Description

Scribes played complex, often overlooked roles in the production of hand-written texts across Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. Some scribes simply copied the exemplar; other scribes participated with authors and decorators in establishing the mise-en-page and overall appearance of a text. Many decisions needed to be made regarding the selection of text script; the style of rubrication, display scripts, and initials; the placement and execution of potentially elaborate illuminated images. What was the role of the scribe in contributing to the decision-making process or in determining the final format and material appearance of a document, scroll or codex? This volume explores many of the choices that a single scribe or groups of scribes would need to make when writing and presenting a text, whether in a monastic, cathedral or lay setting. The articles in the volume range from case studies of a single artifact to the analysis of multiple copies and versions of a particular text. The authors include eminent specialists in the field of manuscript studies as well as mid- and early career scholars.