RESOURCES FOR MANUSCRIPTS ONLINE AND ON MANUSCRIPT STUDIES (PALAEOGRAPHY, PHILOLOGY, CODICOLOGY, AND DIGITAL/ELECTRONIC PHILOLOGY)
This list was first compiled for our meeting of 2011-01-13. It includes resources already listed on ERS Resources, some more added from Meta-meta-medieval, and yet more gleaned from fresh online research. All links are for free, publicly-available and -accessible resources; and they open in new windows/tabs. Caveats: This list is only intended as a starting-point, and to provide a sample of the riches available online. It is very far from being comprehensive or even complete, but does include resources beyond Romance vernaculars (e.g. Latin), for practical reasons.
→ Manuscripts online: libraries
→ Manuscripts online: virtual collections
→ Manuscripts and manuscript studies online: general-purpose links and meta-sites
→ Making sense of manuscripts: palaeography and codicology—terms, online courses, bibliographies
→ The next steps: digital philology and hypertext projects
→ → SUPER-STELLAR SUPER-SITES: meta-sites, one-stop resource-shops, portals, gateways, etc.
→ → Complete alphabetical list of all the resources on manuscripts and for manuscript studies listed above
SEE ALSO: Online resources for Early Romance studies, our main resources page
MANUSCRIPTS ONLINE: SOME MAJOR LIBRARY SITES WITH DIGITISED MANUSCRIPTS
Finding manuscripts: at the institutional and national levels; for more on the national and international scales, see also next section, VIRTUAL COLLECTIONS. Besides offering direct views of manuscripts, the sites listed below lead to library catalogues (including those for manuscripts, rare books, special collections, and microfilms).
Bibliothèque Nationale de France: Gallica, Bibliothèque numérique
BNF: Mandragore
The British Library Digital Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts
British Library Digitised Manuscripts
e-codices: Virtual Manuscript Library of Switzerland
Handschriften: Handschriften, Inkunabeln und frühe Drucke (c/o Mediaevum.de, the Medieval German internet portal): digitised manuscripts, catalogues, etc.
Illuminare (Centre for the Study of the Illuminated Manuscript, Leuven): some digitised manuscripts
Knights of Columbus Vatican Film Library (St Louis U): he largest number of Vatican Library manuscripts on microfilm outside the Vatican City.
Det Kongelike Bibliothek / The Danish Royal Library: E-manuscripts
Koninklijke Bibliotheek / National Library of the Netherlands Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts
Medieval Nordic Text Archives (MENOTA): links to libraries (in Scandinavia and worldwide) with notable Nordic holdings; also useful for links to these libraries’ catalogues, for other purposes…
Oxford University: Early manuscripts; see especially, Bodleian Library: Western manuscripts to c.1500: Browse images
SULAIR: medieval manuscripts at Stanford University
Vivarium: Hill Museum and Manuscript Library
Manuscripts at the Warburg: see INSTITUTIONAL COLLECTIONS WITH COMPLETE MANUSCRIPTS – SOME INDIVIDUAL MANUSCRIPTS
MANUSCRIPTS ONLINE: VIRTUAL COLLECTIONS
Searching for manuscripts: virtual libraries, meta-catalogues, cross- and inter-collection databases.
Arlima – Archives de littérature du Moyen Âge: Notices de manuscrits. [Names of countries are linked to pages with further links to national libraries etc.]
APICES (Association paléographique internationale: culture, écriture, société): international index of medieval manuscripts and incunabula recently acquired by public libraries
ARTStor: subscription only–UBC link here (library card number or CWL login)
Catalogue of Digitized Medieval Manuscripts: About Us (CMRS, UCLA): fully digitized manuscripts currently available on the web. See especially Browse by Title
Comité international de paléographie latine: catalogues de manuscrits datés (bibliography)
DScriptorium: “devoted to collecting, storing and distributing digital images of Medieval manuscripts (D is for Digital)”
Digital Scriptorium: “image database of medieval and renaissance manuscripts that unites scattered resources from many institutions into an international tool for teaching and scholarly research.”
Handschriften: Handschriften, Inkunabeln und frühe Drucke (c/o Mediaevum.de, the Medieval German internet portal): digitised manuscripts, catalogues, etc.
Index of Christian Art (Princeton U): subscription only–UBC link here (library card number or CWL login)
Index of Medieval Manuscripts/Index des Manuscrits Médiévaux (U of Saskatchewan)
La Trobe University Library Medieval Music Database (last updated 2007; music dept closed 1999; I’m listing this as it’s still an invaluable resource)
Manuscript Studies Medieval and Early Modern (University of Alberta): Links: see LIBRARIES: GENERAL WEB SITES–EXHIBITION SITES–CATALOGUES
Manuscripta Mediaevalia: manuscript database. See “Handschriften” for digitised manuscripts, “Handschiftensammlungen” for links to libraries and collections in Germany and worldwide, and “Handschriftenkatalogue” to search for manuscripts by library, language, etc.
