Anyone reading this already knows that Illuminated Manuscripts are a passion in our modern, mass-production age. So what's the excitement here? Anyone reading this will already know the Tres Riches Heures, the Book of Kells, the Grimani Breviary, and the dozen or so "heavy hitters" of the field. They will know the great collections: The BL, the BN, the PML, etc. Many reference books are old and have mediocre black and white pictures, and you pay a small fortune for color plates, and a large fortune for facsimiles. This series addresses all that. There are full color (and great quality) photos, terrific manuscripts that are often less well-known but no less grand. I own 3 illuminations by the Dunois Master, and wanted a holdable version of the miniatures in the Dunois Hours. For about 12 bucks I have it, full size + details in glowing colors. I saw the Graduel of St. Die and was enchanted by it. No facsimile available but a whole treatise here and pictures and descriptions. Yes there's the ubiquitous Tres Riches Heures and a few others, but when you start getting into specific examples of style, technique, history, and provenance, these volumes are superb. By the way, nothing wrong with the commentaries of Jonathan Alexander, Francois Avril, and the editorial staff. For enthusiasts, this is fantastic!
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