This new book by Malcolm Parkes makes a fundamental contribution to the history of handwriting. Handwriting is a versatile medium that has always allowed individual scribes the opportunity for self-expression, despite the limitations of the pen and the finite number of possible movements.The purpose of this study is to focus on the writing of scribes from late antiquity to the beginning of the sixteenth century, and to identify those features which are a scribe's personal contribution to the techniques and art of handwriting. The book opens with three chapters surveying the various environments in which scribes worked in the medieval West. The following five, based on the author's Lyell Lectures at the University of Oxford, then examine different aspects of the subject, starting with the basic processes of handwriting and copying. Next come discussions of developments in rapid handwriting, with its consequent influence on new alphabets; on more formal 'set hands'; and on the adaptation of movements of the pen to produce elements of style corresponding to changes in the prevailing sense of decorum. The final chapter looks at the significance of some customized images produced by handwriting on the page. The text is illustrated with 69 plates, and accompanied by a glossary of the technical terms applied to handwriting, which in itself makes a significant contribution to the subject.

Arising from the 2020 Darwin College Lectures, this book presents eight essays from prominent public intellectuals on the theme of Enigmas. Each author examines this theme through the lens of their own particular area of expertise, together constituting an illuminating and diverse interdisciplinary volume. Enigmas features contributions by professor of physics Sean M. Carroll, author Jo Marchant, writer and broadcaster Adam Rutherford, professor of earth sciences Tamsin A. Mather, professor of the history of the book Erik Kwakkel, reader in cultural history Tiffany Watt Smith, mathematician and public speaker James Grime, assistant professor of positive AI J. Derek Lomas, and explorer Albert Y.- M. Lin. This volume will appeal to anyone fascinated by puzzles and mysteries, solved and unsolved.

This handbook addresses Chaucer's poetry in the context of several disciplines, including late medieval philosophy and science, Mediterranean culture, comparative European literature, vernacular theology and popular devotion.

Virginia Tech’s soul is in the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, which in turn found one of its strong hearts in an effervescent Christian student named Lauren McCain. Then on an unforgettable April morning, Lauren lost her life with thirty-one others at the hands of a gunman in the largest mass murder in modern U.S. history. But one thing couldn’t be destroyed: an unyielding faith and spirit that lives on in Lauren’s memory, one which she so joyously championed. Yet the challenging and inevitable questions persist: How could God allow evil to shatter the lives of these good people? What’s to become of our trust in Him when it seems as if He’s not there to protect us? Through exclusive interviews with Lauren’s own parents and others, this book offers answers—found in a community joined in immeasurable sorrow, anger, and grief; in the healing and heartening words of survivors, clergy, and counsel. Most of all, it is Lauren’s own lasting legacy—a ray of light that illuminates the goodness above—that inspires now more than ever before. Foreword by Darrell Scott. Includes photographs and an appendix of resources for those coping with tragedy. “A person’s view of God determines the way they will respond in times of crises. Beth Lueders has done us a great service by finding God’s stories of grace and hope in an otherwise horrific event. I encourage you to read this book and find your faith strengthened by first-hand stories of God’s presence and peace.”—Vonette Z. Bright, cofounder, Campus Crusade for Christ “When tragedy strikes in such devastating proportions, it’s only natural for us to look heavenward and ask, ‘Why?’ And that’s exactly where this book turns—to God. From a very personal yet eternal perspective, this book offers real hope and healing in the aftermath of inexplicable suffering.” —Ed Young, author of Outrageous Joy and Senior Pastor, Fellowship Church, Grapevine, Texas