Scribes and Scholars at Salisbury Cathedral c. 1075 - c. 1125 / Edition 1

by Teresa Webber

Overview

This is a study of the books of Salisbury Cathedral and their scribes and readers in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries. These manuscripts form the largest collection of manuscripts to have survived from any English center in the period following the Norman Conquest, and they bear witness to the energetic scribal and scholarly activities of a community of intelligent and able men. Webber traces the interests and activities of the canons of Salisbury Cathedral from the evidence of their books. She reveals to us a lively Anglo-Norman center of scholarship and religious devotion. Scholarly and original, this study combines detailed palaeographic research with an intelligent understanding of medieval cultural and intellectual life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198203087
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	11/26/1992
Series:	Oxford Historical Monographs
Edition description:	First
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.44(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.82(d)
Lexile:	1630L (what's this?)

About the Author

University of Southampton

Table of Contents

List of PlatesConventions and AbbreviationsIntroduction1. Book Production at Salisbury in the Late Eleventh and Early Twelfth Centuries2. The Content and Composition of the Collection3. Salisbury and the Transmission of Latin Literature4. Intellectual Interests5. The Religious Life6. ConclusionAppendix I. Group I Manuscripts: Texts and ScribesAppendix II. Group II Manuscripts: Texts and ScribesAppendix III. The Scala VirtutumBibliographyIndex

Editorial Reviews

"This work is a major contribution to Anglo-Norman studies...By expanding what we know of a major post-Conquest center for book production, Webber most impressively adds new dimensions to our knowledge of England's role in the renaissance of the twelfth century."—American Historical Review

"The great value of this book lies in the loving description of the details of clerical life in Salisbury at the turn of the eleventh century, based on the books that the canons collected and transcribed."—Speculum

"Webber's well-written book will be important for many future studies of Anglo-Norman England and of paleography and manuscript transmission generally. A major achievement."—CHOICE

"This is superb historical sleuthing. Webber makes an invaluable contribution to our understanding of Anglo-Norman culture and religion....All this solid detective work, together with clear facsimiles of a number of the scribal hands, is an impressive contribution to our understanding of Anglo-Norman culture and English cathedral life."—Church History

From the Publisher