The Book of Kells: An Illustrated Introduction to the Manuscript in Trinity College Dublin

Customer Reviews:

The Book of Kells: informing and illuminating.......2007-09-30

The Book of Kells is one of the most beautiful manuscripts in existence. This booklet enables those of us who are unlikely to ever see the real manuscript to feast our eyes on many of the illustrations as well as to learn a little of its history and preparation. Most of the illustrations are in colour and their vibrancy is still apparent across 12 centuries.

I consider that this booklet is worth acquiring for the illustrations alone. It also contains a lot of useful information for those interested in the physical preparation of such manuscripts as well as the underlying historical significance of this particular manuscript.

Highly recommended.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

The Book of Kells: An Illustrated Introduction.......2007-01-13

The book was just what I was expecting. Shipping was quick.

Darkness into Light.......2005-08-25

I was glad I had this book along with me when I went to see the real Book of Kells at the Trinity College Library in Dublin. The lines of tourists waiting to view this famous eighth century manuscript were about a quarter of a mile long, and the museum proctors were really hustling us through the area where a small sampling of pages were actually on view.

(If you take the tour, be sure to check out the main chamber of the Old Library with its first editions of Newton and Darwin, plus the harp that is (alas, falsely) attributed to Brian Boru, high king of Ireland).

The first facsimile of the Book of Kells was published in 1974, and although this book only advertises itself as 'an illustrated introduction to the manuscript...' it contains good color plates of many of the most famous pages, e.g. the symbols of the four evangelists and the beginning of the 'Breves causae' of Matthew, among others.

Author, Bernard Meehan, the current Keeper of Manuscripts at Trinity College states that "the sacred text itself was copied in the Book of Kells with a remarkable degree of inaccuracy." It consists of the Latin text of the Gospels, illuminated in the very ornate Hiberno-Saxon style ('Hiberno' refers to the Irish, or Hibernians).

Legend has it that the Book of Kells was produced by St. Colum Cille on the island of Iona off western Scotland. Although it was probably begun in the Irish monastery on Iona, it was taken to the monastery of Kells in County Meath, after a series of Viking raids. The monastery on Iona was pillaged in 795, and again in 802. According to the author, "In 806, sixty-eight of the community were killed in another raid. The following year, the survivors migrated to Ireland and began to erect conventual buildings at Kells..." where the illumination of the manuscript was probably completed.

If you are interested in the historical background of the Book of Kells, the author devotes a whole Appendix to it.

Alas, according to this book's second Appendix, "Losses, Additions and Marginalia," the Book of Kells has not remained intact down through the centuries. "At present there are 340 folios, but around thirty folios, including some major decorated pages have been lost." The monks also used blank spaces in the manuscript to record details of property transactions in the late eleventh and twelfth centuries.

Meehan's book is definitely worth viewing and reading. It also contains a wealth of the smaller decorative illustrations that do not always relate to the sacred text, e.g. hares, dogs, horses, and at least one moth. The color and minute details of these decorations are a source of endless fascination, and the scholarly text, although a trifle dry, is also very interesting.

awesome pictures, horrible writing.......2005-05-16

I like how the author gives various images of the book of kells, but gets really confusing and goes all over the place while writing about it. I think a lot could be learned from this book, but the author crams so many examples into the work that it starts to get annoying. Ever line seems to have parenthesis around something and folio this or that. For that alone i give the book two stars, multiple examples are good, just not when you plague every line with one. It hardly gives the reader a chance to understand the first few.

"The most precious object in the western world".......2002-12-01

Resting at Trinity College Dublin is one of the truly singular products of early European art. This is 'The Book of Kells,' an ornately illuminated rendition of the four gospels, rendered sometime in the Ninth Century. It has been both an influence and an inspiration since the time of its making, illustrating both the story it tells, and the subtle mind of symbolists who wove the story and the art together.

