Listen :
Availability:
Available to listen.
Last broadcast on Tue, 3 Jan 2012, 21:30 on BBC Radio 4 (see all broadcasts).
Synopsis
In the second instalment of his survey of the written word, Melvyn Bragg traces the evolution of writing technology from the time of classical antiquity to the invention of printing. He discovers the origins of the book, and encounters the earliest surviving intact example in the Western world.
Producer: Thomas Morris.
Gutenberg Bible
An overall view of the paper copy of the Gutenberg Bible held at the British Library.
The British Library's copy of the Gutenberg Bible printed on paper was transferred as part of the King's Library to the British Museum in 1828. It had been acquired by George III (1738-1820) at an unknown date.
Image copyright British Library Board
Gutenberg Bible - the copy on vellum
The British Library's copy of the Gutenberg Bible printed on vellum was bequeathed to the British Museum by Thomas Grenville in 1846.
Image copyright British Library Board
Gutenberg Bible
Details of an illuminated page in the paper version of the Gutenberg Bible at the British Library.
Image copyright British Library Board
More details about the decoration at the British Library website
St Cuthbert Gospel
The 7th century St Cuthbert Gospel - the earliest intact European book.
A manuscript copy of the Gospel of St John, the St Cuthbert Gospel was produced in the North of England in the late 7th century and was buried alongside St Cuthbert on Lindisfarne, apparently in 698, and later found in the saint’s coffin at Durham Cathedral in 1104. It has a beautifully-worked original red leather binding in excellent condition, and is the only surviving high-status manuscript from this crucial period in British history to retain its original appearance, both inside and out.
Image copyright British Library Board
More about the St Cuthbert Gospel and the campaign to acquire it
St Cuthbert Gospel
Detail of a page from the St Cuthbert Gospel, produced in the North of England in the late 7th century.
Image copyright British Library Board
Broadcasts
-
Tue 3 Jan 201209:00
-
Tue 3 Jan 201221:30
© 2012~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~25~RS~){kind=small}