Medieval manuscripts: an enduring obsession
HistoryExtra podcast
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The Value of Manuscripts
There's never been a time when an illuminated manuscript was not worth a lot of money, and they still are. What has changed is the taste in what people were interested in. Some things were relatively more valuable than they are now. But generically, manuscripts have always been precious. They cost a lot when they were made. And you can follow through the whole history of the market for manuscripts. It probably goes right back to a culture when manuscripts were among the most expensive things anyone ever bought. By about 1200, there were professional book shots, professional makers, and private collectors. People learned them at home. We might cherish them for their value to connecting us to the past.
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