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The Medieval Scriptorium
This book takes the reader on an immersive journey through medieval manuscript production in the Latin Christian world. Each chapter opens with a lively vignette by a medieval narrator – including a parchment-maker, scribe and illuminator – introducing various aspects of manuscript production. Sara J. Charles poses the question ‘What actually is a scriptorium?’, and explores the development of the medieval scriptorium from its early Christian beginnings through to its eventual decline and the growth of the printing press. With the written word at the very heart of the Christian monastic movement, we see the immense amount of labour, planning and networks needed to produce each individual manuscript. By tapping into these processes and procedures, we can experience medieval life through the lens of a manuscript maker.
388 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 4, 2025
I've read a number of books about manuscripts recently - Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts and The Posthumous Papers of the Manuscript Club both by Christopher de Hamel, The Gilded Page: The Secret Lives of Medieval Manuscripts by Mary Wellesley, and The Bookseller of Florence: The Story of the Manuscripts that Illuminated the Renaissance by Ross King - all of which I recommend, by the way: the first mentioned is a winner of the Wolfson History Prize.
All of these books have their special delights and interests, but Sara Charles' The Medieval Scriptorium serves to further illuminate them, as she delves into the topics of how manuscripts were actually made - the ink; the many colors used in decorating the pages, some quite poisonous, others rare, brought from as far away as Afghanistan; how parchment was made; how books were bound; the evolution of the styles of writing used. Using evidence of actual manuscripts, as well as illustrations in the manuscripts themselves, she lays out the evidence we have - and some we still lack - for the process of producing books before the development of moveable type. It's all quite interesting; I see a number of reviewers considered it dry or dull. I disagree. This book is a perfect accompaniment for my other reading on the subject. If I had any gripes, I would have wanted for more illustrations, but of course considerations of length and price come into play.
All of these books have their special delights and interests, but Sara Charles' The Medieval Scriptorium serves to further illuminate them, as she delves into the topics of how manuscripts were actually made - the ink; the many colors used in decorating the pages, some quite poisonous, others rare, brought from as far away as Afghanistan; how parchment was made; how books were bound; the evolution of the styles of writing used. Using evidence of actual manuscripts, as well as illustrations in the manuscripts themselves, she lays out the evidence we have - and some we still lack - for the process of producing books before the development of moveable type. It's all quite interesting; I see a number of reviewers considered it dry or dull. I disagree. This book is a perfect accompaniment for my other reading on the subject. If I had any gripes, I would have wanted for more illustrations, but of course considerations of length and price come into play.
February 18, 2025
The good:
- The scribes' grumbly margin notes ("New parchment, bad ink, O I say nothing more")
- The author's rosy views of running a bookshop with your partner in the 1400s
- Funny doodles and the Latin puns (helpfully explained)
- General romanticism of physical books and the places they were made
The dull:
- Explaining the manufacturing process of EVERYTHING involved in the creation of a manuscript (large amounts of skimming and skipping in this chapter)
- A bit too heavy on the development of fonts
Overall, I enjoyed! Might have been a bit too academic for me (my own fault) but the grumbly, workworn scribes did a lot for me.
- The scribes' grumbly margin notes ("New parchment, bad ink, O I say nothing more")
- The author's rosy views of running a bookshop with your partner in the 1400s
- Funny doodles and the Latin puns (helpfully explained)
- General romanticism of physical books and the places they were made
The dull:
- Explaining the manufacturing process of EVERYTHING involved in the creation of a manuscript (large amounts of skimming and skipping in this chapter)
- A bit too heavy on the development of fonts
Overall, I enjoyed! Might have been a bit too academic for me (my own fault) but the grumbly, workworn scribes did a lot for me.
September 8, 2025
The room dedicated to the diligent copying and recopying of manuscripts – the scriptorium – conjures images of exhausted, doe-eyed monks bent over desks paying attention to the minutiae of ancient books. Not the most glamorous of jobs, but also not backbreaking labor. Sara Charles’ “The Medieval Scriptorium,” the new history of the materiality of the book from the University of Chicago Press (2024), is a beautifully illustrated history of how books were made in the millennium before the advent of the printing press that also sheds some much-needed light on what went into the bookmaking before its mass production.
