[SCA-AS] Fwd: The Luttrell Psalter: A Facsimile

[Saint Phlip]

In case anyone is interested...

>From David Brown books.

Occasionally something special turns up...

We have been asked by the British Library to be their exclusive sales
agent in North America for their recently published facsimile of The
Luttrell Psalter.

This is such a special book for us to offer that we asked David Brown
(yes, there is one!) in our Oxford office to write a few words. This
is what he had to say:


The Luttrell Psalter ..... how about a facsimile?

Everybody knows the 'Luttrell Psalter': all those nice pictures of
everyday life in the Middle Ages... just what you need to illustrate
your next book on cooking, or travel, or costumes, or farming, or
whatever else you are writing about in the middle ages!

But, do you know why it's called Luttrell? No, it's not some pension
fund that coughed up for its purchase by the British Library. Luttrell
- none other than Sir Geoffrey Luttrell, of Irnham, in Lincolnshire -
commissioned this extraordinary book, and it is quite possible that it
was made, written, illustrated on his manor at Irnham. That makes it
almost uniquely unusual in not being the work of a monastic
scriptorium.

And that is probably why it is so interesting, for over and above the
very handsomely written and decorated text of the psalms are
illustrations galore. Scenes from everyday life at Irnham (or
wherever), the comings and goings, and the doings of the Luttrells and
their retinue... and also of many fabulous and fantastic beasts.

An explanation of the context of the Psalter, why it was created, and
by whom and when, and the scenes and symbolism of the illuminations is
provided by Michelle Brown, who provides a lucid and informative
Introduction of some fifty pages. This includes discussion of the date
of creation, the historical background, the artists, and a page by
page description of the decorative scenes.

The Luttrell Psalter is a big book, nearly fourteen inches by nine and
a half, and it contains 312 folios. That means it has 624 pages… and
all of them are illuminated…well, that's not quite true because there
are a few pages at the end with music on them, but that in itself is
pretty decorative. Otherwise the basic text of the psalms is stylishly
written with illuminated capitals to each psalm and decorative
capitals to each verse and lots of decorative line fillers. And the
borders of more than half the folios are decorated with the
distinctive scenes that give the book its extra character. It is safe
to say that there are more of these illuminations than you will have
ever seen illustrated elsewhere, and that their variety is
breathtaking.

Here is a treasure house of the greatest interest: a rich vein of gold
by no means yet worked out ... and it is available in a complete and
full-size facsimile, published in exemplary style by the British
Library. We are delighted to have been invited by the British Library
to offer this extraordinary book to. It is a book to get excited
about!

David Brown



This facsimile is available now! It will cost $750.00 next year (if
there are any left then!). But you can get one now at the introductory
price of $650.00. That's $650 for 624 illuminated pages


We hope you will be as thrilled about this piece of publishing as we
are. The books are here and looking for homes.

With regards,

Ian Stevens
The David Brown Book Company
Tel: 1-800-791-9354


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'The Luttrell Psalter: A Facsimile' - with an introduction by Michelle P Brown
List Price: US$ 750.00 * Our Price: US$ 650.00 *
Link: http://www.oxbowbooks.com/bookinfo.cfm?ID=48244&MID=11474


-- 
Saint Phlip

Heat it up
Hit it hard
Repent as necessary.

Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.

Psalm 146
King James Bible