Handwritten and painted in the Middle Ages, the twelve illuminated manuscripts here—among them the oldest known volume of The Canterbury Tales and a 1400 year old Gospel, the oldest book in England—shed light on their world and our own. In this exquisitely illustrated Wolfson History Prize winner, a leading expert on medieval manuscripts introduces us to these priceless artifacts and the kings, saints, artists, librarians, and thieves who have treasured them. Christopher De Hamel explains how these books have been regarded as objects of beauty and symbols of national identity, and how we know who their owners were.