The book you are holding is one of thousands of identical copies: typeset by computer; printed on a high-speed, full-color press; and bound by machine. But in the Middle Ages, there was no computers or printing presses, and books could not be mass-produced. Creating a single book could cost as much as building a cathedral—and take almost as long. Each book was precious, and most precious of all were illuminated manuscripts.

Illumination—the art of using gold, silver, and paints to decorate a book—was first developed as a way of glorifying the holy scriptures. As literacy became more widespread, the demand for romances, histories, and works of fiction steadily increased. Illuminated manuscripts became one of the chief glories of the Middle Ages. For over a thousand years—from the fall of the Roman Empire to the dawn of the Renaissance—they kept the images and ideas of Western European civilization alive. No other artifact from this period survives in such great number or in such remarkable state of preservation. Without these manuscripts, we might have lost the philosophy of the ancient Greeks, the stories of King Arthur and his knights, and the poetry of Chaucer.

Although there have been numerous books on illuminated manuscripts, virtually none has introduced this important and fascinating aspect of medieval culture to young readers. Magnificently illustrated with examples from the world-renowned collection of the Pierpont Morgan Library, Bibles and Bestiaries demystifies a subject normally limited to scholars and gives readers of all ages an opportunity to discover the early history of the books we use today.

From the dust jacket