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Hidden Hands: The Lives of Manuscripts and Their Makers
A stunning book about significant medieval manuscripts; their authors, their histories and the moments that mark their lifetimes.
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Mary Wellesley studied English Language and Literature at Lincoln College, Oxford, before gaining a PhD from University College, London in 2017. She is now a full time free-lance writer but continues to teach courses on medieval language and literature as part of the British Library's Adult Learning programme. Her work has appeared in The London Review of Books, The New York Review of Books and The Times Literary Supplement, amongst others.
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This is an engaging and beautiful book - the engagement arising from the author's deep commitment to understanding the lives of medieval women and men, and the beauty from her ability to make us see and hear them talking about and living their experiences. It isn't just an introduction to literary manuscripts but also a series of glimpses of the extraordinary diversity of medieval lives. Mary Wellesley has taken jewels from our bibliographic treasures and placed them, carefully and with love, in the palm of the reader's hand -- Ian Mortimer
Mary Wellesley is a born storyteller and Hidden Hands is as good as historical writing gets. Wellesley draws on her deep scholarly knowledge of medieval manuscripts to weave a captivating tale, told through generations of 'tremulous hands' and forgotten artistic geniuses, whose works inform so much of what we know today about the Middle Ages. This is a sensational debut by a wonderfully gifted historian. -- Dan Jones, bestselling author of The Plantagenets and The Templars.
Their creators being largely anonymous, Medieval manuscripts tell their own stories in this Decameron of devotion and obsession, encryption and skullduggery, extravagance, destruction, and survival. The result is an unexpectedly swift page-turner on the era when pages were turned slowly. -- Eliot Weinberger, author of Angels & Saints
Hidden Hands shines with 'bibliophilic feeling.' With care forensic and literary, Wellesley reveals the traces of their history legible in the pores of the page and in the process provides a page-turner of her own. ― Amaranth Borsuk, author of The Book
Mary Wellesley has written a most original book which is at once a vivid personal account of scholarly detective work and a model of how history might be taught now that there is easy electronic access to ancient manuscripts. She traces the precarious survival of the the earliest books, expounds with clarity the methods and purposes of authors, scribes, patrons, annotators and illustrators and speculates with sympathy on their motives. Hands (especially female ones) assume personalities, indeed voices which are recognisable even when alien - and often urgently appealing. -- Nicholas Penny
Authors may write their books, but they don''t make them. Here is the chance to meet the women and men who actually made the cathedrals and palaces of medieval English literature, from the St Cuthbert Gospel to the Luttrell Psalter, from Beowulf to Chaucer. Mary Wellesley tells us about the authors, but more important, she introduces us to the artists, the ink-makers, vellum preparers and pigment grinders - and all the others who contributed their different gifts to these great communal achievements. To read this book is to meet the makers of the English literary middle ages. -- Neil MacGregor
Hidden Hands is a delight - immersive, conversational, and intensely visual, full of gorgeous illustrations and shimmering description. Mary Wellesley explores the lives of medieval manuscripts, and the men and - importantly - women who made them, with deep learning and unmistakable love.
― Helen Castor
It is very seldom you read a book which offers gifts on every page, every paragraph, every sentence. I learned more, and was more delighted, reading Hidden Hands that the last dozen books I read. Her book brings you into the heart's core of literature and I loved it.
-- Andrew O'Hagan
In an age moving ever more quickly away from the physical book, Hidden Hands conjures up in vivid detail the pleasures of reading and making manuscripts. Mary Wellesley's joy in telling the stories of books long lost and found, and voices forgotten and recovered, is palpable on every page. I finished this book with a burning desire to get back to the archives.
-- Ramie Targoff, author of Renaissance Woman
Mary Wellesley brings early Britain alive with this exciting account of the hidden world of old manuscripts. Far from an arid examination of dusty parchments this is an exhilarating journey of discovery, full of new insights not least, as the title implies , the important but unrecognised role women played in political and religious life. A refreshing and original vision of who we once were.
-- David Dimbleby
With her richly detailed, personal, multi-layered and unexpected stories about manuscripts and their makers - scribes and patrons, illuminators and parchment-makers - Mary Wellesley brings vividly before us anonymous and forgotten figures, several of them women. Writing con amore, she celebrates the sensuous processes involved and chronicles the vicissitudes of the works' survival: this is a warm, enthralling and original contribution to the history of the book.
-- Mariner Warner
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Mary Wellesley studied English Language and Literature at Lincoln College, Oxford, before gaining a PhD from University College, London in 2017. She is now a full time free-lance writer but continues to teach courses on medieval language and literature as part of the British Library's Adult Learning programme. Her work has appeared in The London Review of Books, The New York Review of Books and The Times Literary Supplement, amongst others.
---
This is an engaging and beautiful book - the engagement arising from the author's deep commitment to understanding the lives of medieval women and men, and the beauty from her ability to make us see and hear them talking about and living their experiences. It isn't just an introduction to literary manuscripts but also a series of glimpses of the extraordinary diversity of medieval lives. Mary Wellesley has taken jewels from our bibliographic treasures and placed them, carefully and with love, in the palm of the reader's hand -- Ian Mortimer
Mary Wellesley is a born storyteller and Hidden Hands is as good as historical writing gets. Wellesley draws on her deep scholarly knowledge of medieval manuscripts to weave a captivating tale, told through generations of 'tremulous hands' and forgotten artistic geniuses, whose works inform so much of what we know today about the Middle Ages. This is a sensational debut by a wonderfully gifted historian. -- Dan Jones, bestselling author of The Plantagenets and The Templars.
