Manuscript Treasures of Durham Cathedral - Tapa dura

Durham possesses the finest collection of medieval manuscripts of any English Cathedral. Lavishly illustrated and accompanied by authoritative and accessible commentary, Manuscript Treasures of Durham Cathedral presents the highlights of this supremely important collection.

The collection grew from the early days of Anglo-Saxon monasticism through to the Reformation, and is an essential historical reference for Anglo- Saxon, Norman, Medieval, and wider Renaissance culture.

The items range from part of a sixth-century Italian Bible that was almost certainly used by the Venerable Bede to a unique sixteenth-century account of monastic cathedral life, which was compiled in the aftermath of the Reformation. Featured items include the 'Durham Gospels' (a sister manuscript to the Lindisfarne Gospels), elaborately decorated Oxford University manuscripts of the fourteenth century and the Carilef Bible (the first illuminated Romanesque Bible in England).

"Richard Gameson proves to be an informative guide to these treasures of Durham Cathedral."

- Speculum Journal of Medieval Studies