Written Treasures
50 Manuscripts from Medieval Europe
Published on 24. June 2025
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-94-014-3291-7 (ISBN)
Description
For centuries, we have studied the works of Cicero, Lucretius and Horace. We draw inspiration from the knightly tales of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Our knowledge of the world builds on the writings of classical and medieval poets, philosophers, theologians and jurists. But without the diligent monks and copyists of the Middle Ages, these texts would not have been preserved. Today's world is unthinkable without this transmission of written knowledge.
Written Treasures introduces you to the fascinating world of medieval manuscripts. From the treasury of the Leiden University Library, 50 extraordinary manuscripts are selected: beautiful showpieces but also quickly notated works on second-rate parchment. Thirty-Eight experts highlight their content, appearance, design and their journey through generations of users and possessors to our times. With beautiful illustrations and accessible texts, this book is indispensable for history and book lovers. It is a celebration of cultural heritage and a tribute to the exceptional transmission of written knowledge through the ages.
Written Treasures introduces you to the fascinating world of medieval manuscripts. From the treasury of the Leiden University Library, 50 extraordinary manuscripts are selected: beautiful showpieces but also quickly notated works on second-rate parchment. Thirty-Eight experts highlight their content, appearance, design and their journey through generations of users and possessors to our times. With beautiful illustrations and accessible texts, this book is indispensable for history and book lovers. It is a celebration of cultural heritage and a tribute to the exceptional transmission of written knowledge through the ages.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Tielt
Belgium
Illustrations
50 Illustrations, color
Dimensions
Height: 248 mm
Width: 313 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
1760 gr
ISBN-13
978-94-014-3291-7 (9789401432917)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Andre 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.
Content
Foreword - Kurt De Belder 5
The Middle Ages as an open book - Frits van Oostrom 12
Windows to the past - Irene O'Daly 15
Collected in Leiden - Andre Bouwman 37
Acknowledgements 67
The word of God 71
01 The other side of an illuminated page 72
c. 875 - Gospel Book from Saint-Amand
Andre Bouwman
02 Escaping the maze: Understanding the medieval Bible 76
12th century, 2nd half - Book of Job (Old Testament)
Irene O'Daly
03 A sacred book - used, cherished and passed down 80
c. 1190 - Saint Louis Psalter
Hanno Wijsman
04 The Bible as a growing manuscript 84
15th century, 2nd half - Southern Netherlands History Bible
Mart van Duijn
05 Restrained elegance for pious women 88
c. 15th century - Leven ons heren
Anne Korteweg
Personal devotion 93
06 By and for the hands of a noble nun 94
c. 1440 - Book of Hours belonging to 'ic Zaers'
Anne Margreet As-Vijvers
07 Book production as an international business 98
c. 1420-1440 - Latin Book of Hours intended
for the English market
Saskia van Bergen
08 Up to date 102
1498-1499 - Book of Hours with calendar and colophon
Andre Bouwman
09 A manual for the higher spheres 106
15th century, last quarter - Collection of devotional
and ascetic texts
Geert Warnar
10 A printed manuscript? 110
16th century, 1st half - Compendium of spiritual texts
Anna Dlabacova
Makers and materiality 115
11 The triumph of word spacing 116
9th century, last quarter & 7th century, 2nd half -
Carolingian codex with flyleaves in uncial script