Medieval Manuscripts on the Web (Siân Echart, UBC)
Meta-meta-medieval: material sources (Juliet O’Brien, UBC)
Pécia: Livres d’heures
Pécia (blog): Le manuscrit médiéval
Schoenberg Database of Manuscripts (U Penn)
Senate House Library (U of London): Gateways: electronic resources for manuscript studies. See: DIGITAL FACSIMILES–IMAGE DATABASES–MANUSCRIPT CATALOGUES–
Tennessee Bob’s List of links: scroll down to MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS (REAL AND VIRTUAL)
Manuscripts at the Warburg: see ONLINE FACSIMILES – MICROFILM COLLECTIONS – THEMATIC COLLECTIONS & IMAGE DATABASES – UNION CATALOGUES – THEMATIC CATALOGUES
MANUSCRIPTS AND MANUSCRIPT STUDIES: FURTHER & FULLER ONLINE RESOURCES
The world of manuscripts: about, on, around, for, regarding, and otherwise pertaining to manuscripts, their study, and manuscript culture. Includes gateways, portals, and meta-sites. Three stars = one of the super-stellar super-sites.
Digital Medievalist: for news on freshly-digitised manuscripts, new projects, and updates on the current state of affairs of online medievalism (including manuscripts and manuscript studies)
ERS Resources Cultural for more about manuscripts and manuscript culture more broadly
***Handschriften: Handschriften, Inkunabeln und frühe Drucke (c/o Mediaevum.de, the Medieval German internet portal): digitised manuscripts, catalogues, indices, further links, palaeography resources, bibliographies.
John Lydgate Project (University of Alberta): Medieval manuscripts and their decoration: excellent links
***Manuscript Studies Medieval and Early Modern (U of Alberta): Links
Medieval Manuscripts Online: on the digitisation of medieval manuscripts: for links to online resources, and for news on freshly-digitised manuscripts and new projects.
***Ménestrel: Médiévistes sur le net: stellar links
***Pécia (blog): Le manuscrit médiéval. Includes excellent links.
***PIMS: Engines of Electronic Enterprise (Pontifical Institute for Medieval Studies, U of Toronto): outstanding collection (verily, a library) of links; for present purposes, see MANUSCRIPTS AND INCUNABULA
Tennessee Bob’s List of links: Palaeography and codicology
***Manuscripts at the Warburg: see PORTALS – SOME RESOURCES
MAKING SENSE OF MANUSCRIPTS
Practicalities: terminology, online courses, bibliographies, electronic philology.
Comité international de paléographie latine: lexique international de codicologie (bibliography)
École nationale des chartes
Free Library of Philadelphia – Medieval Manuscript: Glossary; their manuscripts are accessible c/o Digital Scriptorium
Handschriften, Inkunabeln und frühe Drucke (c/o Mediaevum.de, the Medieval German internet portal): palaeography resources, bibliographies.
Institut de recherche et d’histoire des textes (IRHT)
IRHT: Vocabulaire codicologique: Répertoire méthodique des termes français relatifs aux manuscrits
Manuscript Studies Medieval and Early Modern (University of Alberta): online course
Manuscript Studies Medieval and Early Modern (U of Alberta): Links: “Web courses and interactive sites: possible models for an online course in manuscript studies”
Medieval Manuscript Manual (Central European University)
Medieval Palaeography: online tutorial, glossary of terms, diplomatics, introductory bibliography
Medieval Writing (John & Dianne Tillotson, emeriti of ANU)
Ménestrel: Lire manuscrits et archives: bibliography, plus links to online resources
The National Archives (UK): Palaeography tutorial
Paleographisches Lesetraining (U Passau)
Paleography and Codicology: Introductory Bibliography (Georgetown U)
Senate House Library (U of London): Gateways: electronic resources for manuscript studies. See: ABBREVIATIONS–DIGITAL PALAEOGRAPHY–MANUSCRIPT STUDIES COURSES–PALAEOGRAPHY COURSES & TOOLS
Thélème. Techniques pour l’historien en ligne : études, manuels, exercices: palaeography and codicology resources for all levels
Thélème: bibliographie de paléographie
Eric Camille Voirin – Cours de paléographie
Manuscripts at the Warburg: see TUTORIALS
THE NEXT STEPS….
An introduction to the world of hypermedievalism and electronic philology; followed by some sample hyperprojects.