Each of the chapters, presented in chronological order, opens with a novelistic vignette that paints a image to keep in mind while reading. Sometimes they strain credulity, as in Chapter one where the vignette mentions the fourth-century Bethlehem scribe named Paula (to be sure, one of the most common names for Palestinian women of the time) beginning an ordinary day of copying papyrus manuscripts. Women weren’t taught to read or write, and they certainly didn’t do it professionally. That aside…
Charles’s scope is wide and thorough. She starts with Christianity’s role in the invention of the codex (a book made of bound pages), then moves into the early Middle Ages (500-1000) when groups of literate monks first came together in the formation of monasteries. The heart of the book takes up the question of what a scriptorium looked like. Since we have virtually no archaeological evidence, flights of fancy and romanticization have rushed in to take its place. From what she reconstructs looking at old texts, it hardly resembled an old schoolroom occupied with studious monks at desks. She specifically cites the Codex Sangallensis 904 (a copy of Priscian’s Latin grammar) whose glosses are one of our best sources for understanding the language of Old Irish. Along the bottom of the page, the ninth-century Irish monk who wrote it composed the following lines:
all around the greenwood trees
I hear blackbird verse on high
quavering lines on vellum leaves
birdsong pours down from the sky over and above the wood
the blue cuckoo chants to me
dear Lord thank you for your word
I write well beneath the trees
(translation by Ciaran Carson)
Hardly an image you’d conjure confined to a dark, dusty room in the inner part of the monastery. Textual clues (trees, birdsong, et cetera) suggest that our monk was likely writing in a cloister – the covered walkway or gallery that connects the monastery’s several buildings. In other words, he was looking through a window or was possibly outside.
Chapters Four and Five are devoted to the preparation of parchment and the materials needed for illuminated manuscripts and painting. (Where exactly DID you buy gold leaf during the Carolingian Renaissance?) As you might expect, the details are gritty: from the treatment of animal skins to the toxicity associated with certain pigments and the other animal byproducts used to transform them into use for scribes, including urine, blood, earwax, and excrement. Chapters Six and Seven look at the entrance of books into two places that would define their future: the university and the marketplace. Various factors combined to finally bring manuscript manufacture to an end as the context of book production shifted from religious to secular - or as secular as you can be in the eleventh and twelfth centuries.
If casual interest in medieval history leads you to this book, mind the title. It doesn’t lie. Charles is almost exclusively concerned with “making books in the Middle Ages.” There is no discussion of the dissemination of medieval books, and only the slight mention of political or cultural context. This isn’t a weakness: it’s just not what this book is about. It’s very much about the *material* culture and manufacture of books through the fifteenth century and the rise of the printing press: the making of ink, the transition from clay and wax to papyrus and then vellum, the equipment for bookbinding and sewing, and how these materials are sourced and processed.
A note about the materiality of this book in particular: it is printed on that thick, glossy paper that turns the reading experience into something memorable. The illustrations are numerous, lush, and full color. In an age when most publishers would have rushed off this book to be printed on single-ply toilet paper just to save a dime, productions like this are even more appreciated.
Each of the chapters, presented in chronological order, opens with a novelistic vignette that paints a image to keep in mind while reading. Sometimes they strain credulity, as in Chapter one where the vignette mentions the fourth-century Bethlehem scribe named Paula (to be sure, one of the most common names for Palestinian women of the time) beginning an ordinary day of copying papyrus manuscripts. Women weren’t taught to read or write, and they certainly didn’t do it professionally. That aside…
Charles’s scope is wide and thorough. She starts with Christianity’s role in the invention of the codex (a book made of bound pages), then moves into the early Middle Ages (500-1000) when groups of literate monks first came together in the formation of monasteries. The heart of the book takes up the question of what a scriptorium looked like. Since we have virtually no archaeological evidence, flights of fancy and romanticization have rushed in to take its place. From what she reconstructs looking at old texts, it hardly resembled an old schoolroom occupied with studious monks at desks. She specifically cites the Codex Sangallensis 904 (a copy of Priscian’s Latin grammar) whose glosses are one of our best sources for understanding the language of Old Irish. Along the bottom of the page, the ninth-century Irish monk who wrote it composed the following lines:
all around the greenwood trees
I hear blackbird verse on high
quavering lines on vellum leaves
birdsong pours down from the sky over and above the wood
the blue cuckoo chants to me
dear Lord thank you for your word
I write well beneath the trees
(translation by Ciaran Carson)
Hardly an image you’d conjure confined to a dark, dusty room in the inner part of the monastery. Textual clues (trees, birdsong, et cetera) suggest that our monk was likely writing in a cloister – the covered walkway or gallery that connects the monastery’s several buildings. In other words, he was looking through a window or was possibly outside.