Andre Bouwman
12 Reversed, repurposed and recovered 120
c. 800 & 12th or 13th century - Codex with Carolingian panels
in a Romanesque binding structure
Karin Scheper
13 Text and images: two means to the same end 124
c. 1010-1034 - Schoolbooks by Ademar of Chabannes
Ad van Els
14 Perfect to a fault 128
11th century - Dioscorides, De materia medica
Erik Kwakkel
15 A unique edition of the Liber floridus 132
13th century, late - Lambert of Saint-Omer, Liber floridus
Hanna Vorholt
16 The nature of a manuscript 136
c. 1317 - Lodewijk van Velthem, Fifth Part of the Spiegel historiael
Jos Biemans
17 Continuity errors when copying a printed text 140
after 1484 - Boeck des guldenen throens
Andre Bouwman
Reading, correcting, annotating 145
18 A thousand years of textual editing 146
9th century, mid - Cicero, Philosophical works
Irene O'Daly
19 Studying Lucretius at Charlemagne's court 150
9th century, 1st quarter - Lucretius, De rerum natura
David Ganz
20 Erasing evil: The battle of the Virtues and the Vices 154
9th century, 2nd quarter - Prudentius, Psychomachia and other works
Irene O'Daly
21 A multicultural book 158
838 - Priscianus, Institutiones grammaticae and other texts
Mariken Teeuwen
22 Guided reading: An annotated classical text 162
11th century - Persius, Satyrae; Juvenal, Satyrae
Irene O'Daly
23 Canon law in Bologna 166
1322-1334 - Manuscript containing the Constitutiones Clementinae
Quintijn Mauer
Words and languages 171
24 Searching for words 172
8th century, late or 9th century, early -
Latin glossary and other texts
Irene O'Daly
25 In the classroom 176
9th century, 2nd & 3rd quarter - Glossary manuscript
with the Hermeneumata Pseudo-Dositheana
Rolf Bremmer
26 We know the solution, but what was the riddle? 180
9th century, 2nd quarter - Aldhelm and Symphosius, AEnigmata
and the Old English 'Leiden Riddle'
Thijs Porck
27 Signed, sealed, delivered: A shorthand lexicon 184
9th century, late or 10th century, early -
Commentarii notarum Tironianarum
Irene O'Daly
28 How the Egmond Willeram became the Leiden Willeram 188
c. 1100 - West Low Franconian paraphrasing of the Song of Solomon
Andre Bouwman
Counting and classifying 193
29 Nature cures, miraculously or otherwise 194
6th century, 2nd half - The Herbarium of Pseudo-Apuleius
Claudine A. Chavannes-Mazel
30 A giant book 198
8th century, 2nd quarter - Pliny, Naturalis historia
Mary Garrison
31 A constellation of copies and innovations 202
814-840 - Aratus / Germanicus, Aratea
Suzette van Haaren
32 Hand signals and medieval counting 206
12th century, 1st half - Rabanus Maurus, De computo
Irene O'Daly
33 An impossible object 210
14th century - Euclid, Elementa XI-XV
Tazuko van Berkel
34 The Creation glitters in gold 214
c. 1360 - Jacob van Maerlant, Der naturen bloeme
Bram Caers
35 Travelling scholars, travelling texts 218
15th century, early - Adelard of Bath, Regulae abaci
Irene O'Daly
Fables and fiction 223
36 For education and entertainment 224
c. 1325 - Composite manuscript with the fables of Esopet
Andre Bouwman
37 Narrative pearls in a single volume 228
c. 1350 - Roman van Limborch and Roman van Walewein
Bart Besamusca
38 The Holy Grail of German Arthuriana 232
1372 - Leiden's Wigalois manuscript
Jef Jacobs
Presenting the past 237
39 A Roman history of the papacy and its readers 238
8th century, late - Liber pontificalis
Rosamond McKitterick
40 Liudger's treasure-trove of charters 242
9th century, 2nd half or 10th century, early - Liber cartarum
Kaj van Vliet
41 Additions to an abbot's work by his monks 246
1027-1039 - Abbo of Fleury, Excerptum de gestis Romanorum pontificum
Marco Mostert
42 Robert of Torigni's historical compendium 250
12th century, 2nd or 3rd quarter - Composite manuscript,