Their creators being largely anonymous, Medieval manuscripts tell their own stories in this Decameron of devotion and obsession, encryption and skullduggery, extravagance, destruction, and survival. The result is an unexpectedly swift page-turner on the era when pages were turned slowly. -- Eliot Weinberger, author of Angels & Saints
Hidden Hands shines with 'bibliophilic feeling.' With care forensic and literary, Wellesley reveals the traces of their history legible in the pores of the page and in the process provides a page-turner of her own. ― Amaranth Borsuk, author of The Book
Mary Wellesley has written a most original book which is at once a vivid personal account of scholarly detective work and a model of how history might be taught now that there is easy electronic access to ancient manuscripts. She traces the precarious survival of the the earliest books, expounds with clarity the methods and purposes of authors, scribes, patrons, annotators and illustrators and speculates with sympathy on their motives. Hands (especially female ones) assume personalities, indeed voices which are recognisable even when alien - and often urgently appealing. -- Nicholas Penny
Authors may write their books, but they don''t make them. Here is the chance to meet the women and men who actually made the cathedrals and palaces of medieval English literature, from the St Cuthbert Gospel to the Luttrell Psalter, from Beowulf to Chaucer. Mary Wellesley tells us about the authors, but more important, she introduces us to the artists, the ink-makers, vellum preparers and pigment grinders - and all the others who contributed their different gifts to these great communal achievements. To read this book is to meet the makers of the English literary middle ages. -- Neil MacGregor
Hidden Hands is a delight - immersive, conversational, and intensely visual, full of gorgeous illustrations and shimmering description. Mary Wellesley explores the lives of medieval manuscripts, and the men and - importantly - women who made them, with deep learning and unmistakable love.
― Helen Castor
It is very seldom you read a book which offers gifts on every page, every paragraph, every sentence. I learned more, and was more delighted, reading Hidden Hands that the last dozen books I read. Her book brings you into the heart's core of literature and I loved it.
-- Andrew O'Hagan
In an age moving ever more quickly away from the physical book, Hidden Hands conjures up in vivid detail the pleasures of reading and making manuscripts. Mary Wellesley's joy in telling the stories of books long lost and found, and voices forgotten and recovered, is palpable on every page. I finished this book with a burning desire to get back to the archives.
-- Ramie Targoff, author of Renaissance Woman
Mary Wellesley brings early Britain alive with this exciting account of the hidden world of old manuscripts. Far from an arid examination of dusty parchments this is an exhilarating journey of discovery, full of new insights not least, as the title implies , the important but unrecognised role women played in political and religious life. A refreshing and original vision of who we once were.
-- David Dimbleby
With her richly detailed, personal, multi-layered and unexpected stories about manuscripts and their makers - scribes and patrons, illuminators and parchment-makers - Mary Wellesley brings vividly before us anonymous and forgotten figures, several of them women. Writing con amore, she celebrates the sensuous processes involved and chronicles the vicissitudes of the works' survival: this is a warm, enthralling and original contribution to the history of the book.
-- Mariner Warner
368 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2021
45 people are currently reading
1126 people want to read
About the author
Mary Wellesley
5 books23 followersDr Mary Wellesley is a British Library Research Affiliate. She did her undergraduate degree in English Literature at Lincoln College, Oxford before moving to University College London to pursue post-graduate research. Her doctoral thesis examined the manuscripts of the Life of Our Lady by the Benedictine monk and poet, John Lydgate (c. 1370–1450).
She has published book chapters and articles on aspects of medieval literature and manuscript study, and co-edited Stasis in the Medieval West: Questioning Change and Continuity for Palgrave in 2017. Alongside her academic work, Mary also writes and reviews for non-academic publications. Her work has appeared in The Times and The Telegraph amongst others, and she is a regular contributor to The London Review of Books and The Times Literary Supplement. She is writing a book about iconic manuscripts from medieval Britain, which is under contract with Quercus. In 2017 she worked as the writer and researcher for Discovering Literature: Medieval.
She has published book chapters and articles on aspects of medieval literature and manuscript study, and co-edited Stasis in the Medieval West: Questioning Change and Continuity for Palgrave in 2017. Alongside her academic work, Mary also writes and reviews for non-academic publications. Her work has appeared in The Times and The Telegraph amongst others, and she is a regular contributor to The London Review of Books and The Times Literary Supplement. She is writing a book about iconic manuscripts from medieval Britain, which is under contract with Quercus. In 2017 she worked as the writer and researcher for Discovering Literature: Medieval.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
September 20, 2023
At first, Hidden Hands might seem like a very niche topic, but Mary Wellesley turns the smallest details into a compelling narrative. It is a wonderful quality in a historian.
This is a book about the often unknown individuals who made medieval manuscripts: the scribes, artists and patrons, as well as those who accidentally discovered and edited them centuries after they were first produced. It is also a book about how generations failed to preserve these extraordinary documents. Disasters, accidents, wars and ideologies all contributed to the destruction of centuries-old manuscripts. Can anyone read what was done to Monastery libraries following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 16th century England without feeling like knocking out Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell?
Scribes and artists might be unknown to us, but Wellesley’s attempts to flesh them out, to bring them out of the depths of history into living memory. By wielding her narrative with great compassion and empathy, Wellesley assures that they may be unknown, but they won’t be forgotten. We get a clear sense of the importance of their contributions, even if we know nothing of their lives, not even their names. There is something transcendental in this idea that some works of literature, history and religion only reached us due to the painstaking efforts of a handful of individuals in a distant past.
Another two noteworthy aspects: Wellesley highlights the importance of women, both as authors and scribes. The book is a well-timed reminder about how the role of women in the production of knowledge has been ignored and passed over throughout History. She also makes clear that scribes were not passive agents in manuscript production. They altered them, either by retrieving, cutting or adding information. For most of the medieval ages, the notion of an author was diffuse. The author as a single entity was only strengthened in the 14th century, which means that even people like Chaucer seemed to expect their work to be altered by scribes. The modern reader (and writer) might be horrified by this disruption of the sanctity of the written word or such nonsense; but I love this idea that a text is a living thing, absorbing something from each passing age.
This is a book about the often unknown individuals who made medieval manuscripts: the scribes, artists and patrons, as well as those who accidentally discovered and edited them centuries after they were first produced. It is also a book about how generations failed to preserve these extraordinary documents. Disasters, accidents, wars and ideologies all contributed to the destruction of centuries-old manuscripts. Can anyone read what was done to Monastery libraries following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 16th century England without feeling like knocking out Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell?
