History in flames
the destruction and survival of medieval manuscripts
- ISBN: 9781009457156
- Editorial: Cambridge University Press
- Fecha de la edición: 2024
- Lugar de la edición: Cambridge . Reino Unido
- Encuadernación: Cartoné
- Medidas: 23 cm
- Nº Pág.: 220
- Idiomas: Inglés
To what extent does our knowledge of the past rely upon written sources? And what happens when these sources are destroyed? Focusing on the manuscripts of the Middle Ages, History in Flames explores cases in which large volumes of written material were destroyed during a single day. This destruction didn't occur by accident of fire or flood but by human forces such as arson, shelling and bombing. This book examines the political and military events that preceded the moment of destruction, from the Franco-Prussian War and the Irish Civil War to the complexities of World War II; it analyses the material lost and how it came to be where it was. At the same time, it discusses the heroic efforts made by scholars and archivists to preserve these manuscripts, even partially. History in Flames reminds us that historical knowledge rests on material remains, and that these remains are vulnerable.
Preface
Our knowledge of the past
Libraries and archives
What has been lost?
A narrow escape: Beowulf
'Away with the learning of the clerks!'
Strasbourg, 24 August 1870: The garden of delights
Dublin, 30 June 1922: The Public Record House of Ireland
Naples, 30 September 1943: The State Archive
Hanover, 9 October 1943: The Ebstorf Map
Chartes, 26 May 1944: The Municipal Library