Chapters Four and Five are devoted to the preparation of parchment and the materials needed for illuminated manuscripts and painting. (Where exactly DID you buy gold leaf during the Carolingian Renaissance?) As you might expect, the details are gritty: from the treatment of animal skins to the toxicity associated with certain pigments and the other animal byproducts used to transform them into use for scribes, including urine, blood, earwax, and excrement. Chapters Six and Seven look at the entrance of books into two places that would define their future: the university and the marketplace. Various factors combined to finally bring manuscript manufacture to an end as the context of book production shifted from religious to secular - or as secular as you can be in the eleventh and twelfth centuries.
If casual interest in medieval history leads you to this book, mind the title. It doesn’t lie. Charles is almost exclusively concerned with “making books in the Middle Ages.” There is no discussion of the dissemination of medieval books, and only the slight mention of political or cultural context. This isn’t a weakness: it’s just not what this book is about. It’s very much about the *material* culture and manufacture of books through the fifteenth century and the rise of the printing press: the making of ink, the transition from clay and wax to papyrus and then vellum, the equipment for bookbinding and sewing, and how these materials are sourced and processed.
A note about the materiality of this book in particular: it is printed on that thick, glossy paper that turns the reading experience into something memorable. The illustrations are numerous, lush, and full color. In an age when most publishers would have rushed off this book to be printed on single-ply toilet paper just to save a dime, productions like this are even more appreciated.
November 26, 2024
The book consists of seven chapters, not including the introduction and conclusion. The chapters are: 1. The Beginnings, 2. Monasticism and Manuscript Production in the West, 500-1050, 3. Locus Scribendi - The Place of Writing, 4. Material World: Parchment and Ink, 5. Illumination and Painting, 6. The Twelfth-Century Renaissance, and 7. The End of the Scriptorium. The book ends with a short glossary, references, further reading, and photo acknowledgements.
Each chapter starts with a fictional first person account of a worker detailing some aspect of manuscript creation. I’m not usually a fan of this kind of thing, but here it helped put me into the correct mindset that I was dealing with a different time and place, and to really let me experience that world for a moment.
The book provides a fantastic overview of how manuscripts changed over the centuries. The author mentions different fonts and decorative elements (various types of pen flourishes, illustration styles, etc). She goes into a lot of detail for how inks and parchment were made (and she’s tried making some herself, which she has documented on her Teaching Manuscripts website and blog - https://www.teachingmanuscripts.com/blog).
The book has a decent number of photos, but given the highly visible nature of the topic, there are more referenced than have been included, which you can look up on your own. Here’s where the ebook is an advantage, as I could cut and paste the references straight into my browser to see the manuscript being discussed. There were a lot of these, so I didn’t look them all up, only ones with elements I was interested in, or wanted the visual to understand the text better. Unfortunately, occasionally the manuscript wasn’t digitized, so unless wikipedia or an article brought up the specific image mentioned in the text, I was out of luck seeing it (ex: Lincoln Cathedral MS 147, fol. 15v. I found a single cropped image of another page on a Lincoln University article via google but not the one referenced). Often the author will give more than one reference though, so if one image isn’t searchable another one likely is.
The language is very clear, making this an enjoyable read. The breadth of information is wonderful. If you’re interested in manuscript production, medieval inks, and how manuscripts changed over time, this is a great resource.
Each chapter starts with a fictional first person account of a worker detailing some aspect of manuscript creation. I’m not usually a fan of this kind of thing, but here it helped put me into the correct mindset that I was dealing with a different time and place, and to really let me experience that world for a moment.
