New publication on Books of Hours
The team behind Mmmonk has published a manual on the meaning and use of medieval Books of Hours. These devotional primers based on the Divine Office practised in abbeys and chapters were a medieval bestseller among laypeople.
Books of Hours were the bestsellers of the late Middle Ages. Books of Hours, Books of Hope provides clear and accessible answers to some of the most intriguing questions about the use and meaning of these devotional books. What did they contain? Who were the makers and readers? Where did people learn to read? Did they use spectacles or lamps? What do the whimsical figures in the margins symbolise? Why do Books of Hours appear so frequently in portraits by artists such as the Flemish Primitives?
From sumptuous masterpieces embellished with gold leaf to modest, well-thumbed copies dotted with candle-wax drips or filled with personal notes – each one has a story to tell.
Books of Hours were popular across all levels of society, from dukes and countesses to stonemasons and maids. They were not only prized as showpieces, but above all as faithful companions – cherished and intensively used.
Lavishly illustrated with highlights from the collections of Bruges Public Library and Musea Brugge, this publication is essential reading for anyone eager to dive into the fascinating world of medieval book culture. The publication also features a chapter dedicated to the drolleries or marginalia in Ms. 251 from Ter Doest Abbey.
BOOKS OF HOURS, BOOKS OF HOPE – Medieval Books of Hours and their Readers
Edited by Evelien Hauwaerts with Emma De Nil and Caroline Van Cauwenberge
Contributions by Evelien Hauwaerts (Bruges Public Library – Ghent University), Caroline Van Cauwenberge (The Leiden Collection), Hanno Wijsman (IRHT), Jeroen Deploige (Ghent University), Nicholas Herman (University of Pennsylvania Libraries), Elena Lichmanova (Merton College Oxford), Larissa van Vianen (Noord-Hollands Archief), Beatrice Del Bo (Università degli Studi di Milano) and John Glasenapp (Meinrad Archabbey).
Published by Hannibal Books: https://hannibalbooks.be/boek-van-troost-boek-van-hoop-middeleeuwse-getijdenboeken-en-hun-lezers#54519
Hardcover – 160 pages – 23 × 17 cm – €45
Dutch edition – ISBN 978 94 6494 194 4
English edition – ISBN 978 94 6494 195 1
PRESS INFORMATION HANNIBAL BOOKS
Cover, pdf, press images, review copy, interview requests with the authors via press@hannibalbooks.be – Natacha Hofman – tel.: +32-(0)475.29.96.37 or Hedwig Scheltjens – tel.: +32-(0)486.47.87.07
