Michelle P. Brown’s Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts, originally published in 1994 and a standard English-language reference work on the terminology associated with the study of European illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, has been published in a new edition revised by Elizabeth C. Teviotdale (PhD, 1991) and Nancy K. Turner. The text of the original edition has been substantially revised and new terms have been introduced relating to the emerging science of the study of materials in manuscripts. The text has also been updated to better conform with contemporary usage. An entirely new suite of color images—mostly from Getty manuscripts acquired since the original edition was published—illustrates the dictionary-style text, with images accompanying terms that can most benefit from illustration. The new edition has been labeled “essential” by Choice, and Nicholas Herman in The Medieval Review writes: “The authors of this excellent mise-à-jour should be thanked for their contribution to what will remain a standard introductory and reference resource.”
Teviotdale, who was a curator in the Department of Manuscripts at the J. Paul Getty Museum for ten years, has been the Assistant Director of the Medieval Institute at Western Michigan University since 2002. Her other publications include The Stammheim Missal (2001) and Das Sakramentar von Beauvais (2011).
Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts, revised by Elizabeth C. Teviotdale and Nancy K. Turner