In the original dustsheet. Tan cloth binding with gilt title on the spine.

• F.B.A. provides an in-depth photographic presentation of this item to stimulate your feeling and touch. More traditional book descriptions are immediately available.

The reasons for my fatuous title are as follows. Can you afford the time and expense to visit all the museums and libraries and collections on two continents? Or how about just England; the Bodleian, Fitzwilliam and British Museum and V & A? And what happens when you get to these sites. A view through heavy glass in subdued light of a couple of pages selected by the curator. Another visit at a later time to see if there are fresh pages to view? Then repeat. So this book has eighty nine illustrations of which seventy two are in full colour. The format of the book is quite large so detail can be examined. The text is expert without being too dry, and there are numerous references for further study. There are selected illustrations from thirty plus books and can be best enjoyed with a reasonable quality reading glass type magnifier.

Review: I bought this for one penny plus postage so what is not to like ? It takes specific books of hours, reproduces one or two pages from each, and provides a commentary on the owners – who, when, their lives – and the manuscript pages. Information on the latter includes some explanation of iconography, personal references etc. including information which is not readily accessible to the general reader. It also gives specific references to where the manuscript currently is, approximate date, style, liturgical usage , size etc.. which is very helpful when using this as an academic reference book. There is a handy chapter on nature, contents and use by owners of books of hours which is lucid and succinct. Some of what is here may have been superseded by later research but it remains a really useful book – and a bargain.