The book provides a fantastic overview of how manuscripts changed over the centuries. The author mentions different fonts and decorative elements (various types of pen flourishes, illustration styles, etc). She goes into a lot of detail for how inks and parchment were made (and she’s tried making some herself, which she has documented on her Teaching Manuscripts website and blog - https://www.teachingmanuscripts.com/blog).
The book has a decent number of photos, but given the highly visible nature of the topic, there are more referenced than have been included, which you can look up on your own. Here’s where the ebook is an advantage, as I could cut and paste the references straight into my browser to see the manuscript being discussed. There were a lot of these, so I didn’t look them all up, only ones with elements I was interested in, or wanted the visual to understand the text better. Unfortunately, occasionally the manuscript wasn’t digitized, so unless wikipedia or an article brought up the specific image mentioned in the text, I was out of luck seeing it (ex: Lincoln Cathedral MS 147, fol. 15v. I found a single cropped image of another page on a Lincoln University article via google but not the one referenced). Often the author will give more than one reference though, so if one image isn’t searchable another one likely is.
The language is very clear, making this an enjoyable read. The breadth of information is wonderful. If you’re interested in manuscript production, medieval inks, and how manuscripts changed over time, this is a great resource.
September 9, 2025
TW: main focus on Christian texts
As a beginner in the art of bookbinding, this book was fascinating. I found what some would consider dull, such as recipes for inks or the process of making parchments, fascinating. I'm grateful for the efforts to keep these important bits of book history alive.
I also was surprised by just how little we have in the way of historical records of the process of codex and bookmaking in the west. There is reverence to the art of the European manuscript that can be appreciated by even non religious folk such as myself.
This definitely focuses on Ireland and English manuscripts. Other countries such as China and even Palestine being so far ahead of western bookmaking technology was quite fascinating, but sadly we will need other books that focus on these amazing histories.
As a beginner in the art of bookbinding, this book was fascinating. I found what some would consider dull, such as recipes for inks or the process of making parchments, fascinating. I'm grateful for the efforts to keep these important bits of book history alive.
I also was surprised by just how little we have in the way of historical records of the process of codex and bookmaking in the west. There is reverence to the art of the European manuscript that can be appreciated by even non religious folk such as myself.
This definitely focuses on Ireland and English manuscripts. Other countries such as China and even Palestine being so far ahead of western bookmaking technology was quite fascinating, but sadly we will need other books that focus on these amazing histories.
February 17, 2025
I absolutely loved this book. It was so calming to read. Learning about the labor intensive process of manuscript making prior to the printing press was fascinating. And the color images in this are gorgeous. Truly, a lost art. I have been interested in illumination techniques for awhile now and this may just be the push I need to start learning how to do it.
Also, I would have totally aspired to be a scribe in the Middle Ages. Or a nun.
Also, I would have totally aspired to be a scribe in the Middle Ages. Or a nun.
April 9, 2025
I spotted this on the shelf at the library and could not resist, given how much I love pens and paper and how much I've enjoyed Christopher De Hamel's books about medieval books.
Charles concludes that there really wasn't exactly a scriptorium in the way that we've designed the term. Scribes in monasteries were more likely to just work in the cloister rather than in a specially designated room. Having gotten that out of the way, she then talks about how the making of books evolved between the 800s and the 1400s, focusing on the materials used and how they were sourced. It was a nice soothing read. I do want to point out that her editors didn't do her a service by missing the place where she says "seraphs" instead of "serifs" to describe the little feet on the letters in fonts that are not "san serif". I'm sure she knows better; this has nothing to do with angels.
It seems to be a convention of 21st century historical writing to feel obliged to make up imagined scenes and characters to start your chapters. I muddle through those and sigh, because if I wanted to read fiction I certainly wouldn't be reading a book like this.
I know it's expensive to reproduce photos, so I didn't hold it against her that she cites as examples manuscripts she doesn't also present as images. I expect you can find those online if you want. I just wish maybe some of the ones intended to show differing scripts had been enlarged to show less than the whole page so we could really see the letters.
(I should also say that this is about making books in the middle ages IN EUROPE. While mentioning that other things were going on in, for example, China and the Islamic world, that is not within her scope here.)
