Tag Archives: illuminated manuscripts

History of the Book

Posted on September 9, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I had the good fortune to live near Princeton University during much of my adolescence and spent many hours lost in the treasures of the University’s Firestone Library. Over the years, the University began to limit access to students and … Continue reading →

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Saved for the very end

Posted on December 31, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Reading Rhythms is not a book club. It’s a reading party. Read with friends to curated music. “It’s my party and I’ll read if I want to. What a super concept; I hope that it spreads. Ernest Hemingway only used 59 … Continue reading →

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Whence the Manicule

Posted on August 11, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

I have long been fascinated by medieval manuscripts, incunabula, and early books in general. Recently I stumbled upon a number of images that included manicules within text margins and thought —whence the manicule. The manicule, ☛, is a typographic mark with the appearance of … Continue reading →

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Marginal Medieval Memes

Posted on July 31, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Even if you don’t geek out over illuminated manuscripts as much as I do, there’s a good chance that you will be entertained by the short video below. It’s likely that you’ve seen images from medieval manuscripts depicting both real … Continue reading →

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Forgotten Books, Forgotten Stories

Posted on May 6, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Last month, I found a very interesting piece in Smithsonian Magazine titled “How Much Medieval Literature Has Been Lost Over the Centuries,” which linked to six-minute video from the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the journal Science … Continue reading →

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Book of Kells

Posted on April 25, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

One of the highlights of a trip to Dublin for any bibliophile is a visit to the magnificent Trinity College Library. And the most popular attraction in the library is the amazing 9th century Book of Kells. The devotional text … Continue reading →

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Bad Bunnies or the World Turned Upside Down

Posted on July 8, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I have long been intrigued by the variety of marginalia found in medieval European manuscripts. While it’s not uncommon to discover colorful and playful images of mythical creatures, dogs, cats, snakes, snails, or sexualized caricatures or people, I only recently … Continue reading →

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