I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found the subject matter really interesting. The book was well written and easy to understand. I highly recommend this book.

Bought 2 books by author, The Gilded Page and Hidden Hands.
Few extra pages in Hidden Hands but other then that, it's the same dialogue. The same material with very little changes. No need to read this author again. Can you plagiarize your own work? Introduction and acknowledgement from both books are basically identical. The Gilded Page is pretty copied and pasted in Hidden Hands . . . Hidden Hands contains more detailed material in the last few chapters. But the beginning chapters of Hidden Hands is pretty well a copy and paste of A Gilded Page. Have no interest in reading the author ever again . . . In my opinion the author is the Queen of Copy and Paste . . .

How interesting can it be to read a book about paper?

I am probably the wrong person asking the wrong people that question. Unlike the camera-staring Jim Halpert, I love learning about paper, and about it's history. To learn about illuminated manuscripts, the people that wrote them, the pieces that were miraculously saved from the ravages of time...

This is a brilliant piece of work. Absolutely astounding and beautiful.

This was incredibly interesting and very well written. It was very easy to understand and digest all the information presented in the book.

Whilst some of it was interesting, I didn't find it overly pleasant to read. It didn't make for comfortable reading and I was finding myself skipping pages.

A well researched book packed with the stories of old manuscripts and their significance.

Thank you #NetGalley, Perseus Books & Basic Books for giving me the opportunity to read this.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A great historical read.. highly recommend!

4 stars

Very detailed and some fascinating facts and anecdotes, a delight for the manuscript obsessive.

My only crisism is that the ARC didn't have any illustration and I think this would have improved my experience. I looked on Amazon but though it says "A delight--immersive, conversational, and intensely visual, full of gorgeous illustrations and shimmering description." I couldn't see any pictures in their kindle previews so couldn't judge how great the illustrations. would have been.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Fascinating and informative look at medieval illuminated manuscripts and how women were also a part of this history, even if not written as such.

This is a truly beautiful book about beautiful books. The author takes us between the pages of a variety of medieval tomes, while giving us a history lesson on the era of the relevant book as well as the history of the time generally. It is a clever framing and works really well.

The history around the Reformation is heartbreaking. Ms Wellesley advises us that:-
"Although some books were saved, many were used for ignoble purposes: stuffing for scarecrows, mending material for wagons, or wrapping paper."

"Of the more than six hundred volumes in the medieval catalogue of the Augustinian Friary in York, only five books have survived the Reformation. And of the three hundred volumes that the bibliophile benefactor Duke Humfrey gave to the University of Oxford, only two remain."

There are stories of youths with dripping noses and strange markers. My personal favourite section is the one about anchorites as I’ve always found these women fascinating. Especially Julian of Norwich. Maybe one day I’ll be the nondescript person who finds an incredible bookish treasure. It seems there might be a few out there.

This is recommended for anyone who loves books, who loves medieval history, and who enjoys a well paced narrative. You’ll also learn that an incunable is a book printed before 1500.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley

This book is certainly tailor made for a serious book nerd., not a History amateur like myself. But I still very much enjoyed my foray in ancient texts and cried not a little on the inside about the sadness of losing so many of them to history, time and human wars.

As a medievalist I was excited to crack into this book and learn more about the manuscripts holding some of my favorite texts. I feel like this book is specialized to those working in the field and would be harder for a general reader to pick this up without having further scope of each text or event. But overall, I enjoyed it and will likely pick up a hard copy of the book.

Beautifully illustrated (as one might expect) and rich in historical embellishment. So rich, in fact, that the book occasionally seems deliberately padded.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

First off, how gorgeous is that cover?! I wish there had been illustrations just like it in this book. It perhaps would have pushed it into the 5 Star category! However, even with none, I still found this to be an interesting read. The author has a very engaging way of writing that keeps you engaged throughout. I loved the little snapshots of the lives of the people behind some of these manuscripts. As well as the processes that go into creating the manuscripts themselves. A solid read for any history buff!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

An interesting but flawed book about medieval manuscripts. First, it needs pictures of many of the manuscripts she cites. descriptions are not enough gor a book like this. Second and most importantly she has little understanding of or sympathy with many aspects of medieval Christianity, particularly the institution of anchorites. Because she views these through her thoroughly secular feminist lens she does not give these or many other female authors the treatment they deserve. If she's willing to set aside her prejudices for others, why spoil a good book this way?