including the Gesta Normannorum ducum by William of Jumieges
Benjamin Pohl
43 The master's hand 254
14th century, mid or 3rd quarter - Composite manuscript
from the private library of Filips van Leiden
Ed van der Vlist
44 Liturgical or not? 258
15th century, mid - Middle Dutch martyrology
Eef Overgaauw
Old texts, new readers 263
45 'By God, he shall not pass!' 264
13th century, 2nd half - Digestum vetus with glosses and additiones
Egbert Koops
46 Six plays for students and scholars 268
14th century - Greek tragedies by Aeschylus and Sophocles
Casper de Jonge
47 A literary bestseller from the Renaissance 272
15th century, 2nd half - Cicero, Epistulae ad familiares
Christoph Pieper
48 Frisia in Ferrara 276
1478 - Pliny's letters, copied by Rudolph Agricola
Adrie van der Laan
49 Ancient philosophers in Christian company 280
15th century & 16th century, 1st half -
Collection of Greek writings from the Near East
Gerard Boter
50 A French Iliad for the king 284
c. 1540 - Translation of Homer's Iliad by Hugues Salel
Alisa van de Haar
Literature 289
Manuscript descriptions 297
Glossary 306
Index 308
About the authors 311
The Middle Ages as an open book - Frits van Oostrom 12
Windows to the past - Irene O'Daly 15
Collected in Leiden - Andre Bouwman 37
Acknowledgements 67
The word of God 71
01 The other side of an illuminated page 72
c. 875 - Gospel Book from Saint-Amand
Andre Bouwman
02 Escaping the maze: Understanding the medieval Bible 76
12th century, 2nd half - Book of Job (Old Testament)
Irene O'Daly
03 A sacred book - used, cherished and passed down 80
c. 1190 - Saint Louis Psalter
Hanno Wijsman
04 The Bible as a growing manuscript 84
15th century, 2nd half - Southern Netherlands History Bible
Mart van Duijn
05 Restrained elegance for pious women 88
c. 15th century - Leven ons heren
Anne Korteweg
Personal devotion 93
06 By and for the hands of a noble nun 94
c. 1440 - Book of Hours belonging to 'ic Zaers'
Anne Margreet As-Vijvers
07 Book production as an international business 98
c. 1420-1440 - Latin Book of Hours intended
for the English market
Saskia van Bergen
08 Up to date 102
1498-1499 - Book of Hours with calendar and colophon
Andre Bouwman
09 A manual for the higher spheres 106
15th century, last quarter - Collection of devotional
and ascetic texts
Geert Warnar
10 A printed manuscript? 110
16th century, 1st half - Compendium of spiritual texts
Anna Dlabacova
Makers and materiality 115
11 The triumph of word spacing 116
9th century, last quarter & 7th century, 2nd half -
Carolingian codex with flyleaves in uncial script
Andre Bouwman
12 Reversed, repurposed and recovered 120
c. 800 & 12th or 13th century - Codex with Carolingian panels
in a Romanesque binding structure
Karin Scheper
13 Text and images: two means to the same end 124
c. 1010-1034 - Schoolbooks by Ademar of Chabannes
Ad van Els
14 Perfect to a fault 128
11th century - Dioscorides, De materia medica
Erik Kwakkel
15 A unique edition of the Liber floridus 132
13th century, late - Lambert of Saint-Omer, Liber floridus
Hanna Vorholt
16 The nature of a manuscript 136
c. 1317 - Lodewijk van Velthem, Fifth Part of the Spiegel historiael
Jos Biemans
17 Continuity errors when copying a printed text 140
after 1484 - Boeck des guldenen throens
Andre Bouwman
Reading, correcting, annotating 145
18 A thousand years of textual editing 146
9th century, mid - Cicero, Philosophical works
Irene O'Daly
19 Studying Lucretius at Charlemagne's court 150
9th century, 1st quarter - Lucretius, De rerum natura
David Ganz
20 Erasing evil: The battle of the Virtues and the Vices 154
9th century, 2nd quarter - Prudentius, Psychomachia and other works
Irene O'Daly
21 A multicultural book 158
