The Book of Kells

From the intro: "ITS weird and commanding beauty; its subdued and goldless colouring; the baffling intricacy of its fearless designs; the clean, unwavering sweep of rounded spiral; the creeping undulations of serpentine forms, that writhe in artistic profusion throughout the mazes of its decorations; the strong and legible minuscule of its text; the quaintness of its striking portraiture; the unwearied reverence and patient labour that brought it into being; all of which combined go to mate up the Book of Kells have raised this ancient Irish volume to a position of abiding preeminence amongst the illuminated manuscripts of the world. Many attempts have been made to reproduce its unique illuminations; and, so far as form and outline are concerned, the reproductions have been as far as possible successful. But all such efforts have up till now failed to give a living representation of its marvellous pages—for without its colour harmonies no reproduction can be regarded as adequate from the point of view of art. The last important attempt at reproduction in colour was made about forty years ago; but the scientific knowledge of the time was unequal to the strain sought to be put upon it. In the years which have since elapsed the science of light, photography, and colour-reproduction has made rapid advances towards an accuracy which was unknown when the earlier attempts were published; and it is only by the aid of such advancement that the production of the present volume has become possible. In this respect the work now published differs from all its predecessors; for, though still distant from absolute perfection, the reproductions here given will be found to be infinitely closer to the originals in the important matter of actual colour than any of the so-called facsimiles which up to the present have been included in any published work. For this reason the present volume should not be regarded as in any sense a rival of the uncoloured reproductions which have already appeared of the Book of Kells. Its office is rather to supplement in colour what has already been accomplished by ordinary photography and monochrome; to add a new value to previous efforts with the assistance of the most recent methods and processes of polychromatic photography and colour-printing. Looked at from this standpoint one may fairly claim for the work here produced that it fills with some measure of satisfaction a gap in the pictorial history of Celtic illumination, and affords as it were a nearer view of one of the most interesting and beautiful manuscripts which have yet come from the hands of man."

Published in a fine hardback volume, with dustcover and slipcase, Meehan's homage to the original is impressive. It runs to some 256 pages of superb colour reproductions and detailed texts that examine the making of the great manuscript ... Thames & Hudson are to be commended for this magnificent publication. --The Irish Examiner

An unprecedented backstage look at one of literature's rarest treasures --The Bookseller

The Book of Kells may be many centuries old but it has been given a new lease of life --Books Ireland

Something to celebrate ... Bernard Meehan has been pivotal in bringing to the fore this beautiful artefact that combines stunning visual art, spirituality and literature in a way that is surely unique --The Belfast Telegraph

Bernard Meehan, the author, doesn't allow explanations to swamp the text. Instead, the keeper of manuscripts at Trinity College Dublin's library brings a sense of excited fascination to his subject, and a scholarly desire to unravel its mysteries. --The Sunday Times

This lavishly illustrated book makes the imagery of Kells accessible and taps into a generation of new scholarship about text and images in the manuscript ... This new book is a pleasure to read and to hold ... Meehan's book is for me the book of the year, a deeply beautiful and essential guide to what the great Celtic text is all about. --The Irish Times

A magnificent new coffee table book guide to the 'Book of Kells' will give everyone the chance of having their own version of the famous masterpiece. --The Irish Independent

The realm of faith illustrated in the Book of Kells can be elusive to modern audiences; however, a new study by Bernard Meehan provides valuable insights into this peerless manuscript. --Irish Arts Review

In this magnificent new account of the Book of Kells, Dr Bernard Meehan... explores the creation, make-up and intriguing mysteries of the book for the modern reader. --Irish Catholic

This extraordinary and beautiful book will undoubtedly be a revelation even to those familiar with the celebrated Book of Kells. --Art Daily

A sumptuous...volume containing more than 80 pages from the manuscript reproduced full-size and in full, ravishing colour ... [Bernard Meehan's] new book is a triumph of scholarly investigation and interpretation. --The Financial Times

This handsome new volume... brims with fresh insights and interpretations and features the extraordinary imagery on a generous scale. --Trinity College Dublin

Beautiful, generous ... the author is compelling in his theories and opinions on the scribes who worked on the book's calligraphy --Books Ireland

Dazzling --Trinity Today

The value of the new edition of The Book of Kells is not merely in the quality of the illustrations but the lucidity of the explanatory texts by Bernard Meehan. -- V&A Magazine

We think we know the Book of Kells, but the plates in this bargain of a book still take your breath away; and its author knows that the unknowns are at least as interesting as the knowns. --The Times Literary Supplement

the book is brilliantly successful; and we can only be grateful to Bernard Meehan for making such a magnificent collection of reproductions available at such a (relatively) affordable price. --Temenos Academy

Whether you're one of the 500,000 people who pop into Trinity's Old Library for a glimpse each year; or just one of those who never quite got around to it, this book is for you. Within this beautifully presented package, Bernard Meehan, Chief Custodian and Keeper of Manuscripts at TCD, provides expert analysis on all aspects of The Book of Kells. You'll feel like donning the white gloves as he provides fresh insights into the world's most famous manuscript and interprets the various symbols (I often wondered about those lozenges), on pages (more than 80 of them) that are reproduced at full size. This iconic tome will grace any coffee table and the good news is that you'll get to see more than one page a day. 'To look closely at the decoration of the Book of Kells', says the author, 'is as thrilling for the curator and the scholar as it is for the general public.' He'll get no argument from me. --Michael Doherty, RTÉ Guide