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The Wanderings and Homes of Manuscripts

by M. R. James (1862–1936)

  • Free to read
  • 2 hours to read
  • 22 chapters
  • Reading level: 8th & 9th grade

"The Wanderings and Homes of Manuscripts" by M. R. James is a scholarly historical account written in the early 20th century. The book discusses the journey and preservation of manuscripts throughout history, examining where they were produced, how they have been collected, and suggesting methods for studying their histories. It is primarily focused on Greek and Latin manuscripts, with an objective to arouse curiosity in readers about the continuing exploration of manuscript history. At the start of this work, James outlines the significant role manuscripts play in preserving historical records and literary works. He specifically highlights manuscripts from the Eton College collection, providing detailed accounts of various volumes, their origins, and tracing their paths through history. James begins with a few select manuscripts, detailing their features and the circumstances of their acquisition, often interspersing the narrative with anecdotes and historical context that show how these texts have transcended time, ownership, and even geographical barriers. The opening sets a foundation for the broader exploration of manuscript provenance and the many stories embedded within their pages.

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  • Book collecting
  • Manuscripts
  • Books · History · To 400
  • Books · History · 400-1450

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The Wanderings and Homes of Manuscripts

THE Wanderings and Homes of Manuscripts is the title of this book. To have called it the survival and transmission of ancient literature would have been pretentious, but not wholly untruthful. Manuscripts, we all know, are the chief means by which the records and imaginings of twenty centuries have been preserved. It is my purpose to tell where manuscripts were made, and how and in what centres they have been collected, and, incidentally, to suggest some helps for tracing out their history. Naturally the few pages into which the story has to be packed will not give room for any one episode to be treated exhaustively. Enough if I succeed in rousing curiosity and setting some student to work in a field in which an immense amount still remains to be discovered.

In treating of so large a subject as this—for it is a large one—it is not a bad plan to begin with the particular and get gradually to the general.

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Contents

  1. The Wanderings and Homes of Manuscripts
  2. Some Specimen Pedigrees of Mss
  3. The Limits of the Subject
  4. Greek Mss.: Production and Dispersion
  5. European Centres for Greek Mss.: Continental
  6. Greek Mss. In England
  7. Latin Mss
  8. Chronological Survey
  9. Wanderings of Latin Mss.: The Continent
  10. Latin Mss. In England
  11. Catalogues of Mss
  12. The Evidence of Mss. Themselves
  13. English Libraries
  14. English Mss. On the Continent
  15. Remains of Medieval Libraries
  16. Disappearance of Classical and Other Mss
  17. Collectors of Books
  18. Curiosities of Research
  19. The Moral
  20. Bibliographical Note
  21. Footnotes
  22. Helps for Students of History

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About this edition

This free edition of The Wanderings and Homes of Manuscripts by M. R. James comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #28187, released 2009-02-25. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: History - Other, Archaeology & Anthropology.

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