Description
As the 587 colourful images in this magnificent volume reveal, animals were a constant-and delightful-presence in illuminated manuscripts throughout the Middle Ages. They were illustrated not only in bestiaries-the compendiums of animal fact and fable that were exceedingly popular in the 12th and 13th centuries-but in every sort of manuscript, sacred and profane, from the Gospels to the Romance of the Rose. This book is arranged in manner of a proper bestiary, with essays on the medieval lore and iconography of one hundred creatures alphabetised by their Latin names, from the alauda, or lark, whose morning song was thought to be a hymn to Creation, to the vultur, whose taste for carrion made it a symbol of the sinner who indulges in worldly pleasures. The selection includes a number of creatures that would now be considered fantastic, including the griffin, the manticore, and of course the fabled unicorn.
The first edition sold out quickly but is now rare and expensive, so we're bringing it back in a smaller edition at half the price Pre-pub promotional materials, including print BLADs, EBLADs, and PDFs of the full interior Coverage in national print and online publications Social media advertising campaign on-publication
About the Author
Christian Heck, a senior member of the Institut Universitaire de France and former curator-in-chief of the Unterlinden Museum in Colmar, is an authority on illuminated manuscripts.
Reviews
Featured in Atlas Obscura "This is a huge and beautiful book that feels almost like a trip to the Cloisters between two covers." -New York Daily News "Rarely have earnest scholarship and sheer wonder come together as comfortably as they have here. And as magical as the original artworks surely are, this unique volume is literally better than the real thing, since it allows us to ogle them closely." -Fine Art Connoisseur "Every year I try to reserve the adjective "stunning" for one book. This is it." -The Seattle Times holiday gift guide "Heck and Cordonnier's creation allows modern readers to understand a little of the preciousness of a medieval book. ... The Grand Medieval Bestiary feels magical, valuable, and important." -New York Journal of Books
Book Information
ISBN 9780789213082
Author Christian Heck
Format Hardback
Page Count 620
Imprint Abbeville Press Inc.,U.S.
Publisher Abbeville Press Inc.,U.S.
Weight(grams) 3148g
The first edition sold out quickly but is now rare and expensive, so we're bringing it back in a smaller edition at half the price Pre-pub promotional materials, including print BLADs, EBLADs, and PDFs of the full interior Coverage in national print and online publications Social media advertising campaign on-publication
About the Author
Christian Heck, a senior member of the Institut Universitaire de France and former curator-in-chief of the Unterlinden Museum in Colmar, is an authority on illuminated manuscripts.
Reviews
Featured in Atlas Obscura "This is a huge and beautiful book that feels almost like a trip to the Cloisters between two covers." -New York Daily News "Rarely have earnest scholarship and sheer wonder come together as comfortably as they have here. And as magical as the original artworks surely are, this unique volume is literally better than the real thing, since it allows us to ogle them closely." -Fine Art Connoisseur "Every year I try to reserve the adjective "stunning" for one book. This is it." -The Seattle Times holiday gift guide "Heck and Cordonnier's creation allows modern readers to understand a little of the preciousness of a medieval book. ... The Grand Medieval Bestiary feels magical, valuable, and important." -New York Journal of Books
Book Information
ISBN 9780789213082
Author Christian Heck
Format Hardback
Page Count 620
Imprint Abbeville Press Inc.,U.S.
Publisher Abbeville Press Inc.,U.S.
Weight(grams) 3148g