Charles concludes that there really wasn't exactly a scriptorium in the way that we've designed the term. Scribes in monasteries were more likely to just work in the cloister rather than in a specially designated room. Having gotten that out of the way, she then talks about how the making of books evolved between the 800s and the 1400s, focusing on the materials used and how they were sourced. It was a nice soothing read. I do want to point out that her editors didn't do her a service by missing the place where she says "seraphs" instead of "serifs" to describe the little feet on the letters in fonts that are not "san serif". I'm sure she knows better; this has nothing to do with angels.
It seems to be a convention of 21st century historical writing to feel obliged to make up imagined scenes and characters to start your chapters. I muddle through those and sigh, because if I wanted to read fiction I certainly wouldn't be reading a book like this.
I know it's expensive to reproduce photos, so I didn't hold it against her that she cites as examples manuscripts she doesn't also present as images. I expect you can find those online if you want. I just wish maybe some of the ones intended to show differing scripts had been enlarged to show less than the whole page so we could really see the letters.
(I should also say that this is about making books in the middle ages IN EUROPE. While mentioning that other things were going on in, for example, China and the Islamic world, that is not within her scope here.)
January 12, 2025
This was an impulse purchase at the British Library bookshop and perhaps one of the best impulse purchases that I have ever made.
From start to finish the book is a fascinating study that goes far beyond what the title might suggest. The text does cover the “making of books” in great detail including a fascinating analysis of how the multitude of coloured inks were made, but also covers “where were scriptoria”, how styles of lettering changed and evolved, how manuscripts vary between countries and perhaps even monasteries, etc. etc. etc.
For anyone who has an interest in books, as well as those with an interest in the medieval manuscript, this book will be an enthralling read and I would unhesitating recommend it.
From start to finish the book is a fascinating study that goes far beyond what the title might suggest. The text does cover the “making of books” in great detail including a fascinating analysis of how the multitude of coloured inks were made, but also covers “where were scriptoria”, how styles of lettering changed and evolved, how manuscripts vary between countries and perhaps even monasteries, etc. etc. etc.
For anyone who has an interest in books, as well as those with an interest in the medieval manuscript, this book will be an enthralling read and I would unhesitating recommend it.
September 6, 2024
A comprehensive overview of the history of the manuscript in Western culture with detailed explanation into the methods of manuscript production. Sara J. Charles brings the medieval scriptorium to life with fictionalised accounts of those involved with manuscript creation to introduce each chapter's topic to the reader, following the accounts with a thorough examination of the role and development of the manuscript in the medieval age.
May 25, 2025
Disappointed
This book promised so much but delivered so little. It started well and caught my interest - especially as I am a calligrapher- but it faded.
I think the chronological view was not the correct view to take, a more overall aspect would have held my attention.
Some flesh on the bones of the historical scribes cited would have helped. Illustrations need to be interspersed more prudently with the script.
This book promised so much but delivered so little. It started well and caught my interest - especially as I am a calligrapher- but it faded.
I think the chronological view was not the correct view to take, a more overall aspect would have held my attention.
Some flesh on the bones of the historical scribes cited would have helped. Illustrations need to be interspersed more prudently with the script.
February 19, 2025
A masterly, immersive treasure. As a Christian and hobbyist calligrapher the book certainly ticked my boxes. I certainly related to the aches and pains experienced by medieval scribes. A delight to read. I feel inspired to work on a calligraphy piece and to learn Latin, the primary language of books jn the medieval period.
October 16, 2025
A fascinating insight into the book-making process of the Middle Ages, focusing on the Christian religious texts. Slightly under-edited and sometimes a little repetitious. The biggest let-down was that the illustrations were too few, and too small. Possibly a multi-media e-book version would be more rewarding, with hyperlinks.
On the whole, an enjoyable read, but could have been so much better.
On the whole, an enjoyable read, but could have been so much better.
July 19, 2025
One of the finest books about book-making that I’ve ever read. The vignettes at the beginning of some chapters, showing an aspect of manuscript production from the point of view of a monk, scribe, or artisan are such a delight to read. A scholarly work that is a total treat!
September 29, 2025
intriguing to read about the history of writing things down and that of books. indepth examination of the different aspects of manuscript making. now I want to handwrite a book of some kind haha!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews