Download The Book Of Kells Ebook PDF

Among the very finest of all insular manuscripts, the Book of Kells receives magnificent treatment in this beautiful new study. Illustrated in full colour throughout, the book also contains over 80 actual size reproductions of the manuscript's most important and spectacular pages. But this volume is about much more than the pictures; Bernard Meehan's comprehensive text provides a in-depth exploration of the manuscript, the circumstances of its production and historical context, the text and its interrelationship with the decoration, as well as the complex symbolism expressed therein. Further chapters analyse technical aspects, the identification of different scribal hands, and the physical materials used in the book.

The Book of Kells is the richest and most copiously illustrated book of in the Celto-Saxon style that still survives. However, despite its rarity and fame, there is little that is known about it. Reproducing over sixty of the wonderful images from the book itself, this guide describes the hidden meanings behind the illustrations and opens our eyes to the history behind them. Picking out the most interesting, beautiful and unique images from the 339 vellum leaves that comprise the book as a whole, it gives an illuminating insight into the manuscript and its creation. This book will appeal to everyone from the hundreds of thousands of people visiting the Book of Kells at Trinity College Dublin every year, to those interested in history, art, ancient artefacts or the gospels and anyone with a passion for beautiful objects.

The Book of Kells is one of the supreme artistic creations to survive from the middle ages. In 1006, the Annals of Ulster recognized it as 'the chief glory of the Western world'. In the sixteenth century, Gerald Plunket of Dublin observed that 'This work doth pass all mens conyng'. Since Plunket's day, the Book of Kells has been the subject of considerable scholarly attention.

Created between the seventh and ninth centuries AD, The Book of Kells is one of the great cultural icons of the medieval West. In the past, it has received a great deal of popular and scholarly attention, but only recently has its labyrinth of meaning and references begun to be explored. In "The Book of Kells: Its Function and Audience," Carol Ann Farr builds on the work of liturgists, palaeographers, historians, and art historians to go beyond basic analysis to place The Book of Kells in the wider context of use and audience. Farr situates The Book of Kells as part of an evangelical tradition that used the physical appearance of the gospels as a tool of conversion. By examining the manuscript in its political, social, historical, and religious contexts, she provides a fresh perspective on this most famous of insular illuminated texts. In particular, Farr offers new and convincing readings of two of the most difficult images, the 'Temptation' and so-called 'Arrest'.

A beautiful and simple introduction to the Book of Kells. George Otto Simms, a world-renowned authority on the Book of Kells, reveals the mysteries hidden in this magnificent manuscript, and the lives of the monks who made it. Newly-expanded colour plate section.

A contemporary couple journeys back in time to ancient Ireland in this delightful fantasy by the author of Tea with the Black Dragon. John Thornburn is an artist, mild-mannered and nonviolent. To make ends meet, he teaches some courses in Celtic design. And although his background is half Micmac Indian, he lives in Ireland for two reasons: his far more confrontational and warrior-like girlfriend, Derval O’Keane, and his fascination with the beautiful illuminated manuscript known as the Book of Kells. But he’s about to take a journey to a far more distant place, one that he could not have imagined. Along with Derval, John will find himself in an ancient Celtic realm, where a Viking attack begs to be avenged and a fantastic—and sometimes terrifying—adventure awaits . . . From a master of magical fantasy, the author of the Damiano Trilogy and a winner of the John W. Campbell Award, this is a tale of warriors, love, danger, and Irish history that will cast a spell on anyone who dreams of discovering treasures in long-lost worlds.

First published in the UK in 1990, this lavishly illustrated survey of Celtic arts and crafts from 700 BC to 700 AD includes a discussion of the origin and identity of the Celts, the antecedents of Celtic art, and the relationship of the Celts and their art to ancient Mediterranean civilisation. Also presents a detailed examination of Celtic art in Britain and Ireland, its survival under Roman occupation and its expression in the early Christian period. Includes a bibliography and an index. Vincent Megaw is head of Visual Arts at Flinders University. His other publications include T Art of the European Iron Age.' Ruth Megaw is a former head of American Studies at the Nene College, Northampton.

An illustrated account of one of the most famous manuscripts in the world.

The Book of Kells (Latin: Codex Cenannensis; Irish: Leabhar Cheanannais; Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS A. I., sometimes known as the Book of Columba) is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created in a Columban monastery in either Britain or Ireland and may have had contributions from various Columban institutions from both Britain and Ireland. It is believed to have been created c. 800 AD. The text of the Gospels is largely drawn from the Vulgate, although it also includes several passages drawn from the earlier versions of the Bible known as the Vetus Latina. It is a masterwork of Western calligraphy and represents the pinnacle of Insular illumination. It is also widely regarded as Ireland's finest national treasure.The illustrations and ornamentation of the Book of Kells surpass that of other Insular Gospel books in extravagance and complexity. The decoration combines traditional Christian iconography with the ornate swirling motifs typical of Insular art. Figures of humans, animals and mythical beasts, together with Celtic knots and interlacing patterns in vibrant colours, enliven the manuscript's pages. Many of these minor decorative elements are imbued with Christian symbolism and so further emphasise the themes of the major illustrations.The manuscript today comprises 340 leaves or folios; the recto and verso of each leaf total 680 pages. Since 1953, it has been bound in four volumes. The leaves are high-quality calf vellum; the unprecedentedly elaborate ornamentation that covers them includes ten full-page illustrations and text pages that are vibrant with decorated initials and interlinear miniatures, marking the furthest extension of the anti-classical and energetic qualities of Insular art. The Insular majuscule script of the text itself appears to be the work of at least three different scribes. The lettering is in iron gall ink, and the colours used were derived from a wide range of substances, some of which were imported from distant lands.The manuscript takes its name from the Abbey of Kells, which was its home for centuries. Today, it is on permanent display at Trinity College Library, Dublin. The Library usually displays two of the current four volumes at a time, one showing a major illustration and the other showing typical text pages. The entire manuscript can be viewed on the Library's Digital Collections Repository.

Provides reference to Celtic arts, religious manuscripts, Celtic tradition and art works representing religious life of the time.