One of the key problems the student of illustrated art suffers in any attempt to study 'The Book of Kells' is the simple matter of access. I believe that the replica edition of the book cost nearly $20,000 when it was published, and most other resources limit themselves to only the most famous of the pages. Only a few detailed studies exist, and this one, written by Bernard Meehan (Keeper of Manuscripts at Trinity College), is one of the best, both in terms of quality and quantity of reproduction as well as a literate and thorough discussion.

Book Description

Painstakingly reproduced from a rare facsimile edition, this volume contains full-page decorations, portraits, illustrations, plus a sampling of textual leaves with exquisite calligraphy and ornamentation. The 32 full-color illustrations include the first image of Virgin and Child in a Western manuscript and early representations of Apocalyptic visionary symbols of the Evangelists.

Customer Reviews:

Worth the money but it could have been so much more.......2000-06-02

This book of color plates seems amazing, and almost is. However, the quality of the plates falls short of the mark. The colors are dull and faded, and the image resolution far lower than it should be. The Chi Rho page, probably the most beautiful page in the Book of Kells, shows almost none of the amazingly minute detail that it should. Other books--like the Thames & Hudson--show far more detail with more vivid colors than this. On the other hand, this book has larger pages than others, which is nice.

transcends time & religion.......1999-11-26

32 full color plates from one of the world's greatest books. Although it is Christian art, the Kells reflects centuries of preChristian style & mystery in its bestiary of cats & dragons, its peacock feathers, poses & intertwining lines. There is something in this art that transcends time & religion. The price is a bargain.

Book Description

Runes are quite frequently mentioned in modern writings, usually imprecisely as a source of mystic knowledge, power or insight. This book sets the record straight. It shows runes working as a practical script for a variety of purposes in early English times, among both indigenous Anglo-Saxons and incoming Vikings. In a scholarly yet readable way it examines the introduction of the runic alphabet (the futhorc) to England in the fifth and sixth centuries, the forms and values of its letters, and the ways in which it developed, up until its decline at the end of the Anglo-Saxon period. It discusses how runes were used for informal and day-to-day purposes, on formal monuments, as decorative letters in prestigious manuscripts, for owners' or makers' names on everyday objects, perhaps even in private letters.For the first time, the book presents, together with earlier finds, the many runic objects discovered over the last twenty years, with a range of inscriptions on bone, metal and stone, even including tourists' scratched signatures found on the pilgrimage routes through Italy. It gives an idea of the immense range of information on language and social history contained in these unique documents. R.I. PAGE is former Professor of Anglo-Saxon in the University of Cambridge.

Customer Reviews:

Essential Reading.......2007-04-09

For anyone serious about studying runes, whether academic or esoteric. This one deals particularly with the English branch of the runic traditions. It contains historical facts about the runes as they were used by the Anglo-Saxons, along with many excellent examples of inscriptions reflecting their daily use.

Unfortunately, Page's books tend to be avoided by those interested in the esoteric side of the runes, merely because he does not subscribe to the more speculative theories of rune magic.

This is a great shame, and would-be rune magicians do not do themselves any favours by shunning the painstaking research and detailed knowledge that Page has to offer. Surely, we are better off building on a sound footing of verified fact than starting off our studies from the shaky speculations of New-Age Gurus & cultists. Once you know the basic facts, speculate for yourself, you will then be just as qualified as any esoteric "authority" on runes.

Page's books should be an indispensable part of any serious runic library.

Sweyn
The Rune Primer

A great introduction to a little subject.......2003-08-06

Considering the popularity of runes, the fact that this book has been in print for years, the fact that it is the second edition of a textbook that has been the standard of its subject for a quarter of a century, and finally its very high quality, I am amazed to be the first to review it. Well, it is excellent. R.I.Page of Cambridge is living evidence that specialization need not mean narrowness. He is surely the most specialized of specialists, not only a runologist, but one who spent all his life specializing in English runes - and I'll have you know that there are less than one hundred known English runic inscriptions! But Page's AN INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH RUNES is a golden textbook, wise, witty and far-sighted, not only an exemplary display of interdisciplinary methods, but also an education in critical thought for the student; that I do not agree with him on some points (especially on his rather negative attitude to the magical interpretation of runes) does not detract from my admiration of a great master on a small subject.

