The BYU Idaho Special Collections & A Book of Hours

The reverse side of a page from a Book of Hours.

A few weeks back, I arranged a mini field trip to the McKay library for my Book Arts class. I have not taken advantage of other universities special collections much, but though the BYUI collection may be modest, they do have some beautiful antique books in their collection, and what's more, they have a hands-on policy which is delightful. 

It was wonderful for me to see Medieval books, and a delicate, tiny page from a Medieval Book of Hours. I've been fascinated by  for years, and Medieval manuscripts and illustration for years. One of the most well known is the Luttrell Psalter, which depicts everyday life in the 14th century really beautifully. Here is an article about it from the British Library where it is held. 

A closeup of one of the pages of the Luttrell Psalter, British Library

Here are a few photos from our visit to the Special Collections:

The front of the page from the Medieval Book of Hours (reverse side seen above).

They had non-paper examples of 'books' as well.

I really appreciated how they included a sampler as a written form of expression too.

I feel really lucky to have this resource available to me, and plan on going back to further study the books in their collection. I've also felt inspired since this visit to make my own Book of Hours (a more modest version of one), so we'll see! 

A sketch I made to put into my Book of Hours.