Scribes and artists might be unknown to us, but Wellesley’s attempts to flesh them out, to bring them out of the depths of history into living memory. By wielding her narrative with great compassion and empathy, Wellesley assures that they may be unknown, but they won’t be forgotten. We get a clear sense of the importance of their contributions, even if we know nothing of their lives, not even their names. There is something transcendental in this idea that some works of literature, history and religion only reached us due to the painstaking efforts of a handful of individuals in a distant past.
Another two noteworthy aspects: Wellesley highlights the importance of women, both as authors and scribes. The book is a well-timed reminder about how the role of women in the production of knowledge has been ignored and passed over throughout History. She also makes clear that scribes were not passive agents in manuscript production. They altered them, either by retrieving, cutting or adding information. For most of the medieval ages, the notion of an author was diffuse. The author as a single entity was only strengthened in the 14th century, which means that even people like Chaucer seemed to expect their work to be altered by scribes. The modern reader (and writer) might be horrified by this disruption of the sanctity of the written word or such nonsense; but I love this idea that a text is a living thing, absorbing something from each passing age.
December 5, 2021
Not only is this a refreshing feminist reading of the production and life cycle of some of the world’s rarest books, but it also pieces together the traces of the lives of the authors, the scribes, the translators and patrons. There are lots of stories and details in here that I did not expect. For example, it’s a common assumption that medieval manuscripts were largely written and decorated by monks. But it was nuns and lay women who seem to have played a large part in the creation of all these precious books that I’m never going to get to see up close. How about that hey?
Mary Wellesley’s got an easy, accessible writing style. There’s a lot of Old English that she translates, and it’s interesting to see how the language evolves and develops over the centuries in medieval Britain. There’s also some gorgeous coloured reproductions of the different manuscripts she examines so be prepared to drool.
Mary Wellesley’s got an easy, accessible writing style. There’s a lot of Old English that she translates, and it’s interesting to see how the language evolves and develops over the centuries in medieval Britain. There’s also some gorgeous coloured reproductions of the different manuscripts she examines so be prepared to drool.
April 23, 2025
A book written by a bibliophile for fellow book-lovers. I found it charming, interesting and well-written. With a number of fantastic illustrations and - extensive - notes and bibliography. I was particularly taken by the Welsh poet Gwerful Mechain and her Ode to a C**t. I didn't realise there was so little extant pre-Conquest writing. Hopefully more will turn up as owners of country houses go in search of new ping-pong balls. You'll get the reference once you've read this book.
December 7, 2024
I just love history so much
October 23, 2021
A fluidly written and meticulously researched account of the precious little we know of the lives of scribes and writers in medieval England, told via an overview of a handful of manuscripts. The author's learning and empathy shine through her words, and one feels at times as if one were holding, not Wellesley's book, but rather the ones she is writing about, so heartfelt and true are her love for them and her knowledge of them. Strongly recommended for anyone interested in medieval books, but also a guaranteed source of pleasure for any and all bibliophiles. The colorful plates of the hardcover edition are also worth mentioning —the quality is spectacular, and they illustrate wonderfully the main points of Wellesley's text.
February 12, 2025
“There have been lovers of books for as long as there have been books to love.”
This just summarised for me why I love history so much. It’s sad that I ended up crying over this book more than any other. It was just beautifully written and you can absolutely tell that Mary Wellesley cares about the past and these individuals so deeply. That’s what makes this incredible to read, it’s personal with her visits to churches and learning how to make manuscript parchment from animal skin. The humorous comments as she compares past beliefs to modern day. I don’t really know how to break this down as my version is full of sticky notes of info that I want to go back to, so I will try to hit the highlights.
I will start with general comments. I loved the structure, the sub groups of manuscripts and then the records having its own section. It was easy to understand and kept me interested throughout. The conclusion was also excellent, brining the reader back to why the author included these examples and ending with Richard De Bury’s ‘Love of Books’. I will have to read this too as he seems to know what he’s talking about, that “so long as the book survives, its author remains immortal.” I think this aspect of history has interested me from a young age, even if I never took it seriously. The thrill that an author lived a life of their own, having such strong passions and dedication that they had to write it down. As “in books I find the dead, as if they were alive.” I will credit Wellesley for giving me back some confidence with my degree, as it can be scary not knowing if studying the past is worth it. But ‘Hidden Hands’ clarifies that by the amount of interest I have in these scribes from the past, it is worth pursing this for a bit. Or just a promise to myself that I can’t stop reading about them. I feel very lucky that I have found a subject that makes me excited.
A few months ago, I rented out a book from my uni library and looked at the stamps in the front. From the 80’s, someone had taken out the book on the exact same day. And It seems silly now, but I loved considering where that person might be now. I think it was about Welsh history, debating if they passed the module or what career they have now. Or when someone makes a note in the margins, a question mark because they are just as confused as me. De Bury doesn’t seem to have quite the same admiration for writing in books, blaming the youths for making a mess on the pages. But I love Wellesley’s outlook, that old books become “smudged with human stories.” That without the annotations from Aldred in the Lindisfarne, we would not know the scribe. To some, this is nothing but graffiti in library books, but I do like to see more. That the messy notes of readers are so important to understanding the book itself.
Margery Kempe:
I am doing my next assignment on her record out of this new obsession. I have taken a module in Information Studies for this semester, this book was actually on the reading list, but now I have an excuse to do my own research. I have heard of Kempe, mainly that she was the mother of fourteen children, but was not aware that she was illiterate and employed three different scribes to write for her? The discovery of ‘The Book of Margery Kempe’ was certainly one of the most shocking in this book, with Maurice Butler-Bowden deciding that his cupboard was too full because he couldn’t reach the ping pong balls. This was insane, the possibility that this book might have been burnt with his entire collection if Van de Put had not found this hidden record. This is exactly the kind of story that makes me go crazy, the possibility that Kempe might have been erased because a wealthy man did not want to search for her work on a packed shelf. But thank goodness it was recovered.
