Janet Backhouse (1938–2004)

I like her writting style; very readable. I would always like more illustrations in a book, but there are many manuscript photos to show her points, and the information given about each photo helps you to place your knowledge of the piece in a broader historical timeline. Good list of suggested further reading at the back of the book.

This is a highly enjoyable tour through the pages of a masterpiece of early medieval art. Full-color images of all the important decorative pages are included, described, and compared with other contemporary manuscripts and works of art. The history of the book and the fascinating characters who brought it to life are also memorably evoked.

The catalog from a 1976 British Library exhibition marking the 500th anniversary of printing in England. Full of useful information and background about Caxton and his career.

Even though this is a small format book, it is amazingly full of information and color plates of the lindisfarne gospels. Janet Backhouse is a writer who is easy to understand and learn from.