Average customer rating:

The best step by step book on Celtic Design!

Celtic Spirals & Other Designs
Sheila Sturrock
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Draw Your Own Celtic Designs
101 Celtic Spirals (101 Celtic)
101 Celtic Knotwork Designs (101 Celtic)

ASIN: 1861081596

Book Description

Begin with basic circles and develop two-, three-, and four-ribbon spirals. Then square off spirals to form frets and mazes and fashion key patterns from easy-to-draw triangles. Color in brilliant tones, following tips on traditional Celtic style; make a bold effect by blackening the background or try another method for adding texture; and apply the patterns to applique, batik, calligraphy, and more. “Inspiring...a great source.”—Bead & Button.

Customer Reviews:

The best step by step book on Celtic Design!.......2002-02-26

After purchasing many Celtic design books, this is the best book with detail instructions and the proces of Celtic Knotwork. If you are a teacher you will enjoy this book because it gives several examples on how to create spiral works and knot works. Is easy for students to understand and for a teacher to recreate. I will said after purchasing this book I really understood the whole process. I greatly recommend it!

Average customer rating:

Great at what it does
An excellent book for those interested in Celtic Designs.
A good start
A great introduction to Celtic design

Celtic Design: A Beginner's Manual
Aidan Meehan
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Celtic Design: Knotwork : The Secret Method of the Scribes (Celtic Design)
Celtic Art: The Methods of Construction
Celtic Knots: Mastering the Traditional Patterns (Celtic Design)
Celtic Design: Spiral Patterns
Celtic Borders

ASIN: 0500276293

Customer Reviews:

Great at what it does.......2006-01-19

If you want to learn the actual construction methods for Celtic knotwork, this is a good place to start. Much more thorough than some, and you get theory and methods that can be applied to anything, rather than a "here's how to draw this pattern, and by the way, it's copyrighted so you can't use anything like this in your own art" of one or two books about Celtic design by other authors.
I take a hint and make a design work on the fly, so the actual construction details are lost on me. Don't need the alphabets for the art I do. Love the pages of finished spirals.

An excellent book for those interested in Celtic Designs........2001-03-30

This is an excellent book for those looking to create celtic designs.

This book teaches you step and key patters, spirials, uncial script and how to layout manuscript pages.

The book is best used when accompianied by Aidan's other Celtic Design books. I have 7 of the books in this series and love them all!

All in all this is a great book for someone looking to create celtic designs.

A good start.......2000-09-22

Actually this book provides enough information to make the first steps into celtic design. I think it is the best book for beginners, but there lies the problem. Every time you try out something, you will soon reach a point where you need additional information to proceed. So for beginners it is an excellent entry into the matter, but nothing more.

A great introduction to Celtic design.......1998-01-05

Covers the basic how-to of Celtic design, including step patterns, key patterns, spirals, uncial script calligraphy, and decorative letters. For more detailed information, see Meehan's other titles in the Celtic Design series. Includes plenty (258) of very well done black and white illustrations demonstrating the techniques described in the text.

Average customer rating:

NOT WHAT I HOPED FOR
Celtic lettering so anyone can learn it
An excellent book for those interested in Celtic Designs.

Celtic Design: Illuminated Letters
Aidan Meehan
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Celtic Alphabets (Celtic Design)
Celtic Design: The Tree of Life
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Celtic Art: The Methods of Construction

ASIN: 0500276854

Customer Reviews:

NOT WHAT I HOPED FOR.......2001-11-26

THE COVER OF MEEHAN'S "ILLUMINATED LETTERS" IS MISLEADING. THE COVER EXHIBITS THE VIBRANT AND RICH COLORS THAT CELTIC ILLUMINATION IS REKNOWN FOR, BUT UP0N OPENING THE BOOK, I WAS DISAPPOINTED TO FIND NOT A HINT OF COLOR. COMPLETELY BLACK AND WHITE. THERE IS AN INTRODUCTION, BRIEF BUT INFORMATIVE, AN EARLY DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER, MAJOR INITIALS CHAPTER, DECORATED ALPHABET CHAPTER, ANIMAL ALPHABET, AND TWO DECORATED AMPERSAND CHAPTERS; WHO USES AMPERSANDS THAT MUCH?! I THOUGHT THERE COULD HAVE BEEN MANY MORE EXAMPLES OF ILLUMINATED LETTERS (NOT AMPERSANDS) FOR THE 160 PAGE VOLUME THAT IT IS.