This was also where I began to see the running theme of ‘Hidden Hands’ by the authors passion for female voices, their biographies and the journey of their manuscripts. Especially with my next favourite.
Queen Emma of Normandy:
Although the ‘Encomium’ was fascinating and certainly the references to The Aeneid (I literally cannot escape Virgil), I was intrigued with her grave at Winchester Cathedral. oops this is getting long and I will finish the rest tomorrow. next part will be about the anchoresses
This just summarised for me why I love history so much. It’s sad that I ended up crying over this book more than any other. It was just beautifully written and you can absolutely tell that Mary Wellesley cares about the past and these individuals so deeply. That’s what makes this incredible to read, it’s personal with her visits to churches and learning how to make manuscript parchment from animal skin. The humorous comments as she compares past beliefs to modern day. I don’t really know how to break this down as my version is full of sticky notes of info that I want to go back to, so I will try to hit the highlights.
I will start with general comments. I loved the structure, the sub groups of manuscripts and then the records having its own section. It was easy to understand and kept me interested throughout. The conclusion was also excellent, brining the reader back to why the author included these examples and ending with Richard De Bury’s ‘Love of Books’. I will have to read this too as he seems to know what he’s talking about, that “so long as the book survives, its author remains immortal.” I think this aspect of history has interested me from a young age, even if I never took it seriously. The thrill that an author lived a life of their own, having such strong passions and dedication that they had to write it down. As “in books I find the dead, as if they were alive.” I will credit Wellesley for giving me back some confidence with my degree, as it can be scary not knowing if studying the past is worth it. But ‘Hidden Hands’ clarifies that by the amount of interest I have in these scribes from the past, it is worth pursing this for a bit. Or just a promise to myself that I can’t stop reading about them. I feel very lucky that I have found a subject that makes me excited.
A few months ago, I rented out a book from my uni library and looked at the stamps in the front. From the 80’s, someone had taken out the book on the exact same day. And It seems silly now, but I loved considering where that person might be now. I think it was about Welsh history, debating if they passed the module or what career they have now. Or when someone makes a note in the margins, a question mark because they are just as confused as me. De Bury doesn’t seem to have quite the same admiration for writing in books, blaming the youths for making a mess on the pages. But I love Wellesley’s outlook, that old books become “smudged with human stories.” That without the annotations from Aldred in the Lindisfarne, we would not know the scribe. To some, this is nothing but graffiti in library books, but I do like to see more. That the messy notes of readers are so important to understanding the book itself.
Margery Kempe:
I am doing my next assignment on her record out of this new obsession. I have taken a module in Information Studies for this semester, this book was actually on the reading list, but now I have an excuse to do my own research. I have heard of Kempe, mainly that she was the mother of fourteen children, but was not aware that she was illiterate and employed three different scribes to write for her? The discovery of ‘The Book of Margery Kempe’ was certainly one of the most shocking in this book, with Maurice Butler-Bowden deciding that his cupboard was too full because he couldn’t reach the ping pong balls. This was insane, the possibility that this book might have been burnt with his entire collection if Van de Put had not found this hidden record. This is exactly the kind of story that makes me go crazy, the possibility that Kempe might have been erased because a wealthy man did not want to search for her work on a packed shelf. But thank goodness it was recovered.
This was also where I began to see the running theme of ‘Hidden Hands’ by the authors passion for female voices, their biographies and the journey of their manuscripts. Especially with my next favourite.
Queen Emma of Normandy:
Although the ‘Encomium’ was fascinating and certainly the references to The Aeneid (I literally cannot escape Virgil), I was intrigued with her grave at Winchester Cathedral. oops this is getting long and I will finish the rest tomorrow. next part will be about the anchoresses
March 22, 2024
Mary Wellesley has written a thoughtful and interesting guide to ancient manuscripts- some famous, others obscure- and in addition, she gives us some insights into how these beautiful objects were produced. I would recommend this book to any bibliophile or amateur historian. The illustrations are worth studying in their own right.
I particularly enjoyed the segments on the Paston letters, Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich.
I particularly enjoyed the segments on the Paston letters, Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich.
June 14, 2022
"Me numerai pur remembrance/Marie ai num, si sui de France" I Am Going Insane <3
July 18, 2022
A great, fluid, interesting and accessible introduction to manuscripts and their lives. The chapter on women scribes is especially good.
July 17, 2022
Perhaps this is because I read this as an audiobook, but I found the structure confusing and the central arguments were really difficult to follow.
February 5, 2023
Words cannot express how much I loved this book. Perhaps I'll just echo the author and Richard de Bury - "in books I find the dead as if they were alive", and in this I could not agree with him more.
February 12, 2023
A wonderful read; perhaps I'm unfairly not giving it its due - the full five star treatment (how the author must be raging!) - but, for me, the shadow of Christoper De Hamel's masterpiece looms large and is still, for me, the non pareil of this genre.
February 6, 2022
I liked the book, although it tries to justify itself very hard to the point of sounding like a student’s essay restating the question time after time to prove the premise. Sometimes a thing is interesting in itself! You don’t have to prove that having more knowledge about it is life-enriching.
One gripe would be that the standard of translations varies dramatically - I guess because the author is drawing on various others’ work? Although that’s not always made clear. Mostly the Latin is good but the Old English is often modernised in a way that really damages the lilt and weight of the original. It’s doubly annoying because the author themselves seems to have a good sense of this, it’s just the translations they chose to print are poor to the point of distracting! For example, in chapter 7 there are some lengthy quotes for the Ancrene Wisse, which is written in highly stylised, beautiful Old English. The author quotes one passage on p235, going on to lovingly describe the alliterative and harmonious language and the way the repetition of the word ‘ouerwarpen’ ‘loops the sentences together’, drawing the analogy of the original text to its climax. The translation printed alongside the quote fails to impart this in any sense, however. Not only is the word ouerwarpen translated differently in the two instances, ruining the linguistic analogy, so is ‘incleopet’, and the translator also inserted shitty extra text like ‘Just so…’ which adds to the stuffy nonsense. It’s just jarring and weird!