First, thanks to Netgalley and Perseus books for granting me access to an ARC of this title.

As a Medievalist and a book lover for most of my adult life, it was almost a given that I would love this title. A book about Medieval Manuscripts? Where have you been all my life!

This is no dry academic tome which explores the minutiae of book production or discusses the consistency different types of ink. The process of making manuscripts books does get attention, but its not the real focus of this work. It is, instead, a lively and readable examination of the "lives" of Medieval books and the people involved in the creation of them.

From the Winchester Bible to a book commissioned by Queen Emma of Normandy, to the Lais of Marie de France and the famous Luttrell Psalter, as well as many other titles, religious, secular and everything in between. Some of my favourite titles make an appearance, or get an honorary mention, including Beowulf and various Anglo-Saxon poems.

This - book- unfolds the lives and stories of these works and the often lost or little-known people behind them. Not just writers or creators, but sometimes translators or just men and women who played a role in saving and preserving manuscripts for posterity. People who I am grateful for the efforts of.
I could feel the pain of Renaissance antiquarians and collectors, who hated the idea of ancient books being sold off cheaply, or just disposed of for what was basically scrap paper. Then again, I'm the person who still gets upset thinking of which fire at Ashburnam House which decimated the Cotton Library.

Other voices speak to us down the centuries. If anything, it was something that ran deeper. People understood how history could be changed and rewritten, how a person's name and reputation could be altered by the writings of others and sought to do what they could to create a legacy of thier own, understanding the enduring power of the written word which could survive for centuries after their death.

Others saw the written word as an act of worship. On cleric said every word of the scribe was a blow to the Devil. Undoubtedly there were other who simply enjoyed books for their beaty and collected them for their own sake.
It wasn't just about the words though. Illuminating manuscripts was a labour of love, performed by men and some women who were true artists of their age.

The names of many aren't known to us, and the only clue to their existence is the work they left behind and occasionally a mention in some administrative document.
In short, The Gilded Page is a booklover's dream and a welcome addition to any library. A title which will give you a newfound appreciation for the books created before the printing press came into being, and their often-miraculous survival against the odds.

It might even make you look at the advent of mass-produced printed books in a different way. Did we lose something considering the great treasures of the past which were all, in their own way, unique.

Now how do I get to see the Winchester Bible?

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC.

This was a combination of 2 things I love: an ode to the written word and a sweeping history. Tale after tale shows how lucky we are to possess the manuscripts we do have and how much these have informed how we view medieval life.

The author's love for the subject matter leaps from the page, and I was surprised about how engaging the book was (and free from jargon. or at least the jargon was well-explained!).

Highly, highly recommended.

My Thoughts:

The Gilded Page is an informative, descriptive, well-researched, insightful, and fascinating study of the written page in medieval England.

Medieval history is one of my favorite time periods to read and study. I especially enjoy reading about early Christian history in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. I love reading about the monarchy. I love reading about the common people of the Middle Ages. For example, Margery Kempe.

A jewel of this book, and it is a pleasant surprise, is the history of the people who were involved with these manuscripts and books. This includes information about those who rescued these artifacts from doom. I especially love the stories of the Cuthbert Gospel, the Cotton Library, Queen Emma, Henry VIII’s private prayer book, the Lindisfarne Gospels, and Welsh poetry.

I’ve read several books on Henry VIII. This is the first book with information about him that personalized and showed a humane side of him. In his prayer book he made notations at certain passages. These passages resonated with him in his mind and spirit. I love this!

The Gilded Page is one of the top books that I’ve enjoyed reading in 2021. Bravo, Mary Wellesley!
Format: E-book copy. The review copy does not have illustrations included. The hard copy does have illustrations.
Source: I received a complimentary e-book from NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review.
Audience: Readers of medieval history especially those who love English church history.
Rating: Excellent.

The Gilded Page is a book with interesting insights as well as lyrical text. It informs the reader and at the same time transports them to another world; a world of the past with vast differences in society, culture and accepted roles for the individual. At times the history of this book can delve a little deeper than the average reader might like. But keep reading. Patience is rewarded with facts and events from the past that are simply astonishing. Experts in this field with be delighted.

I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review
This was quite interesting to me. Looking back at all the illustrated manuscripts throughout our history is truly awe inspiring to behold