Centre for Mediaeval Studies Leonard Boyle: bibliography for electronic palaeography
Digital Medievalist
Manuscripts at the Warburg: see MANUSCRIPT STUDIES & THE DIGITAL HUMANITIES
Medieval Nordic Text Archive (Menota): see especially the downloadable Handbook (very useful for e-philology and editing)
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Archimedes Palimpsest
Electronic Ælfric Project
Electronic Beowulf
The Electronic Boethius Project
The Electronic Canterbury Tales: An Online Companion and Compendium to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales
Lives of Saints: The Medieval French Hagiography Project
The Medieval Bestiary
The Online Froissart
Partonopeus Project
The Princeton Charrette Project
Roman de la Rose Project
The Timaeus Project
SUPER-STELLAR SUPER-SITES
The star rating is simply based on that of the Guides Michelin:
***ARTStor: subscription only–UBC link here (library card number or CWL login)
***Bibliothèque Nationale de France: Gallica, Bibliothèque numérique
***Catalogue of Digitized Medieval Manuscripts (CMRS, UCLA)
***DScriptorium
***Digital Scriptorium
***École nationale des chartes
***Institut de recherche et d’histoire des textes (IRHT)
***Index of Christian Art (Princeton U): subscription only–UBC link here (library card number or CWL login)
***Manuscript Studies Medieval and Early Modern (University of Alberta)
***Mediaevum.de: Handschriften: Handschriften, Inkunabeln und frühe Drucke
***Ménestrel: Médiévistes sur le net
***Pécia (blog): Le manuscrit médiéval
***PIMS: Engines of Electronic Enterprise (Pontifical Institute for Medieval Studies, U of Toronto)
***Schoenberg Database of Manuscripts (U Penn)
***Senate House Library: Gateways (U of London)
***Thélème. Techniques pour l’historien en ligne
***Manuscripts at the Warburg
COMPLETE ALPHABETIC LIST OF MANUSCRIPT RESOURCES
Archimedes Palimpsest: example of hyperproject
Arlima – Archives de littérature du Moyen Âge: Notices de manuscrits. [Names of countries are linked to pages with further links to national libraries etc.]
APICES (Association paléographique internationale: culture, écriture, société): international index of medieval manuscripts and incunabula recently acquired by public libraries
***ARTStor: subscription only–UBC link here (library card number or CWL login): virtual library and database
***Bibliothèque Nationale de France: Gallica, Bibliothèque numérique: digitised manuscripts; see elsewhere on Gallica for an assortment of resources about manuscripts and manuscript culture
BNF: Mandragore: digitised manuscripts
The British Library Digital Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts: digitised manuscripts
British Library Digitised Manuscripts: digitised manuscripts
***Catalogue of Digitized Medieval Manuscripts (CMRS, UCLA): fully digitized manuscripts currently available on the web. See especially Browse by Title
Centre for Mediaeval Studies Leonard Boyle: bibliography for electronic palaeography
Comité international de paléographie latine: (CIPL) catalogues de manuscrits datés (bibliography)
CIPL: lexique international de codicologie (bibliography, practicalities–terminology)
Digital Medievalist: for news on freshly-digitised manuscripts, new projects, and updates on the current state of affairs of online medievalism (including manuscripts and manuscript studies)
***DScriptorium: “devoted to collecting, storing and distributing digital images of Medieval manuscripts (D is for Digital)”: virtual library and database
***Digital Scriptorium: “image database of medieval and renaissance manuscripts that unites scattered resources from many institutions into an international tool for teaching and scholarly research.” Virtual library and database.
e-codices: Virtual Manuscript Library of Switzerland: digitised manuscripts, links to libraries
***École nationale des chartes
Electronic Ælfric Project
Electronic Beowulf
The Electronic Boethius Project
The Electronic Canterbury Tales: An Online Companion and Compendium to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales
ERS Resources Cultural for more about manuscripts and manuscript culture more broadly: all aspects of manuscript culture
Free Library of Philadelphia – Medieval Manuscript: Glossary: practicalities–terminology
***Institut de recherche et d’histoire des textes (IRHT)
IRHT: Vocabulaire codicologique: Répertoire méthodique des termes français relatifs aux manuscrits: practicalities–terminology
Illuminare (Centre for the Study of the Illuminated Manuscript, Leuven): some digitised manuscripts
***Index of Christian Art (Princeton U): subscription only–UBC link here (library card number or CWL login)
Index of Medieval Manuscripts/Index des Manuscrits Médiévaux (U of Saskatchewan): virtual collection, cross-collection database of manuscripts online
Knights of Columbus Vatican Film Library (St Louis U): he largest number of Vatican Library manuscripts on microfilm outside the Vatican City.