In this book’s defence, though, as the author quotes from Bede, translating verse into another language is a thankless task and can never recreate the elegance of the original. Unlike Bede’s choice to therefore render Caedmon’s hymn as a vague Latin paraphrase, however, this book’s author gives both original and translation in almost all cases. I did appreciate this as it allows you to push past clunky translations and deal with the text more personally, which is a relief! More books need to do this tbh.
The one other issue was when I felt my eyes roll into the back of my head reading the sentence ‘Christianity arrived in the south of England in 597’. Miss Gregory the Great’s propaganda machine keeps winning! Profoundly untrue.
Overall, though, it is an interesting topic and the author has picked out really great examples to discuss. It’s bringing something that is normally for the nerdiest within academia to obsess over into a collected source that is easy to engage with regardless of prior knowledge. You can also feel how much the author genuinely enjoys the topic and has lots of emotions about the tiniest of scribal notation, which is lovely. Plus the book itself is beautiful with plenty of gorgeous full colour pictures!
One gripe would be that the standard of translations varies dramatically - I guess because the author is drawing on various others’ work? Although that’s not always made clear. Mostly the Latin is good but the Old English is often modernised in a way that really damages the lilt and weight of the original. It’s doubly annoying because the author themselves seems to have a good sense of this, it’s just the translations they chose to print are poor to the point of distracting! For example, in chapter 7 there are some lengthy quotes for the Ancrene Wisse, which is written in highly stylised, beautiful Old English. The author quotes one passage on p235, going on to lovingly describe the alliterative and harmonious language and the way the repetition of the word ‘ouerwarpen’ ‘loops the sentences together’, drawing the analogy of the original text to its climax. The translation printed alongside the quote fails to impart this in any sense, however. Not only is the word ouerwarpen translated differently in the two instances, ruining the linguistic analogy, so is ‘incleopet’, and the translator also inserted shitty extra text like ‘Just so…’ which adds to the stuffy nonsense. It’s just jarring and weird!
In this book’s defence, though, as the author quotes from Bede, translating verse into another language is a thankless task and can never recreate the elegance of the original. Unlike Bede’s choice to therefore render Caedmon’s hymn as a vague Latin paraphrase, however, this book’s author gives both original and translation in almost all cases. I did appreciate this as it allows you to push past clunky translations and deal with the text more personally, which is a relief! More books need to do this tbh.
The one other issue was when I felt my eyes roll into the back of my head reading the sentence ‘Christianity arrived in the south of England in 597’. Miss Gregory the Great’s propaganda machine keeps winning! Profoundly untrue.
Overall, though, it is an interesting topic and the author has picked out really great examples to discuss. It’s bringing something that is normally for the nerdiest within academia to obsess over into a collected source that is easy to engage with regardless of prior knowledge. You can also feel how much the author genuinely enjoys the topic and has lots of emotions about the tiniest of scribal notation, which is lovely. Plus the book itself is beautiful with plenty of gorgeous full colour pictures!
November 4, 2021
I understood very little about medieval manuscripts until I read this book. I’m not just talking about their content, but how, why and by who they were made and how they were used (or abused) over time. The author expertly leads the reader through some of the best know examples of manuscripts, including the Lindisfarne Gospels and Beowulf, but also (and this is where her passion really shows) some lesser-known examples of female authors. The fascinating stories of the medieval treasures selected are brilliantly told, weaving detailed historic and linguistic analysis with anecdotal and personal thoughts. Richly illustrated too.
April 5, 2022
Absolutely loved this - learnt a lot and it's always good to read outside your area. I learnt, in particular, a lot about hidden histories/writing in histories where before there was minimal scholarship. Definitely would read more from this writer!
January 26, 2022
in books i find the dead as if they were alive.
November 29, 2023
A book about mediaeval manuscripts sounds dry as dust. I loved it. From the visceral description of how parchment is made from goatskin (including a photograph of the author having a go) to the wonderful two-language quotes from manuscript so you can try your hand at translating Old English and check how accurate you were, this book is a delight. I learned so much!
Parchment was invented when a bibliophile ruler of Pergamon was unable to import papyrus from nearby Egypt: pergamenum is the Latin word from which we get parchment. (Prologue)
The closely related vellum is technically made from calf-skin (veal) (Prologue)
When making parchment the dried goatskins are stretched across a frame called a 'herse', a word related to the word 'hearse' which originally meant "a frame for carrying lighted tapers over a coffin". (Prologue)
You can determine the social status of old skeletons by measuring the amount of radiocarbon in their bones because higher-status individual ate more fish (Ch 3)
Manuscript artists were called limners short for luminers which meant illuminator from the Latin lumen meaning light. (Ch 4)
Surreal monsters are a characteristic of the pictures on manuscripts dating from the Gothic period (1200 - 1350) (Ch 4)
"The rise of universities in England from around the twelfth century created a demand for books outside of any specifically monastic context" (Ch 5)
The word 'brethele' which means a worthless person or a pauper is related to the word 'brothel'. (Ch 5)
The word 'author' is related to the word 'authority'. (Ch 7)
If I have a criticism it is that towards the end of the book, especially in chapter seven, the author drifts away from talking about the manuscripts and focuses on mediaeval authors, especially women, whom she regards as having been ignored by later generations of misogynist scholars. The blurb on the back cover describes this as "an insistent emphasis on the early role of women as authors and artists". But I was reading the book to learn about the texts, not to speculate on their producers.
But there is much else in this book to treasure, including fifty beautiful colour plates and a most wonderful glossary.
An interesting history of some fascinating artefacts.
