Many have not been seen for centuries. Her gift for explaining paintings not only as an art form but also for their spiritual and theological insights gives this book a contemporary freshness and significance. Whether we consciously accept this or not it is so. The last picture is an artist's glimpse of heaven and the communion of saints set in an earthly frame. The monks and nuns who so painstakingly copied these manuscripts and embellished them so richly between about the sixth and 15th centuries knew there are different ways to praise God in their art.
Some illustrations are simply stark, while others are provocative and often humorous.
It is also possible to trace the development of technique through the centuries. The over all effect of the illumination is stunning. Combined with the text the whole book is a powerful reminder that if Easter hadn't happened, nobody today would pay the slightest attention to Christmas. William Portman is book review editor for the Anglican Journal.