Celtic lettering so anyone can learn it.......2001-07-29

This book makes Celtic lettering styles accessible to anyone. As great as Meehan's other books.

An excellent book for those interested in Celtic Designs........2001-03-30

This is an excellent book for those looking to create celtic designs.

This book teaches about the development of illumination. It then goes into the major initials, decorated alphabet, decorated ampersands, the animal alphabet and animal ampersands.

The book is best used when accompianied by Aidan's other Celtic Design books. I have 7 of the books in this series and love them all!

Book Description

Of all the ornamental applications of Celtic art, the decorated letter is perhaps the richest. Aidan Meehan's brilliantly creative study of the great Celtic manuscripts underpins this wonderful collection of sixteen alphabets. From sixth-century birds to late medieval Celtic dragons, from early Celtic spirals to the later Tree of Life, more than four hundred drawings cover the whole spectrum of Celtic ornament in its most useful form, as well as the fascinating evolution of the letterforms themselves, from Roman to Irish Gothic. Celtic artists, designers, calligraphers, and craftspeople will find it an invaluable work of reference and inspiration.

Customer Reviews:

SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE COLORFUL.......2001-11-26

I HAVE TWO OF MEEHAN'S BOOKS, "CELTIC ALPHABETS" AND "ILLUMINATED LETTERS" AS WITH ILLUMINATED LETTERS, I WAS DISAPPOINTED AT THE LACK OF COLLOR IN CELTIC ALPHABETS. THERE IS SOME COLOR: BLACK AND ORANGE OF ALL COLORS! ALTHOUGH IN THIS BOOK, THERE ARE 16 ALPHABETS, I WOULD HAVE BEEN PLEASED TO SEE THEM ILLUMINATED LIKE THE CELTS MEANT THEM TO BE: BEUTIFULLY AN RICHLY COLORED.

Celtic Alphabets, is right........2000-02-08

If you are looking for some great examples on celtic alphabets then look no further. This book contains pages of colorful, inventive celtic lettering and design. Very little history but if what you want some of the most beautiful writing in the world then this book is the one for you.

Nice, useful, but not well documented.......1998-03-27

The book is much larger than Meehan's usual Celtic Design books, and he makes good use of the space, providing sample alphabets to copy in many different styles (humans, rabbits, dogs...). However, as always, he's rather light on sources, which makes it hard to be sure he's right. A skilled artist who was looking at it with me spotted at least one point where the arrangement looked too modern; our best guess was that, where he couldn't find an example of the particular letter in the particular style he wanted, he made it up.

101 Celtic Illuminated Letters (101 Celtic)

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101Celtic Illuminated Letters
Useful and beautiful

101 Celtic Illuminated Letters (101 Celtic)
Courtney Davis
Manufacturer: F&W Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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101 Celtic Knotwork Designs (101 Celtic)
101 Celtic Crosses (101 Celtic)
101 Celtic Spirals (101 Celtic)
101 Celtic Beasts (101 Celtic Series)
Illuminated Letter Designs (International Design Library)

ASIN: 0715317512

Book Description

A comprehensive design source book of all types of Celtic illuminated letters by leading exponent of Celtic art, Courtney Davis.

The 101 illuminated letters reflects the history of Celtic design from the earliest examples to Courtney Davis's own celebrated modern interpretations. Many of the illuminated letters are from, or inspired by, the famous Celtic manuscripts such as the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Book of Kells.

The 101 designs are all hand painted by Courtney Davis and printed in full color. Each is accompanied by a black and white version of the same image on the adjacent page--perfect for scanning or photocopying for use on an art, design or craft project. The book contains two complete alphabets and the remaining letters are structured so that those most commonly used at the beginning of words are represented with many more examples than the least common letters. The introduction gives a brief history of the Celts and an explanation of the birth and development of their artistic style with particular relation to illuminated letter designs.

