A brief and idiosyncratic survey of manuscript studies, written in James' very characteristically delightful style. A representative passage: "This little episode is one that demonstrates, in a rather pleasant way, the value of the study of handwritings and of the inscriptions written by scribes; the light it throws on the history of scholarship is unexpected, and is worth having" (p. 18).

James offers up brief summaries of manuscript production and then tracks various large manuscript libraries through their various dispersions and meanderings. He offers up some hints (many still useful) for identifying manuscripts based on their inscriptions or distinctive shelfmarks, and surveys surviving medieval libraries in England. Near the close of the book James offers a brief section on early English manuscript collectors: Richard de Bury ("I am inclined to think that he was a humbug"), John Tiptoft, and later Cotton, Parker, Bale, and Dee.

James' ultimate section is worth quoting at length, as it still holds quite true, and not just about manuscripts: "The moral is: Be inquisitive. See books for yourself; do not trust that the cataloguer has told you everything. I am a cataloguer myself, and I know that, try as he may, a worker of that class cannot hope to know or to see every detail that is of importance. The creature is human, and on some days his mind is less alert than on others. ... But in spite of the imperfections of cataloguers, catalogues must be used, and they must be read and not only referred to."

A delightful little book. ( )