Parchment was invented when a bibliophile ruler of Pergamon was unable to import papyrus from nearby Egypt: pergamenum is the Latin word from which we get parchment. (Prologue)
The closely related vellum is technically made from calf-skin (veal) (Prologue)
When making parchment the dried goatskins are stretched across a frame called a 'herse', a word related to the word 'hearse' which originally meant "a frame for carrying lighted tapers over a coffin". (Prologue)
You can determine the social status of old skeletons by measuring the amount of radiocarbon in their bones because higher-status individual ate more fish (Ch 3)
Manuscript artists were called limners short for luminers which meant illuminator from the Latin lumen meaning light. (Ch 4)
Surreal monsters are a characteristic of the pictures on manuscripts dating from the Gothic period (1200 - 1350) (Ch 4)
"The rise of universities in England from around the twelfth century created a demand for books outside of any specifically monastic context" (Ch 5)
The word 'brethele' which means a worthless person or a pauper is related to the word 'brothel'. (Ch 5)
The word 'author' is related to the word 'authority'. (Ch 7)
If I have a criticism it is that towards the end of the book, especially in chapter seven, the author drifts away from talking about the manuscripts and focuses on mediaeval authors, especially women, whom she regards as having been ignored by later generations of misogynist scholars. The blurb on the back cover describes this as "an insistent emphasis on the early role of women as authors and artists". But I was reading the book to learn about the texts, not to speculate on their producers.
But there is much else in this book to treasure, including fifty beautiful colour plates and a most wonderful glossary.
An interesting history of some fascinating artefacts.
May 30, 2023
One for bibliophiles - a delightful exploration of the stories behind the creation of some of the key manuscripts that have survived in at least some form today. Mary Wellesley looks at how they were produced, who would do this, with a welcome reminder it was not only male monks busying away in their scriptorium, there were secular creators and female ones too, though what survives makes assessing authorship at times very tricky.
Nevertheless Wellesley has illuminated these stories in a really engaging way, with many colour photos of pages included to so you can appreciate some of the skills, or the madness of some of the authors - thinking the Lustrell Psalter with it's curious beasts adorning the psalms seemingly at random.
We get told of the near-miss disasters, and appreciate the fragility of chance that has allowed what has survived to still be with us today, to survive invasions, the dissolution, mischievous editing and vandalism, and natural disasters like fire and flooding over centuries is quite the feat.
Attention is given to the lives of the scribes and authors - at least what can be gleaned as bibliographic details of individuals' are so rare, but there are a hardy few that MW has discovered and brought to this book. It is terrifically fascinating, perhaps none more so for my part than the Book of Margery Kempe, a 14th century ordinary woman - illiterate - so she dictated her story - the first autobiography in the English vernacular. That her life's story has survived to this day is amazing, and it reflects a depressing reality that her work, at least as far as I can see is so less well known compared to other works. Hopefully books like this one can help rectify that.
We also get perhaps more well known works, and Mary gives us history behind how Chaucer's Canterbury Tales emerged, and how his legacy was established after the fact so to speak but those who wrote later, seeking to place themselves as next in line.
It is rich in anecdote and human life, and well worth your time.
Nevertheless Wellesley has illuminated these stories in a really engaging way, with many colour photos of pages included to so you can appreciate some of the skills, or the madness of some of the authors - thinking the Lustrell Psalter with it's curious beasts adorning the psalms seemingly at random.
We get told of the near-miss disasters, and appreciate the fragility of chance that has allowed what has survived to still be with us today, to survive invasions, the dissolution, mischievous editing and vandalism, and natural disasters like fire and flooding over centuries is quite the feat.
Attention is given to the lives of the scribes and authors - at least what can be gleaned as bibliographic details of individuals' are so rare, but there are a hardy few that MW has discovered and brought to this book. It is terrifically fascinating, perhaps none more so for my part than the Book of Margery Kempe, a 14th century ordinary woman - illiterate - so she dictated her story - the first autobiography in the English vernacular. That her life's story has survived to this day is amazing, and it reflects a depressing reality that her work, at least as far as I can see is so less well known compared to other works. Hopefully books like this one can help rectify that.
We also get perhaps more well known works, and Mary gives us history behind how Chaucer's Canterbury Tales emerged, and how his legacy was established after the fact so to speak but those who wrote later, seeking to place themselves as next in line.
It is rich in anecdote and human life, and well worth your time.
September 28, 2022
I was eager to read this in paperback. Even when I know about a particular book's history, I enjoy hearing another author's version, and there's usually something new to learn. In early pages, 3-4, Wellesley writes of the magic of manuscripts. She is intelligent and scholarly but writes for a general audience, imparting that sense of magic herself. I laughed at her comparing a manuscript to a "crime scene," but it's absolutely true that a forensic investigation is what a palaeographer or bibliographer does.Her scholarly apparatus is well done (although I will have to hunt for the 1931 source in which Bernard Bischoff untangled Hugeburc's code hidden in a ms. Her glossary, timeline, and bibliography were very helpful. I can't wait to follow up with some of her references. She surprised me too by providing quotations--even long ones--in the original language (Latin, Old English, Middle English, Welsh, etc.) as well as in translation almost every time. Certainly for the major figures she was outlining.
Wellesley's telling of Margery Kempe's story was refreshing by taking it at face value and not making pains to see MK as some sort of wannabe mystic. The details about the modern editor's Hope Allen's treatment by her male co-editor --whom she brought in--was news to me and makes me want to learn more about Allen. A new edition of Margery's book came out a few years ago (longer ago than I'd thought in 2015) and I want to check that out.
I enjoyed reading anew about Julian of Norwich and realizing that I want to compare the short and long text and newer editions. I am hardly the only one to respond to her image of the universe as a hazelnut in god's hand, but that has stuck with me since I read it in...1989.
I did not know about several of the women mentioned here, Queen Emma or the Welsh poet Gwerful Mechain, (although I'd heard of her poem Ode to the Vagina).
I look forward to Mary Wellesley's future projects.
Wellesley's telling of Margery Kempe's story was refreshing by taking it at face value and not making pains to see MK as some sort of wannabe mystic. The details about the modern editor's Hope Allen's treatment by her male co-editor --whom she brought in--was news to me and makes me want to learn more about Allen. A new edition of Margery's book came out a few years ago (longer ago than I'd thought in 2015) and I want to check that out.
