Bestiary, Being an English Version of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, MS Bodley 764

Bestiary: Being an English Version of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, MS Bodley 764, translated by Richard Barber / ISBN 9780851157535 / an attractive 205-page paperback with flaps, 5.5 x 8.5 inches, published by Boydell Press *** A delightful translation of one of the finest, and most beautiful, examples of a medieval Bestiary. Bestiaries are a particularly characteristic product of medieval England, and give a unique insight into the medieval mind. Richly illuminated and lavishly produced, they were luxury objects for noble families. Their three-fold purpose was to provide a natural history of birds, beasts and fishes, to draw moral examples from animal behaviour (the industrious bee, the stubborn ass), and to reveal a mystical meaning - the phoenix, for instance, as a symbol ofChrist's resurrection. This Bestiary, MS Bodley 764, was produced around the middle of the thirteenth century and is of singular beauty and interest. The lively illustrations have the freedom and naturalistic qu