Customer Reviews:

101Celtic Illuminated Letters.......2007-02-13

Mr. Davis is my favorite author of books on Celtic Design. He is a master of it and besides the designs he has a mind like a color wheel. He is truly talented.

Useful and beautiful.......2005-08-12

"Courtney Davis ....Offers Celtic Art as displays of richness and colour, intricacy and symbolism to equal the world's finest styles" (quoted from "Arts & Crafts Magazine").

I picked up this book of illuminated letters at a museum in Dublin, and if you are interested in Celtic art, both old and new, be sure to check out the artist's web site at awenpress.com. Courtney Davis has published over 50 books on Celtic art, including coloring books and books of Viking and Celtic tattoos.

"101 Celtic Illuminated Letters" is a source book of decorated initials from some of the most celebrated thousand-year-old Celtic manuscripts, including the Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels.

After a brief introduction, the letters are arranged one to a page, the black-and-white version facing its counterpart colored by Courtney Davis. The letters average around 3.5 to 4 inches high, and are very easy to size up or down using a grid (not supplied).

Beauty is combined with humor in the letters of the Celtic Dog Alphabet, and there are also birds and human faces worked into some of the illuminated letters. This is a lovely and useful source book for anyone who is interested in Celtic knot-work, embroidery, or calligraphy.

Celtic and Medieval Alphabets: 53 Complete Fonts (Dover Pictorial Archives)

Average customer rating:

Great for typographers with such particular interest
bread and butter - no jam

Celtic and Medieval Alphabets: 53 Complete Fonts (Dover Pictorial Archives)
Dan X. Solo
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Gothic and Old English Alphabets: 100 Complete Fonts (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)
Script and Cursive Alphabets: 100 Complete Fonts (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)
100 Calligraphic Alphabets (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)
100 Ornamental Alphabets (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)
Swash Letter Alphabets: 100 Complete Fonts (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)

ASIN: 0486400336

Book Description

An impressive gallery of alphabets, inspired by the elaborate calligraphy of the Middle Ages, features many unusual fonts for artists and illustrators. Styles range from heavy Gothic typefaces such as Lowenbrau and Hansa to the more dainty modes of Leipzig and Tory. Most include uppercase and lowercase letters; many numerals. 53 fonts.

Customer Reviews:

Great for typographers with such particular interest.......2004-04-05

This is one straight forward book. It delivers what it says: complete fontfaces from the early gothic period mainly on england, nordic, and celtic cultures. a complete set of characters of a font is spread on single pages, most of them at only one and the same point size. They vary from simple strokes to some of the most ornamented and complex sets ever created. Don't expect information concerning the background of the fonts or any other contextual related content.

bread and butter - no jam.......2000-12-29

This text is not a coffee table art book. And at first I was disappointed in my purchase but it had what I was looking for as far as bare bones examples of celtic alphabets. For the price I should not have expected a "pretty" book. But it gives many clear and useable examples of illuminated letters for those who are looking for exactly that. For this reason it was worth the money.

Celtic Illumination: The Irish School (Celtic Design)

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Celtic Illumination: The Irish School (Celtic Design)
Courtney Davis
Manufacturer: Irish Books & Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

Early Celtic illuminated manuscripts continue to intrigue us with their intricacy and craftsmanship. Contemporary artist Courtney Davis recreates portraits of the saints, border designs, Celtic symbols, and elaborate initials from all the Irish School manuscripts, spanning the period from the beginning of the seventh century until the twelfth century. His text vividly describes the historical background--the Christianization of Ireland, the Viking raids, and the monks who fled with their precious books to libraries abroad. From the Book of Durrow to the Corpus Missal, the origin of each manuscript is given, with an account of where and by whom it was made, its purpose, and the symbolism of its designs. The result is an inspiration for designers everywhere, and an essential resource for anyone interested in the Celts.

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