Det Kongelike Bibliothek / The Danish Royal Library: E-manuscripts: digitised manuscripts
Koninklijke Bibliotheek / National Library of the Netherlands Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts: digitised manuscripts
La Trobe University Library Medieval Music Database (last updated 2007; music dept closed 1999; I’m listing this as it’s still an invaluable resource)
Lives of Saints: The Medieval French Hagiography Project: exemplary hyperproject
John Lydgate Project (University of Alberta): Medieval manuscripts and their decoration: excellent links
***Manuscript Studies Medieval and Early Modern (University of Alberta): Links: all aspects of medieval manuscript studies
Manuscript Studies Medieval and Early Modern (University of Alberta): online course
Manuscript Studies Medieval and Early Modern (U of Alberta): Links: “Web courses and interactive sites: possible models for an online course in manuscript studies”
Manuscripta Mediaevalia: digitised manuscripts, catalogues, indices, manuscript database, further links, palaeography resources, bibliographies. See “Handschriften” for digitised manuscripts, “Handschiftensammlungen” for links to libraries and collections in Germany and worldwide, and “Handschriftenkatalogue” to search for manuscripts by library, language, etc.
Medieval Palaeography: online tutorial, glossary of terms, diplomatics, introductory bibliography
***Mediaevum.de: Handschriften: Handschriften, Inkunabeln und frühe Drucke (the Medieval German internet portal): digitised manuscripts, catalogues, palaeography resources, bibliographie, etc.
The Medieval Bestiary: example of hyperproject
Medieval Manuscript Manual (Central European University): online course, useful for TEI-standard electronic editing
Medieval Manuscripts on the Web (Siân Echart, UBC): libraries, virtual libraries/cross-collection databases, online tutorials, some hyperprojects
Medieval Manuscripts Online: on the digitisation of medieval manuscripts: for links to online resources, and for news on freshly-digitised manuscripts and new projects.
Medieval Nordic Text Archives (MENOTA): links to libraries (in Scandinavia and worldwide) with notable Nordic holdings; also useful for links to these libraries’ catalogues, for other (non-Nordic) purposes; see especially the downloadable Handbook (very useful for e-philology and editing)
Medieval Writing (John & Dianne Tillotson, emeriti of ANU): online course and other practical aspects
***Ménestrel: Médiévistes sur le net: stellar links to online resources for all imaginable aspects of manuscript studies
Ménestrel: Lire manuscrits et archives: bibliography, plus links
Meta-meta-medieval: material sources (Juliet O’Brien, UBC): digitised manuscripts, libraries, virtual libraries, databases, etc.
The National Archives (UK): Palaeography tutorial: online course
The Online Froissart: digitised manuscripts and exemplary hyperproject
Oxford University: Early manuscripts; see especially, Bodleian Library: Western manuscripts to c.1500: Browse images: digitised manuscripts
Paleographisches Lesetraining (U Passau): online course
Paleography and Codicology: Introductory Bibliography (Georgetown U): bibliography
Partonopeus Project: digitised manuscripts and exemplary hyperproject
Pécia: Livres d’heures: digitised manuscript
***Pécia (blog): Le manuscrit médiéval. Includes excellent links: libraries, virtual collections, databases, digitised manuscripts online, practicalities of work with manuscript, etc.
***PIMS: Engines of Electronic Enterprise (Pontifical Institute for Medieval Studies, U of Toronto): outstanding collection (verily, a library) of links; for present purposes, see MANUSCRIPTS AND INCUNABULA
The Princeton Charrette Project: digitised manuscripts and exemplary hyperproject
Roman de la Rose Project: digitised manuscripts and exemplary hyperproject
***Schoenberg Database of Manuscripts (U Penn): cross- and inter-collection manuscript database
***Senate House Library (U of London): Gateways: electronic resources for manuscript studies. See: DIGITAL FACSIMILES–IMAGE DATABASES–MANUSCRIPT CATALOGUES–ABBREVIATIONS–DIGITAL PALAEOGRAPHY–MANUSCRIPT STUDIES COURSES–PALAEOGRAPHY COURSES & TOOLS
SULAIR: medieval manuscripts at Stanford University
Tennessee Bob’s List of links: scroll down to MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS (REAL AND VIRTUAL) – PALAEOGRAPHY – CODICOLOGY: libraries, virtual collections, digitised manuscripts, practical resources, bibliographies
***Thélème. Techniques pour l’historien en ligne : études, manuels, exercices: palaeography and codicology resources for all levels
Thélème: bibliographie de paléographie: bibliography
The Timaeus Project: example of hyperproject
Vivarium: Hill Museum and Manuscript Library: digitised manuscripts (virtual library)
Eric Camille Voirin – Cours de paléographie: online course
***Manuscripts at the Warburg: see INSTITUTIONAL COLLECTIONS WITH COMPLETE MANUSCRIPTS – SOME INDIVIDUAL MANUSCRIPTS – ONLINE FACSIMILES – MICROFILM COLLECTIONS – THEMATIC COLLECTIONS & IMAGE DATABASES – UNION CATALOGUES – THEMATIC CATALOGUES – PORTALS – SOME RESOURCES – TUTORIALS – MANUSCRIPT STUDIES & THE DIGITAL HUMANITIES