The British Library's collection of manuscripts is mined for a wealth of examples, illustrated in color, to this guide to illumination for the general reader. De Hamel (now librarian, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, UK, he's a leading scholar in the field) discusses first why then how manuscripts were illuminated. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Provides an invaluable and very accessible addition to existing biographic sources and references, not least because of the supporting biographies of major writers and the historical and cultural notes provided.