About the Book
A breathtaking journey into the hidden history of medieval manuscripts, from the Lindisfarne Gospels to the ornate Psalter of Henry VIII
Medieval manuscripts can tell us much about power and art, knowledge and beauty. Many have survived because of an author’s status—part of the reason we have so much of Chaucer’s writing, for example, is because he was a London-based government official first and a poet second. Other works by the less influential have narrowly avoided ruin, like the book of illiterate Margery Kempe, found in a country house closet, the cover nibbled on by mice. Scholar Mary Wellesley recounts the amazing origins of these remarkable manuscripts, surfacing the important roles played by women and ordinary people—the grinders, binders, and scribes—in their creation and survival.
The Gilded Page is the story of the written word in the manuscript age. Rich and surprising, The Gilded Page shows how the most exquisite objects ever made by human hands came from unexpected places.
352 pages (kindle)
Published on October 12, 2021
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This book was offered by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
It’s hard for me to put into words how much I loved reading this one. That really is all you need to know about it right there. Part history, part love letter to books, The Gilded Page really has everything I’ve ever wanted to read right here in one very neat, very well formatted, very well written package.
Wellesley takes readers on a journey through history, exploring some remarkable manuscripts and what various clues left in them says about the authors of said historical gems. Detailing how the manuscript is discovered is only half the fun, but she takes a microscopic look at the clues left in the manuscript, echoes of history, and explains what they say about not just those who wrote it, but the time period itself.
These details are often tantalizing in the extreme, telling readers just enough, without ever going overboard on weighty infodumps loaded with scholarly jargon. The Gilded Page never stops being a passionate book about books. Replete with valuable information, I never felt like I was being hit over the head with important facts, but rather led by the author through a twisting, turning maze of history and discovery, and insights provided by the clues left behind. In a strange way, reading this book made me feel like I was part of the process of discovery, and that made everything I learned feel that much more personal.
Perhaps what surprised me the most about The Gilded Page was how accessible it was. I’ve tried to read books about medieval manuscripts before, but I often get weighed down by jargon, by things I feel like I should understand before going into the book. I’ve had a really hard time trying to find an entry-level nonfiction book that is both interesting and not held back by all the things I should already know.
I was almost surprised, in fact, by how accessible Wellesley kept this book. Discussing history through a lens of both discovery and insinuation based on clues, and information scholars already have, The Gilded Page took me by the hand and led me through the winding corridor of knowledge that I have previously found too burdened by meaning for my blood, and helped me understand what I was reading. Wellesley gave me information that is applicable, in a way that made it matter. This book gave me a fantastic overview of medieval manuscripts without making me feel like I should have at least taken on university level course first.
It’s not just the books she picks apart that kept me rooted in place, but how she used them as a jumping off point to often explore the world they came from, the time period, the people, and things that might have happened to the books along the way to the modern era. Editing is touched on, and how later editors perhaps modified the original author’s intent. Why some books were preserved and others weren’t. Who wrote the book, who sold it, why it was both written and sold is often as interesting as the manuscript itself.
There is a lot of information we just don’t know about this time period, and some of what I learned was surprising. For example, how many women were involved in the manuscripts discussed here was unexpected. I also was surprised by many of the details about the art itself, from the tools used, the inks, the papers, and the like. Again, part of the reason why this was so impactful to me was because it was written in a way I understood, by an author who knew how to not just lecture about a topic but connect with her reader.
Some of the books Wellesley covers are well known, and some less so. Instead of focusing solely on the books themselves, she takes a wider approach to all of them, and manages to show how time and place possibly influenced content. How tools of the trade changed over the years, and then tells stories of the things that likely happened around the manuscript that impacted how it was lost/found/damaged/disappeared/etc.
Wellesley keeps her voice and passion throughout and peppers the book with interesting and often humorous stories. From Henry VIII scribbling in the margins of a psalter, to medieval poets writing odes to genitalia, The Gilded Page keeps a certain remarkable wit about it which is balanced perfectly on the edge of the author’s obvious passion.
In the end, The Gilded Page was a book that was nearly impossible to put down. I read it in a few days, and then spent a few more days doing research to learn more about any number of the things I read about. Still, I find myself sitting here thinking, “Maybe I should re-read that book…”. It’s history the way it was meant to be written, engaging, fascinating, and informative, this book is one of those unforgettable marriages of passion and knowledge that sucked me in and refused to let me go.
5/5 stars
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