Christ Church Library is pleased to announce the publication of the first in a planned series of manuscript catalogues offering detailed codicological, textual and historical descriptions. The lavishly illustrated volume is published by the Oxford Bibliographical Society in its Special Series of Manuscript Catalogues.
An important new work, the catalogue represents a splendid achievement and a milestone in Christ Church Library's developing history. The catalogue has been in progress for many years. It begins by recapitulating the history of every preceding institution on the site, the priory of St Frideswide to Cardinal College to King Henry VIII College, and of what can be said of book provision at each. The detail here is very rich in new discoveries. No fact has been taken on trust but each has been chased back to source, with the early inventories included in the appendix. The catalogue descriptions and textual identifications are as comprehensive as one would expect from the careful scrutiny of two expert hands.
With this catalogue of the Western manuscripts to c. 1600, the Library has an ideal model that will be able to serve as an exemplar for the future.
About the authors
Dr Ralph Hanna is emeritus professor of palaeography at the University of Oxford. His field of interest covers the use of medieval books, mostly books made in England, regardless of language, over the period from 700 to 1700.
Dr David Rundle is an intellectual and cultural historian of the Renaissance across Europe. He is a member of the History Faculty, University of Oxford, an Honorary Lecturer at the University of Essex, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.
Title: A Descriptive Catalogue of the Western Manuscripts to c. 1600, in Christ Church, Oxford
Authors: Ralph Hanna and David Rundle
Date of Publication: July 2017
Publisher: Oxford Bibliographical Society
ISBN: 978-0-901420-61-9
Bibliographic details: Hardcover. 476 pages.
280 x 220 mm. 77 colour illustrations, 48 colour plates.
For more details, or to purchase a copy, members and friends of the House are advised to contact library@chch.ox.ac.uk. Others interested in purchasing can do so by visiting the Oxford Bibliographical Society website.
To see fully digitized versions together with detailed descriptions of some of the codices mentioned in this volume, please click on the Western Manuscripts page in the Digital Library section.
