Ships and Shipping in Medieval Manuscripts

Citation

Dobreva, M. (2010), "Ships and Shipping in Medieval Manuscripts", Library Review, Vol. 59 No. 9, pp. 718-719. https://doi.org/10.1108/00242531011087042

Opening this book, the reader is immediately fascinated with the richness and beauty of illustrations: 150 images from eleventh to sixteenth century medieval manuscripts from the collections of the British Library are by all means a captivating material to examine and enjoy. But bringing together such a remarkable collection, thematically bound around ships and shipping, is definitely not the only merit of this book. It is incredible to see how many social aspects of life in eleventh to sixteenth century medieval Europe the theme of ships can be used to highlight.

The content of the book is structured in four chapters, addressing various aspects of imagery related to ships in medieval manuscripts. The first chapter highlights the place of illuminated manuscripts in the medieval society, and the relationships between texts and images; it provides the necessary context to understand better the importance of manuscripts as a cultural phenomenon. The second chapter explores the symbolic meaning of water and travel; it contains a rich set of examples from Christian religious texts which are often based on pagan beliefs. The difference between the sweet and salty water is addressed in detail. The third chapter presents the evolution of shipping technology as it is reflected in the illuminated manuscripts; part of the evolution of shipping is closely connected to the military technology and also to warfare tactics. The final chapter investigates aspects of narrative, space and place covering multiple aspects of lifestyle, shipping and industry. The chronological and thematic coverage of the book are impressive; I am not aware of any other publication which addresses the theme of ships and shipping in such level of detail and from such well balanced complementary points of view.

The book brings together, in a unique way, the everyday and the imaginative: the people (sailors and fishermen, carpenters and other craftsmen but also artists who worked on illuminated manuscripts) and the mythological creatures (mermaids, sirens or Leviathan); and the spaces which the ships connected (coasts, rivers and seas) and the deep spiritual meaning of travel.

The importance of ships for the human culture is beyond doubt. The extent to which symbols related to water travel appear as synonyms for adventures and discovery of the surrounding world is amazing. To give just one example, could anyone really count how many children in the UK grew up impatiently expecting to see, twice a week, the blue and white flag after which the BBC's Blue Peter show had been named? Even if they were not aware that this flag is used in maritime communication to indicate that a vessel will depart in the next 24 h, they knew that this flag is linked to discoveries and adventures. Similarly, this book offers a trip into the past and provides an enjoyable experience for everyone interested in history and human culture.