"A masterful exploration of medieval Britain through twelve extraordinary illuminated manuscripts, each a window into the intellectual, artistic, and spiritual landscapes of its time. Few scholars know these books as intimately as Brown, who draws on her expertise as a trailblazing curator and leading researcher to enrich this book with insight into their materiality, craftsmanship, and historical resonance. With characteristic erudition and clarity, Brown brings to life the people who commissioned, created, and used these manuscripts, not only as textual artefacts but as objects of devotion, labour, and cultural exchange. By weaving palaeography, codicology, and historical narrative into a compelling whole, Illumino sheds light not only on these marvellous books, but on how these books have shaped the modern world."

Andrew Dunning, R. W. Hunt Curator of Medieval Manuscripts at the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford

"To read this book is to be apprenticed to a master of her craft, to imbibe a lifetime’s learning, and to learn the history of illumination (and of Britain) from its pages and its pictures. Art, history, philosophy, theology, philosophy, psychology, and culture shine through the paintings and are unpacked in Brown’s prose. Through this marvelous work, the rich adornment of the page becomes the rich adornment of our minds and imaginations."

Michael Lloyd, principal of Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford