Marking Eternity
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This book is meticulously researched and presented with beautiful colour plates on almost every page. Duffy's devotion to his subject is infectious. Here he writes with a simple lightness of touch which makes for easy reading that remains yet scholarly and accessible. This is a beautiful book to own and keep or to give as a gift. Many finely reproduced images are here available and now lend themselves for all time to thoughtful reflection anywhere. This is a quality product and a worthy tribute to the material which was so cherished and lovingly preserved through the ages by so many classes of people even after the reformation.
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Another 'must have' from Eamon Duffy.
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'Marking the hours' is an excellent companion book to Professor Duffy's 'The Stripping of the Altars' and 'Voices of Morebath'. The main thrust of Duffys arguement in 'Altars' and 'Morebath' is that immediately prior to the Henrician reformation England adherance to Rome was firm and that there was little to suggest that there was an appetite for the non-conformism fomenting on the continent.
'Marking the Hours' is more 'grist to Duffy's mill'. By an examination of the mostly previously ignored marginalia, emendations, additions and deletions to copies of Books of Hours, enscribed and printed between the early 13th century and late 16th century, Duffy replies to historians whose theories run counter to his thesis. This he does methodically and presents his interpretation with typical lucidity.
Duffy seems to have written a canon of his very own and for anyone interested in catholicism in reformation England it needs to be read and 'Marking the Hours' is an original contribution to it and also to the understanding of that time in its generality.
A note on the quality of the book build itself: 'Marking the Hours' contains many splendid reproduction of pages from Books of Hours both expensive and hand written and low budget popular imports; all are pertinant to the text and add hugely to the enjoyment of such an essay. It is also printed on sturdy alkaline paper which gives rise to the hope, at least, that it may last as long as the subjects contained therein.
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