AbeBooks' Reading Copy

Today’s gorgeous and unusual find is this hand-illuminated book. Not much appears to be known about it, but it’s just stunning (An illuminated manuscript is any manuscript whose text is accompanied by decoration. It originally referred only to silver or gilt adornments, but came to be acceptable terminology for any manuscript with drawings, paintings or [...]

Amazing story from Retronaut about a bible that stopped shrapnel from killing its German infantryman owner, Kurt Geiler, in Northeast France in 1917. “In the never-ending trench warfare in North-East France, the German infantryman was sleeping as usual with his Bible underneath his head. Without warning, a direct hit destroyed his dug-out almost completely, wounding [...]

The literary world is no stranger to authors attempting to follow the bible’s instructions to the letter: stunt journalism poster boy A.J. Jacobs, an editor at large on Esquire Magazine did it in The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. But for a different perspective, [...]

Since 1982, the last week of September has been known as Banned Books Week, and is a time to reflect on censorship in the literary world, celebrate the freedom of information and access to literature, and review the most frequently banned and challenged titles today. For the annual observance of Banned Books Week last week, [...]

Vanity is a tough pitfall to avoid, apparently even for seventh-century nuns. The Telegraph reports that on July 10th 2012, Sotheby’s London is offering 60 lots on the auction block, comprising selections from the manuscript collection of Martin Schøyen. The lots include many historically and literarily significant pieces, including a leaf from an ancient manuscript [...]

Wow. If I ever have a book published, I hope the Vatican will help me out by publicly condemning it. Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics by Margaret Farley was #142,982 on Amazon’s book ranking list on Monday morning. Then the Vatican spoke out against the book, the news went viral while the [...]

An illuminated manuscript is any manuscript whose text is accompanied by decoration. It originally referred only to silver or gilt adornments, but came to be acceptable terminology for any manuscript with drawings, paintings or decorations such as ornate initials, borders, floral accoutrements and the like. Often the illuminations would depict a historical or rural/pastoral scene. [...]

I was surprised to see this book was only $736. A very good copy of a French Bible in a scarce and valuable binding – ornate silver covers with central gold colored cross, embossed images of the 12 apostles and malachite inlaid gems to each corner. Embossed image of Jesus on the spine, and embossed [...]