I enjoyed reading anew about Julian of Norwich and realizing that I want to compare the short and long text and newer editions. I am hardly the only one to respond to her image of the universe as a hazelnut in god's hand, but that has stuck with me since I read it in...1989.
I did not know about several of the women mentioned here, Queen Emma or the Welsh poet Gwerful Mechain, (although I'd heard of her poem Ode to the Vagina).
I look forward to Mary Wellesley's future projects.
August 24, 2022
This was a great book, summarizing a range of material on medieval manuscripts.
I ordered it because I've enjoyed some of Mary Wellesley's articles and was really interested to read her interpretation of the manuscripts she used in her book-length study. I was, of course, particularly interested in what she had to say about Julian of Norwich, but I also enjoyed the other parts of the book, and learned quite a lot about the codicology of the earliest Old English manuscripts, with which I am far less familiar.
I would recommend this book to anyone. If you've studied Medieval Literature it offers a great overview of why books from the period mattered and what happened to them afterwards. If Manuscript Studies is completely new to you, this book will amaze you and explain why the survival rate from early times is so low. This book has everything - art, beauty, history but also fire, murder and some unsolved mysteries. If you are interested in the role of women in society, I think you'll particularly enjoy Wellesley's take - as well as revealing what we do know about women writers and makers, she explains very clearly why, at this distance of time, most individual women's names have not survived. We will never be able to identify all the early books produced by women - but some women are not as invisible as we may have thought only a few years ago.
Quite honestly, if you have any interest in book history, I'd simply say, read this book. It's a well-written, pacy history by a scholar whose knowledge is deep and wide, and whose expertise in conveying her love of manuscripts is second to none. Hidden Hands is easily my favourite non-fiction read of 2021.
I ordered it because I've enjoyed some of Mary Wellesley's articles and was really interested to read her interpretation of the manuscripts she used in her book-length study. I was, of course, particularly interested in what she had to say about Julian of Norwich, but I also enjoyed the other parts of the book, and learned quite a lot about the codicology of the earliest Old English manuscripts, with which I am far less familiar.
I would recommend this book to anyone. If you've studied Medieval Literature it offers a great overview of why books from the period mattered and what happened to them afterwards. If Manuscript Studies is completely new to you, this book will amaze you and explain why the survival rate from early times is so low. This book has everything - art, beauty, history but also fire, murder and some unsolved mysteries. If you are interested in the role of women in society, I think you'll particularly enjoy Wellesley's take - as well as revealing what we do know about women writers and makers, she explains very clearly why, at this distance of time, most individual women's names have not survived. We will never be able to identify all the early books produced by women - but some women are not as invisible as we may have thought only a few years ago.
Quite honestly, if you have any interest in book history, I'd simply say, read this book. It's a well-written, pacy history by a scholar whose knowledge is deep and wide, and whose expertise in conveying her love of manuscripts is second to none. Hidden Hands is easily my favourite non-fiction read of 2021.
April 30, 2025
This book is an absolute gem! Mary Wellesley (scion of a noble British family) displays such an ease in the company of diverse manuscripts, and different languages, that the reader feels privileged to stand by her side. One of the many joys of this book, in fact, is her decision to print all her quotations (whether in Old English, Latin or Welsh) in their original form before translating them, which does bring us much closer to the original authors. The book is also a model of how to recover women's contributions - in this case to the tradition of manuscript-making - without assaulting the reader with ideology. Only once does she give in to undiluted feminist-speak, when she points that "Our imagination of the past is delineated by patriarchalism infused with prejudice". Wellesley covers every aspect of manuscripts: their physicality, their ability to convey more than the original makers knew, their fragility (her chapter on the loss of manuscripts over the ages is quite distressing), and much else. Often her words conjure up present-day parallels: I couldn't read the passage on the artists' contributions to the 14th Century Luttrell Psalter: "working together, delighting in outdoing one another with their strange and comic imagery" without imagining the Family Guy writers' room.
July 14, 2022
'Both manuscripts testify to female patrons and owners, reminding us that women were involved in the production of texts in many different ways. These manuscripts offer a corrective to the popular perception that medieval manuscripts were all written by monks. Our imagination of the past is delineated by patriarchalism infused with prejudice' (Wellesley: 168)
This book is about manuscripts and all the people that got involved with them in one way or another, including the artists, the patrons or the people who saved them from destruction.
I wish the chapter on patrons would have been somehow longer. The fact that the book only focuses on English manuscripts can be a disappointment for some people and this should be stated in the book's title and not just on the back cover.
The author spends too much time discussing images at the margins of a manuscript or Julian of Norwich's visions. In my opinion this was too much in a book that should be on manuscripts as a whole. I also like the brief explanations the author gives on the history of manuscript writing and I wish there had been more of these throughout the book.
The author contradicts certain common ideas and empowers women and other people in the history of manuscripts that are often ignored. Bravo for that.
This book is about manuscripts and all the people that got involved with them in one way or another, including the artists, the patrons or the people who saved them from destruction.
I wish the chapter on patrons would have been somehow longer. The fact that the book only focuses on English manuscripts can be a disappointment for some people and this should be stated in the book's title and not just on the back cover.
The author spends too much time discussing images at the margins of a manuscript or Julian of Norwich's visions. In my opinion this was too much in a book that should be on manuscripts as a whole. I also like the brief explanations the author gives on the history of manuscript writing and I wish there had been more of these throughout the book.
The author contradicts certain common ideas and empowers women and other people in the history of manuscripts that are often ignored. Bravo for that.
