Illumination from Books of Hours (British Library)

Books of Hours survive in their thousands in libraries, museums, and private collections across the western world, reflecting both the personal piety and the fashionable taste of the later Middle Ages and the Renaissance in Europe. They owe their name to a single essential text, the Hours (or Little Office) of the Virgin Mary, but otherwise their contents may vary quite considerably. This extensively illustrated book acts as an introduction to some of the most beautiful and historically interesting manuscripts in the collections of the British Library, and contains 140 full-colour reproductions from this rich tradition. Selected and with an introduction by Janet Backhouse, Illuminations from Books of Hours offers an unparalleled opportunity to see a wide range of examples from these precious manuscripts, many of which have never been reproduced before.