British Library Diary 2005: 2005 by British Library
The British Library has an unrivalled collection of illuminated medieval manuscripts, many of which are a major source of information about everyday life in the Middle Ages. This year's British Library Diary draws on some of the most beautiful, colourful and detailed of these to show scenes of farming, eating, music-making, courtship and chivalry. Many of the illustrations are outstanding works of art in their own right, being taken from manuscripts famous for the quality of their illuminations. The diary includes exquisite images from one of the most famous manuscripts in the world - The Luttrell Psalter, written and illuminated early in the fourteenth century for Sir Geoffrey Luttrell of Irnham in Lincolnshire and detailing the day by day account of life in the countryside - servants preparing and cooking meals, a board game played in the garden and even a boy stealing cherries from a tree. The diary is elegantly produced, in a week-to-view format with a full-page colour picture on every spread and a ribbon marker. It is packed with useful information, including national holidays for Britain, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA.