Codices illustres : the world's most famous illuminated manuscripts 400 to 1600
This sumptuous oversize volume (10.5x13") provides the general reader with a pleasant and thorough introduction to the world of illuminated manuscripts. In the lengthy introduction the authors (both are art historians in Germany) discuss manufacture, style, and the cultural history of western manuscripts, plus a history of non- European (mainly Islamic) manuscripts. The catalog that follows gives the manuscripts' vital statistics, including size, number of folios, provenance, and facsimile, followed by a description and history.
Meta-sites:
Individual collections:
Illuminated Lab shows how manuscripts are analyzed, as well as giving an overview of artists' materials and techniques.
Beginners' Latin: official documents written in England between the years 1086 and 1733 were usually written in a specialized form of Latin. This site leads learners through the basics: no previous knowledge of the language is required.
Medieval and Renaissance Facsimiles and Incunables: A Resource Guide: From "acanthus" to "zoomorphic", this dictionary of terms is a useful tool in the study of manuscripts.
Palaeography- Palaeography is the study of old handwriting. This web tutorial will help you learn to read the handwriting found in documents written in English between 1500 and 1800.
For those of us whose Latin is a little shaky, here are some sites that provide medieval documents in English:
Here are a few manuscript scholars to follow on #MedievalTwitter: