If you are familiar with illumination and wish to have more in depth knowledge about techniques, processes, materials, nomenclature and styles used for making illuminated manuscripts, then Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts can satisfy your curiosity. This is a revised edition of a book first published in 1994. Think of it as an “anatomy guide” full with terms, easy to read explanations and beautiful images. It also feels like a dictionary to accompany your studies.

It is a technical book, so I wouldn’t recommend it for the casual reader. However, explanations are easy to understand and you don’t need to be an scholar or researcher to benefit from it. If you are an autodidact, this book would be perfect to help you understand many terms you might encounter in other related texts. Anyone trying to gain a deeper understanding of illuminated manuscripts can benefit from it.

For anyone really interested in illuminated manuscripts, this will be a godsend. I remember spending time learning about these n college and even own a few books on them, but I have never learned the vocabulary of them. It may be a while to actually learn and tie all the books together now that I have this book.I really need to get a hard copy of this book....It's scholarly and not a casual read, in my opinion. It's very interesting though.

I might be late in submitting this review, but I simply have to express how wonderful this resource is.

Richly illustrated with tangible examples, Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts: A Guide to Technical Terms is an ideal reference resource for new and seasoned scholars alike. Written in accessible language that is free from technical jargon save for the terms being explained themselves, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Brown's revised edition to everyone from those with a casual interest in manuscripts to undergraduate students, and from post grads to instructors.

All images presented throughout are clearly and consistently referenced, are often accompanied by brief yet illuminating explanations, and are of a size and layout that make this book a beautiful as well as informative read. Cross references and related terms are clearly indicated throughout. I couldn't be more impressed with the quality of research and technical rigour throughout, and will be ordering this title for our university library.

Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts: A Guide to Technical Terms is an incredibly useful handbook and a glossary. I am at the moment taking a class on romanesque art and illuminated manuscripts are an enormous part of it, so I found this not only interesting, but it also made many things clearer for me regarding that topic.

I recommend this book very much!

I wasn't sure the original could be improved on but I was wrong. I own the first edition of this publication and absolutely loved every bit of this one. There are so many publications about illuminated manuscripts that have incorrect information in them. This one stands apart from all of them. An easy reference book but also incredibly accessible for general reading.,

This is a really interesting read for those who have an interest in this time period or manuscripts. So Middle Ages fans and after that can get into this because there are references and images of primary sources.

A good overview that would have value in a collection providing support for undergraduate study programs in history and literature.

This book is a richly illustrated glossary of terms about illuminated manuscripts, so do not expect narration. The terms, organized in alphabetical order, describe the various parts of the manuscript, the practice of their making, the subjects, the time periods and also the ways modern science examines them. The text is interesting and easy to comprehend, but obviously is it up to the reader to put all together. The major attraction of this volume, at least for me as artist, are the illuminations themselves, they are of a rare beauty and highest artistic standards. Some of them are funny too, as the ass playing a harp (!) or the fool making a face to the reader.