’Daly 15Collected in Leiden — André Bouwman 37Acknowledgements 67The word of God 7101 The other side of an illuminated page 72c. 875 — Gospel Book from Saint-AmandAndré Bouwman02 Escaping the maze: Understanding the medieval Bible 7612th century, 2nd half — Book of Job (Old Testament)Irene O’Daly03 A sacred book – used, cherished and passed down 80c. 1190 — Saint Louis PsalterHanno Wijsman04 The Bible as a growing manuscript 8415th century, 2nd half — Southern Netherlands History BibleMart van Duijn05 Restrained elegance for pious women 88c. 15th century — Leven ons herenAnne KortewegPersonal devotion 9306 By and for the hands of a noble nun 94c. 1440 — Book of Hours belonging to ‘ic Zaers’Anne Margreet As-Vijvers07 Book production as an international business 98c. 1420–1440 — Latin Book of Hours intendedfor the English marketSaskia van Bergen08 Up to date 1021498–1499 — Book of Hours with calendar and colophonAndré Bouwman09 A manual for the higher spheres 10615th century, last quarter — Collection of devotionaland ascetic textsGeert Warnar10 A printed manuscript? 11016th century, 1st half — Compendium of spiritual textsAnna DlabačováMakers and materiality 11511 The triumph of word spacing 1169th century, last quarter & 7th century, 2nd half —Carolingian codex with flyleaves in uncial scriptAndré Bouwman12 Reversed, repurposed and recovered 120c. 800 & 12th or 13th century — Codex with Carolingian panelsin a Romanesque binding structureKarin Scheper13 Text and images: two means to the same end 124c. 1010–1034 — Schoolbooks by Ademar of ChabannesAd van Els14 Perfect to a fault 12811th century — Dioscorides, De materia medicaErik Kwakkel15 A unique edition of the Liber floridus 13213th century, late — Lambert of Saint-Omer, Liber floridusHanna Vorholt16 The nature of a manuscript 136c. 1317 — Lodewijk van Velthem, Fifth Part of the Spiegel historiaelJos Biemans17 Continuity errors when copying a printed text 140after 1484 — Boeck des guldenen throensAndré BouwmanReading, correcting, annotating 14518 A thousand years of textual editing 1469th century, mid — Cicero, Philosophical worksIrene O’Daly19 Studying Lucretius at Charlemagne’s court 1509th century, 1st quarter — Lucretius, De rerum naturaDavid Ganz20 Erasing evil: The battle of the Virtues and the Vices 1549th century, 2nd quarter — Prudentius, Psychomachia and other worksIrene O’Daly21 A multicultural book 158838 — Priscianus, Institutiones grammaticae and other textsMariken Teeuwen22 Guided reading: An annotated classical text 16211th century — Persius, Satyrae; Juvenal, SatyraeIrene O’Daly23 Canon law in Bologna 1661322–1334 — Manuscript containing the Constitutiones ClementinaeQuintijn MauerWords and languages 17124 Searching for words 1728th century, late or 9th century, early —Latin glossary and other textsIrene O’Daly25 In the classroom 1769th century, 2nd & 3rd quarter — Glossary manuscriptwith the Hermeneumata Pseudo-DositheanaRolf Bremmer26 We know the solution, but what was the riddle? 1809th century, 2nd quarter — Aldhelm and Symphosius, Ænigmataand the Old English ‘Leiden Riddle’Thijs Porck27 Signed, sealed, delivered: A shorthand lexicon 1849th century, late or 10th century, early —Commentarii notarum TironianarumIrene O’Daly28 How the Egmond Willeram became the Leiden Willeram 188c. 1100 — West Low Franconian paraphrasing of the Song of SolomonAndré BouwmanCounting and classifying 19329 Nature cures, miraculously or otherwise 1946th century, 2nd half — The Herbarium of Pseudo-ApuleiusClaudine A. Chavannes-Mazel30 A giant book 1988th century, 2nd quarter — Pliny, Naturalis historiaMary Garrison31 A constellation of copies and innovations 202814–840 — Aratus / Germanicus, ArateaSuzette van Haaren32 Hand signals and medieval counting 20612th century, 1st half — Rabanus Maurus, De computoIrene O’Daly33 An impossible object 21014th century — Euclid, Elementa XI-XVTazuko van Berkel34 The Creation glitters in gold 214c. 1360 — Jacob van Maerlant, Der naturen bloemeBram Caers35 Travelling scholars, travelling texts 21815th century, early — Adelard of Bath, Regulae abaciIrene O’DalyFables and fiction 22336 For education and entertainment 224c. 1325 — Composite manuscript with the fables of EsopetAndré Bouwman37 Narrative pearls in a single volume 228c. 1350 — Roman van Limborch and Roman van WaleweinBart Besamusca38 The Holy Grail of German Arthuriana 2321372 — Leiden’s Wigalois manuscriptJef JacobsPresenting the past 23739 A Roman history of the papacy and its readers 2388th century, late — Liber pontificalisRosamond McKitterick40 Liudger’s treasure-trove of charters 2429th century, 2nd half or 10th century, early — Liber cartarumKaj van Vliet41 Additions to an abbot’s work by his monks 2461027–1039 — Abbo of Fleury, Excerptum de gestis Romanorum pontificumMarco Mostert42 Robert of Torigni’s historical compendium 25012th century, 2nd or 3rd quarter — Composite manuscript,including the Gesta Normannorum ducum by William of JumiègesBenjamin Pohl43 The master’s hand 25414th century, mid or 3rd quarter — Composite manuscriptfrom the private library of Filips van LeidenEd van der Vlist44 Liturgical or not? 25815th century, mid — Middle Dutch martyrologyEef OvergaauwOld texts, new readers 26345 ‘By God, he shall not pass!’ 26413th century, 2nd half — Digestum vetus with glosses and additionesEgbert Koops46 Six plays for students and scholars 26814th century — Greek tragedies by Aeschylus and SophoclesCasper de Jonge47 A literary bestseller from the Renaissance 27215th century, 2nd half — Cicero, Epistulae ad familiaresChristoph Pieper48 Frisia in Ferrara 2761478 — Pliny’s letters, copied by Rudolph AgricolaAdrie van der Laan49 Ancient philosophers in Christian company 28015th century & 16th century, 1st half —Collection of Greek writings from the Near EastGerard Boter50 A French Iliad for the king 284c. 1540 — Translation of Homer’s Iliad by Hugues SalelAlisa van de HaarLiterature 289Manuscript descriptions 297Glossary 306Index 308About the authors 311