English manuscript studies, 1100-1700Volume 17,: English manuscripts before 1400

The latest volume of English Manuscript Studies 1100-1700 focuses on early English manuscripts, those copied before 1400, which reflect the multi-lingual written culture of this period.

The thirteen essays examine works written in Old and Middle English, Latin and Anglo-Norman.

They explore a variety of approaches to important, hitherto neglected topics, such as the historical and cultural importance of documentary records including charters, forgeries, and genealogical chronicles.

Other essays focus on aspects of the material book, including the function of script and illustration and the transmission of early texts into the Renaissance.

The volume as a whole offers a range of important perspectives on a period where manuscript study reveals complex multi-lingual, multi-cultural relationships.