Illumino explores the history of medieval Britain through the biographies of twelve remarkable illuminated manuscripts and of their creators and owners. The manuscripts each serve as portals into these lives and as springboards into the era of their production. For illuminated manuscripts are among the most intricate and fascinating forms of evidence for the Middle Ages, blending the fruits of human intellect – the arts, the sciences, politics, philosophy and faith – with the materiality of their production. By undertaking the detective work needed to determine the nature of each project and the underlying human-interest stories, this book reveals their manifold social, economic and cultural contexts and charts the exchange of ideas, techniques and materials over time and space. Featuring more than a hundred beautiful illustrations, this is a unique and accessible introduction to Britain’s history, art history and book history across a thousand years.

A masterful exploration of medieval Britain through twelve extraordinary illuminated manuscripts, each a window into the intellectual, artistic and spiritual landscapes of its time. Few scholars know these books as intimately as Michelle P. Brown, who draws on her expertise as a trailblazing curator and leading researcher to enrich this book with insight into their materiality, craftsmanship and historical resonance. With characteristic erudition and clarity, Brown brings to life the people who commissioned, created and used these manuscripts, not only as textual artefacts but as objects of devotion, labour and cultural exchange. By weaving palaeography, codicology and historical narrative into a compelling whole, Illumino sheds light not only on these marvellous books, but on how these books have shaped the modern world. * Andrew Dunning, R. W. Hunt Curator of Medieval Manuscripts at the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford *
To read this book is to be apprenticed to a master of her craft, to imbibe a lifetime’s learning, and to learn the history of illumination (and of Britain) from its pages and its pictures. Art, history, philosophy, theology, philosophy, psychology and culture shine through the paintings and are unpacked in Michelle P. Brown’s prose. Through this marvellous work, the rich adornment of the page becomes the rich adornment of our minds and imaginations. * Michael Lloyd, Principal of Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford *

Michelle P. Brown is Professor Emerita of Medieval Manuscript Studies at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, and was formerly Curator of Illuminated Manuscripts at the British Library. Her books include Bede and the Theory of Everything (Reaktion, 2023).