Most medieval manuscripts are now held in specialist libraries, but a century ago there was a flourishing international trade in such books, with London at its centre. The first half of the twentieth century saw new record auction prices and many manuscripts leaving Europe for the USA, but also periods of economic depression and social and political upheaval in which both the economic and cultural values assigned to manuscripts were reassessed. The trade in this period determined the physical destination of many manuscripts, and helped set the direction of scholarship. This book examines the trade in hand-written books produced before ca. 1500 and its impact, from the death of the designer, socialist, and manuscript collector William Morris in 1896 to the Second World War.
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Introduction
Chapter
1. Death Duties, 18961902
Chapter
2. Behind the Scenes at Museums, 19001904
Chapter
3. Mythologies, 19041908
Chapter
4. American Dreams, 19081914
Chapter
5. The Great War for Civilization, 19141918
Chapter
6. A Roaring Trade? 19191929
Chapter
7. Fall and Decline, 19291936
Chapter
8. Manuscripts and Monuments, 19361945
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index of Medieval Manuscripts
General Index
Laura Cleaver is Professor of Manuscript Studies at the Institute of English Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London.
