The Book of Illumination by Mary Ann Winkowski Read Free Book Online

Perkins—my boss.”
    “When was this?”
    “Sometime in June. The letters had been addressed to Finny, so it took a while before they were forwarded to Tad. He was in France for the summer.”
    She gave me a look, but I wasn’t sure what it meant.
    “You’d think he would have picked up the phone.”
    I nodded. “What did they say?”
    Sylvia stood up and brushed dust from the books off her skirt.
    “We shall see,” she said.
    The British Library
    96 Euston Road
    London NW12DB
    ENGLAND
    Dear Mr. Winslow and Ms. Cremaldi:
    Thank you for your interest in the British Library and for your intriguing letter regarding the illuminated manuscript in your possession. It is, no doubt, a precious treasure, and I should have been overjoyed to be able to validate your suspicion that it might be the legendary lost manuscript of Kildare.
    Sadly, however, I cannot, for I am among those not persuaded that the so-called Book of Kildare ever actually existed. I took the liberty of sharing your letter (in confidence, of course) with two trusted colleagues, Professor Julian Rowan at the Royal Foundation for Illuminated Manuscripts and Dr. Susan McCasson at the Windsor Institute of Art. They share my opinion on the mystery of the manuscript and know of no recent findings in our field that might call our shared conclusions into question.
    It is, of course, well documented that Giraldus Cabrenses (Gerald of Wales) paid a twelfth-century visit to St. Brigid’s Abbey in Cill-Dara. Many historians believe, and ProfessorRowan, Dr. McCasson, and I are among them, that the book he examined there, the book he described as being so exquisite that it had to be “the work of an angel, and not of a man” was none other than the well-known Book of Kells.
    Undoubtedly you are aware that the Book of Kells has been safely in the possession of Trinity College, Dublin, since 1661. Though I would love to be proven wrong, our research has yet to yield any persuasive evidence that a second manuscript of this magnificent caliber emerged from the scriptorium at “the Church of the Oak.” Would that it were so!
    I do believe that I may be able to help you, though, and I would be happy to do so. We have in our possession, thanks to the generosity of the bibliophile and collector Charles Burney, an illuminated manuscript that has come to be known as the “Glossed Gospel of Luke.” This manuscript is believed to have been produced in the west country of England sometime between 1150 and 1180.
    From your description, I am of the opinion that the book you have in your possession may be English in origin and may date from roughly the same period as the volume we possess. There is even a slim chance that it may have emerged from the selfsame scriptorium.
    I shall be coming to Boston in early October. Lady Annabel Barnes, a dear friend and patron of the British Library, is donating her collection of theatrical and literary papers to the Houghton Library at Harvard, and the university has planned a weekend symposium to celebrate her bequest.
    My visit is scheduled for October 10—11, after which I plan to spend time with friends in Vermont, returning to London on November 2. I should be happy to meet with you to examine the manuscript and advise you if I can.
    Please be in touch with my office before September 21 ifyou would like to meet. I shall be traveling on business for the two weeks prior to my departure for Boston. My best wishes to you both.
    Sincerely yours
,
James Wescott, Curator
Manuscript Department
The British Library

    We were sitting on a bench on the Commonwealth Mall, a luxuriant pedestrian boulevard running between eight tasteful blocks of ersatz French brownstones. It was turning out to be a beautiful day, air and sky alike having been washed clean by the overnight storm. The late-morning sun was bright and crisp, the nearly cloudless sky a deep blue, the bark on the linden and sweetgum trees dampened to shades of deep silver and slate.
    “Why