Bischof Testaments, Donations, and the Values of Books as Gifts

A Study of Records from Medieval England before 1450
Erscheinungsjahr 2014
ISBN: 978-3-653-99780-4
Verlag: Peter Lang
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, Band 36, 0 Seiten

Reihe: Münsteraner Monographien zur englischen Literatur / Münster Monographs on English Literature

Why were books considered valuable in the Middle Ages? This study focuses on medieval testaments and donation records from England before 1450 to investigate this question. The primary sources and datable records from before and after the Norman Conquest show that contemporary attitudes can be examined surprisingly closely. Semantic fields as indicators of value help us to discover the material and immaterial values associated with books in the manuscript period, and to trace changes and developments in book ownership and book production. This systematic and statistical analysis of the records shows the varied and multi-facetted nature of medieval books as gifts as seen by givers and recipients.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Bischof, Janika

Fachgebiete

• Interdisziplinäres Bibliothekswesen, Informationswissenschaften Buchgeschichte, Bibliotheksgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Kultur- und Ideengeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literaturgeschichte und Literaturkritik
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Europäische Länder England, UK, Irland: Regional & Stadtgeschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Contents: Theory of Gifts – Material and Immaterial Values – Donations and Testaments as Records of Book Gifts – Semantic Fields as Indicators of Value – The Values of Medieval Books.

Über Autor(innen)

Janika Bischof studied English Philology in Münster (Germany) and St Andrews (UK). She worked as research assistant at the collaborative research centre Symbolische Kommunikation und gesellschaftliche Wertesysteme in the project Das Buchgeschenk in England im Spätmittelalter at the University of Münster. She is currently research assistant at a specialist library.