Manuscripts that were made and used in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms before the Norman conquest of England are treasure troves of art and text. Many of these books and documents were brought together in the British Library exhibition, 'Anglo-Saxon kingdoms: art, word, war.' Together, these manuscripts illuminate extensive intellectual connections as well as widespread scribal and artistic networks that developed within the islands of Britain and Ireland, and further afield across much of early medieval Europe. Using new scientific methods, as well as textual criticism, art historical analysis, and historical research, the essays in this richly illustrated volume, written by leading scholars, present innovative research that focuses on manuscripts that were copied, decorated, or used in the early English kingdoms and their neighbours across a 500-year period from the advent of Christianity among the English, c.600, to the age of conquest in the eleventh century.

The Anglo-Saxon period stretches from the arrival of Germanic groups on British shores in the early 5th century to the Norman Conquest of 1066. During these centuries, the English language was used and written down for the first time, pagan populations were converted to Christianity, and the foundations of the kingdom of England were laid. This richly illustrated new book - which accompanies a landmark British Library exhibition - presents Anglo-Saxon England as the home of a highly sophisticated artistic and political culture, deeply connected with its continental neighbours. Leading specialists in early medieval history, literature and culture engage with the unique, original evidence from which we can piece together the story of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, examining outstanding and beautiful objects such as highlights from the Staffordshire hoard and the Sutton Hoo burial. At the heart of the book is the British Library's outstanding collection of Anglo-Saxon manuscripts, the richest source of evidence about Old English language and literature, including Beowulf and other poetry; the Lindisfarne Gospels, one of Britain's greatest artistic and religious treasures; the St Cuthbert Gospel, the earliest intact European book; and historical manuscripts such as Bede's Ecclesiastical History and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. These national treasures are discussed alongside other, internationally important literary and historical manuscripts held in major collections in Britain and Europe. This book, and the exhibition it accompanies, chart a fascinating and dynamic period in early medieval history, and will bring to life our understanding of these formative centuries.

"The Anglo-Saxons first appeared on the historical scene as pagan pirates and mercenaries moving into the declining Roman Empire in the fifth century. By the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066, Anglo-Saxon England was one of the most sophisticated states in the medieval West, renowned for its ecclesiastical and cultural achievements. The written word was of tremendous importance in this transformation. Within a century of the introduction of Christianity and literacy, the book had become a central element of Anglo-Saxon society, and a rich vehicle for cultural and artistic expression. This new edition of Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts provides a short introduction to the art of bookmaking in the Anglo-Saxon period and illustrates in colour over 150 examples of the finest Anglo-Saxon books in the British Library and other major collections."--Pub. desc.

This volume of The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain presents an overview of the century-and-a-half between the death of Chaucer in 1400 and the incorporation of the Stationers' Company in 1557. The profound changes during that time in social, political and religious conditions are reflected in the dissemination and reception of the written word. The manuscript culture of Chaucer's day was replaced by an ambience in which printed books would become the norm. The emphasis in this collection of essays is on the demand and use of books. Patterns of ownership are identified as well as patterns of where, why and how books were written, printed, bound, acquired, read and passed from hand to hand. The book trade receives special attention, with emphasis on the large part played by imports and on links with printers in other countries, which were decisive for the development of printing and publishing in Britain.

Here is the flagship edition of the most popular occult work of the past century, now published with a groundbreaking historical introduction that establishes its authentic authorship and a "lost" bonus work by the original author. It is one of the most mysterious and hotly debated occult works ever written-and without question the most popular and widely influential book of arcane philosophy of the twentieth century: The Kybalion has been credited only to the cryptic "Three Initiates" since its first appearance in 1908. Debate rages over the identity of the Three Initiates, the origin of the book's mysterious title and insights, and the nature of the Hermetic teachings on which it is thought to be based. Now the veil is parted. The Kybalion: The Definitive Edition presents the first full- scale analysis of this work of practical occult wisdom. It features the complete text of The Kybalion and the first-ever publication of Atkinson's previously unknown post-Kybalion work: The Seven Cosmic Laws. In an engaging introduction to this unique volume, religious scholar Philip Deslippe surveys the work's context, history, and impact (including as a source of spiritual insight to communities ranging from New Thought to Black Nationalism), and provides a biographical sketch of its elusive author, the New Thought pioneer William Walker Atkinson. As valuable to new fans as it is to longtime readers who crave more knowledge about Atkinson and his work, The Kybalion: The Definitive Edition illuminates the remarkable history of this long-cherished text.

The cross pervaded the whole of Anglo-Saxon culture, in art, in sculpture, in religion, in medicine. These new essays explore its importance and significance.

This book presents a colection of colour pla tes from famous illuminated manuscripts that emerged from mo nasteries and island workshops during the 7th and 8th centur ies A.D., including the Book of Kells, the Lindisfarne Gospe ls, and the Book of Durrow. '