Miraculous: medieval manuscripts is a rare opportunity to see a diverse range of books from Auckland Libraries’ exceptional collection of medieval manuscripts. The exhibition runs from 16 August until 11 November 2023 at Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero, the Central City Library.
This audio playlist compliments the exhibition with two talks from rare book specialist Georgia Prince's Meet a Rare Book series. Listen to the tracks below to hear Georgia talk about what makes these books special, why and how they were made, and how they found their way into our public library.
Boethius and Fragments
In this session we get up close with the 15th Century French manuscript the Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius, followed by a discussion of some fragments of very early medieval manuscripts found as part of the binding of a bible printed in 1480.
You can see these books in the exhibition in Case 7 and Case 4.
This track was recorded in 2019 as part of a series of talks delivered by rare book specialist Georgia Prince.
Meet a Rare Book - The Besancon missal
Listen to Georgia Prince talk about one of Auckland Libraries' particularly beautiful medieval manuscripts, the Besancon missal, created in 1470. Discover how medieval manuscripts were created and why they have always been luxury objects. The process of making the vellum, sourcing the best pigments, and commissioning the best artists and apprentices were time-consuming and expensive tasks.
You can see the Besancon missal on display in the Level 2 Atrium during the month of September.
This track was recorded on 3 August 2021 for the Meet a Rare Book Collection.