Introduction

In an age when books had to be produced by hand, acquiring a library consumed many resources. Physical labor was required to prepare writing surfaces, which were made from stretched, scraped, and polished animal skins, as well as crafting inks and pens with which to write. Further time and labor went into ruling pages, copying out texts, and decorating the book (also called a codex; plural, codices) with colored ink, paints, and even gold leaf.

In the early Middle Ages, monasteries typically possessed sufficient resources and manpower to produce codices. Monks or nuns assigned as scribes worked in a scriptorium, copying out texts for the monastery’s use or perhaps for a wealthy patron. Medieval monastic libraries would have contained several copies of the Bible – the most important and most widely read book in medieval Europe. Monasteries and parish churches also possessed many liturgical books, used in worship services. Cathedrals and monasteries celebrated the daily Liturgy of the Hours, which was composed of eight services of prayers, readings, hymns, and chants held at certain hours of the day or night. The Mass, or the celebration of the Eucharist, also incorporated song, readings, and prayers. Books containing the readings and music for these services include breviaries, missals, graduals, lectionaries, and antiphoners. Priests, monks, nuns, and other clerics might also own works related to church administration and worship, including books of canon law, sermons, and homilies.

The core of the monastic library, however, would have been scriptural commentary and other writings of the Church Fathers (also called patristic writings). Fourth- through sixth-century scriptural commentary by such figures as Augustine, Jerome, Ambrose, Cassiodorus, and Gregory the Great generally shaped the thought of later medieval writers and were also used as university texts.

As universities began to flourish in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, a new demand for schoolbooks for students arose. The Bible was the primary textbook for scholars and students. In the early 12th century, Anselm of Laon and his followers, teachers in French cathedral schools, compiled a scriptural commentary containing textual explanation and quotations from writings of the Church Fathers. The Glossa Ordinaria, as it was known, became a standard text for teaching and preaching the Bible and was inserted in manuscripts alongside the scriptural text. Later commentaries by Gilbert de la Porée and Peter Lombard replaced the Glossa Ordinaria in the school curriculum. Glossed bibles generally stopped being made during the mid-thirteenth century, but those copies were still used by students and clergy until the advent of printing.

The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries saw a rise in manuscript production for laypeople. Secular literature and histories were popular, as was devotional literature like Books of Hours. These manuals for personal prayer and devotion were bestsellers throughout the late Middle Ages and well into the Renaissance. Books of Hours were produced in small formats for private reading and meditation. Nobility might own lavishly illustrated copies with miniatures and illuminations, while middle class readers might possess books with only minimal decoration.

L. Tom Perry Special Collections has a number of original and facsimile medieval codices which would typically have been owned by monks, clerics, and lay readers. Students and faculty with demonstrated research interests may access these collections. Patrons can request reading privileges online or in person at the Special Collections reference desk. University faculty may also arrange for class presentations of these and any other materials in Special Collections on our website.