The Role of the Scroll: An Illustrated Introduction to Scrolls in the Middle Ages

The Role of the Scroll answers the question of why scrolls were made when it was possible to produce books. Scrolls were the standard form of book in Western antiquity but from the fourth century onward, the codex began to outnumber scrolls. And yet, people in the Middle Ages continued to make them.

In these colourful pages, the reader will discover remarkable scrolls that range from showy court documents for empresses to tiny amulets for pregnant women, from pilgrimage maps to small, portable actors scrolls. An alchemical recipe for gold gives a glimpse into medieval life as a metalsmith and a lengthy list of gifts for Queen Elizabeth I enables the reader to observe a court party. Lively and accessible, The Role of the Scroll is essential readingand viewingfor anyone interested in how people have kept record of life through the ages.