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Text, translation, and critical study of one of the most important medieval bestiaries.
The bestiary - a book of animals, both real and mythical - is one of the most interesting and appealing medieval artefacts. The "Second-family" bestiary is the most important and frequently produced version (some 49 known manuscripts exist). Of English origin and predominantly English production, it boasts a spiritual text "modernized" to meet the needs of its time, and features exceptional illustrations. This study addresses the work's purpose and audience, challenging previous assumptions with direct evidence in the manuscripts themselves, linking their use to teachers at the elementary-school level, and exploring the art, the text, and the cultural context for the bestiary. It includes a critical edition and new English translation, and a catalogue raisonné of the manuscripts. Fully illustrated.
The bestiary - a book of animals, both real and mythical - is one of the most interesting and appealing medieval artefacts. The "Second-family" bestiary is the most important and frequently produced version (some 49 known manuscripts exist). Of English origin and predominantly English production, it boasts a spiritual text "modernized" to meet the needs of its time, and features exceptional illustrations. This study addresses the work's purpose and audience, challenging previous assumptions with direct evidence in the manuscripts themselves, linking their use to teachers at the elementary-school level, and exploring the art, the text, and the cultural context for the bestiary. It includes a critical edition and new English translation, and a catalogue raisonné of the manuscripts. Fully illustrated.
Price: $49.95
Pages: 344
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Inc.
Imprint: Boydell Press
Publication Date:
13 May 2025
Trim Size: 11.69 X 8.27 in
ISBN: 9781837652679
Format: Paperback
BISACs:
This is a major contribution which will long remain as the text to consult. Almost equally useful is the detailed catalogue of the forty-nine manuscripts concerned. For complete reproductions of the illustrations of individual manuscripts, the reader is still well served by facsimile monographs, such as Richard Barber's of Bodley 764,2 but for all other purposes concerning the second-family Bestiary this volume will remain the standard work for years to come.
Bestiary history; cultural setting
The Text, an overview
The Text, details
The Illustrations, an overview
The Illustrations in significant manuscripts
The Manuscripts: origins, owners, codicology; general audience
Past Assumptions
New evidence and specific audience
Decline of the Latin bestiaries
The Text, an overview
The Text, details
The Illustrations, an overview
The Illustrations in significant manuscripts
The Manuscripts: origins, owners, codicology; general audience
Past Assumptions
New evidence and specific audience
Decline of the Latin bestiaries