838 - Priscianus, Institutiones grammaticae and other texts
Mariken Teeuwen
22 Guided reading: An annotated classical text 162
11th century - Persius, Satyrae; Juvenal, Satyrae
Irene O'Daly
23 Canon law in Bologna 166
1322-1334 - Manuscript containing the Constitutiones Clementinae
Quintijn Mauer
Words and languages 171
24 Searching for words 172
8th century, late or 9th century, early -
Latin glossary and other texts
Irene O'Daly
25 In the classroom 176
9th century, 2nd & 3rd quarter - Glossary manuscript
with the Hermeneumata Pseudo-Dositheana
Rolf Bremmer
26 We know the solution, but what was the riddle? 180
9th century, 2nd quarter - Aldhelm and Symphosius, AEnigmata
and the Old English 'Leiden Riddle'
Thijs Porck
27 Signed, sealed, delivered: A shorthand lexicon 184
9th century, late or 10th century, early -
Commentarii notarum Tironianarum
Irene O'Daly
28 How the Egmond Willeram became the Leiden Willeram 188
c. 1100 - West Low Franconian paraphrasing of the Song of Solomon
Andre Bouwman
Counting and classifying 193
29 Nature cures, miraculously or otherwise 194
6th century, 2nd half - The Herbarium of Pseudo-Apuleius
Claudine A. Chavannes-Mazel
30 A giant book 198
8th century, 2nd quarter - Pliny, Naturalis historia
Mary Garrison
31 A constellation of copies and innovations 202
814-840 - Aratus / Germanicus, Aratea
Suzette van Haaren
32 Hand signals and medieval counting 206
12th century, 1st half - Rabanus Maurus, De computo
Irene O'Daly
33 An impossible object 210
14th century - Euclid, Elementa XI-XV
Tazuko van Berkel
34 The Creation glitters in gold 214
c. 1360 - Jacob van Maerlant, Der naturen bloeme
Bram Caers
35 Travelling scholars, travelling texts 218
15th century, early - Adelard of Bath, Regulae abaci
Irene O'Daly
Fables and fiction 223
36 For education and entertainment 224
c. 1325 - Composite manuscript with the fables of Esopet
Andre Bouwman
37 Narrative pearls in a single volume 228
c. 1350 - Roman van Limborch and Roman van Walewein
Bart Besamusca
38 The Holy Grail of German Arthuriana 232
1372 - Leiden's Wigalois manuscript
Jef Jacobs
Presenting the past 237
39 A Roman history of the papacy and its readers 238
8th century, late - Liber pontificalis
Rosamond McKitterick
40 Liudger's treasure-trove of charters 242
9th century, 2nd half or 10th century, early - Liber cartarum
Kaj van Vliet
41 Additions to an abbot's work by his monks 246
1027-1039 - Abbo of Fleury, Excerptum de gestis Romanorum pontificum
Marco Mostert
42 Robert of Torigni's historical compendium 250
12th century, 2nd or 3rd quarter - Composite manuscript,
including the Gesta Normannorum ducum by William of Jumieges
Benjamin Pohl
43 The master's hand 254
14th century, mid or 3rd quarter - Composite manuscript
from the private library of Filips van Leiden
Ed van der Vlist
44 Liturgical or not? 258
15th century, mid - Middle Dutch martyrology
Eef Overgaauw
Old texts, new readers 263
45 'By God, he shall not pass!' 264
13th century, 2nd half - Digestum vetus with glosses and additiones
Egbert Koops
46 Six plays for students and scholars 268
14th century - Greek tragedies by Aeschylus and Sophocles
Casper de Jonge
47 A literary bestseller from the Renaissance 272
15th century, 2nd half - Cicero, Epistulae ad familiares
Christoph Pieper
48 Frisia in Ferrara 276
1478 - Pliny's letters, copied by Rudolph Agricola
Adrie van der Laan
49 Ancient philosophers in Christian company 280
15th century & 16th century, 1st half -
Collection of Greek writings from the Near East
Gerard Boter
50 A French Iliad for the king 284
c. 1540 - Translation of Homer's Iliad by Hugues Salel
Alisa van de Haar
Literature 289
Manuscript descriptions 297
Glossary 306
Index 308
About the authors 311