March 16, 2023
I love books about books! Medieval manuscripts force us to think very differently about books, especially given how millions of books are available to us at any one time. In the Middle Ages, books were manuscripts (literally, written by hand), and were thus difficult to create and maintain. They were expensive and accessible to only the mostly rich few or to those in cloisters. Wellesley takes us through the different roles involved in the manufacture of early illuminated manuscripts: parchment makers, scribes, authors, patrons, artists, etc. The problem of studying Medieval literature is that given that books were difficult to make and maintain, so little remains, and what we do have is often the result of serendipity rather than deliberate attempts at preservation. Paraphrasing Wellesley, our knowledge about Medieval letters is like shining a single flashlight into a large library and only being able to read whatever the light happens to fall upon.
December 23, 2023
Everyone associates mediæval manuscripts with monasteries and monks, but nuns had an enormous part to play as well, including in some of the best-known works. That's the central observation of this extremely enjoyable book. It's niche in the sense of really appealing to caligraphers and classicists, but it also serves to show (once again) that the Middle Ages (and before) were a socially richer period than we often imagine.
As well as Latin, we're exposed to a lot of Old and Middle English, carefully translated and glossed to make the context comprehensible. I can imagine that experts might object to some of the modernisation, but for an non-specialist it was quite clarifying.
About the only negative point was that I suspect the book emerged from Mary Wellesley's PhD thesis – and that sometimes shows in places where she feels the need to justify herself vaery carefully against the existing literature. None of that spoils the readability and insightfulness, though.
As well as Latin, we're exposed to a lot of Old and Middle English, carefully translated and glossed to make the context comprehensible. I can imagine that experts might object to some of the modernisation, but for an non-specialist it was quite clarifying.
About the only negative point was that I suspect the book emerged from Mary Wellesley's PhD thesis – and that sometimes shows in places where she feels the need to justify herself vaery carefully against the existing literature. None of that spoils the readability and insightfulness, though.
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March 24, 2023It’s a very nice travel we are invited in. Travel in time when books were manuscripts and projects of long time and many scribes. Happy to find the women here that are present in every place during the Middle Ages, forgotten during the last century but still alive in the sources when one want to find them.
Details about creation and hard work of monks and private people to keep not only god’s gospel but bits and pieces of lifes that seem foreign and close.
Few aggravations here and there when blind feminism took the lead against real scholastic work but it’s more about my own prejudice than a real issue here. 😂
And the last quote is perfect so 👏👏👏👏👏
« in books I find the dead as if they were alive »
Details about creation and hard work of monks and private people to keep not only god’s gospel but bits and pieces of lifes that seem foreign and close.
Few aggravations here and there when blind feminism took the lead against real scholastic work but it’s more about my own prejudice than a real issue here. 😂
And the last quote is perfect so 👏👏👏👏👏
« in books I find the dead as if they were alive »
April 25, 2025
Wow I finally finished this lol
The reason why it took me so long to read it is not because it’s boring but because I have to be in the right mindset to read nonfiction and I had to be in the right place for this one.
The book discusses the different parts of manuscript making in the Middle Ages—scribes, illustrators, authors. It was extremely fascinating to read about and really shone a light on the amount of work it took to create manuscripts and the devotion that went along with it.
The book also gives quite a feminist approach to manuscript making and authorship in the Middle Ages, which was very refreshing. More and more scholarship goes away from the men-only perspective in the medieval period, which is delightful to see.
The reason why it took me so long to read it is not because it’s boring but because I have to be in the right mindset to read nonfiction and I had to be in the right place for this one.
The book discusses the different parts of manuscript making in the Middle Ages—scribes, illustrators, authors. It was extremely fascinating to read about and really shone a light on the amount of work it took to create manuscripts and the devotion that went along with it.
The book also gives quite a feminist approach to manuscript making and authorship in the Middle Ages, which was very refreshing. More and more scholarship goes away from the men-only perspective in the medieval period, which is delightful to see.
April 17, 2024
Favourite non-fiction read of the year so far.
A thoughtful and compelling exploration of medieval manuscripts, particularly before the invention of the printing press.
Weaving the story of the artists, writers, scribes, readers, patrons and collectors responsible for the creation and keeping of these early examples of the book. Wellesley looks at what we have lost and the sometimes random nature of what survives and what doesn't. In particular, she is interested in the role of women as authors, artists and scribes, women such as Julian of Norwich, Margery Kempe and Gwerful Mechain, as well the role of convents and monasteries in the creation and preservation of these works.
A thoughtful and compelling exploration of medieval manuscripts, particularly before the invention of the printing press.
Weaving the story of the artists, writers, scribes, readers, patrons and collectors responsible for the creation and keeping of these early examples of the book. Wellesley looks at what we have lost and the sometimes random nature of what survives and what doesn't. In particular, she is interested in the role of women as authors, artists and scribes, women such as Julian of Norwich, Margery Kempe and Gwerful Mechain, as well the role of convents and monasteries in the creation and preservation of these works.
May 1, 2024
"Hidden Hands" looks at the creation of manuscripts, particularly before the invention of the printing press. It tells the story of the artists, writers, scribes, readers, patrons and collectors responsible for the creation and keeping of these early examples of the book. The author also looks at what we have lost and the sometimes random nature of what survives and what doesn't. In particular, she is interested in the role of women as authors, artists and scribes, women such as Julian of Norwich, Margery Kempe and Gwerful Mechain, as well the role of convents and monasteries in the creation and preservation of these works.
March 14, 2023
A worthwhile exploration of manuscript production through a series of manuscript case studies (namely British examples). The author writes in an accessible, but not dumbed-down style that both specialists and non-specialists will enjoy. I found the historiography of some of the manuscripts especially interesting, though Wellesley's examination of female scribes and illuminators was also well done. There were a few mathematical errors (in ages, dates, etc) but otherwise a very lovely book with some equally lovely images.
March 9, 2025
This is a fascinating book, beautifully written and illustrated. The author's enthusiasm shines through. I found her discussion of authorship and the role of scribes particularly interesting. Margery Kempe for instance , was totally dependent on willing scribes to record her revelations. Mary Wellesley has particularly given thought to the role of women as patrons, authors, scribes and illustrators. There is short but enlightening section on what it meant to be an anchoress such as Julian of Norwich.
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