THE BOOK OF KELLS

Bracken Books, London, 1988.  ISBN 1-85170-035-8.  Hard cover, 138 pages.  Black cloth with gold lettering on spine; some marks on boards; binding cracked in areas with plates but all pages secure, headbands.  Dust jacket has light edge wear; some scuffs and rubs, a few colour chips and light creases.  Gift inscription and decorative sticker on FEP; remainder of interior clean and unmarked; 24 colour plate pages (a few have blue lines on the page which could be a possible manufacturing flaw).  ‘This is a facsimile reprint of The Book of Kells, second edition, originally published by The Studio Ltd, 1920 with additional material taken from An Enquiry Into The Art of the Illuminated Manuscript of the Middle Ages, by Johan Adolf Bruun.’ (from copyright page)  ‘In this famous commentary, Sullivan traces the historical background and origins of the manuscript and places it as a ninth century manuscript … Certainly, the manuscript survived many vicissitudes; the Abbey of Kells was sacked and pillaged during the tenth century; thieves sought its gold-studded cover.  It was in the possession of the monastery at Kells at the time of its dissolution under Henry VIII on 18^th November 1539, and was latterly acquired by Bishop Ussher, who was employed by King James I to collect antiquities relating to the Church.  Five years after Ussher’s death in 1661, it was transferred to Trintity College, Dublin, where it still resides.’ (from front flap)