The earliest Irish and English bookarts

Stevick (English, U. of Washington) analyzes the mathematical proportions of illuminated pages and narrative poems in English and Irish manuscripts from the seventh through the tenth centuries. He finds that illustrators, scribes, book designers, and even poets all drew from the same geometrical and mathematical patterns and proportions. He speculates somewhat on the spiritual significance of the patterns or their origin in specific monastic training, but largely keeps his focus on how the artists worked their craft. Highly illustrated in black and white. Indexed by subject and proportion. Of interest to historians of architecture as well as of art. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.