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Manuscripts

Medieval and later manuscripts, charters, letters and archives.

An illuminated manuscript leaf on vellum with a gilded initial, resting on grey felt

1 question

  • What counts as a manuscript?

    Any document written by hand rather than printed: a medieval codex or leaf, a literary draft, a musical autograph, a diary, a ledger or a working notebook. What distinguishes a manuscript from an autograph letter is that it is composed rather than corresponded.

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Related guides

A small book of hours open on a foam cradle beside a bone folder and cotton gloves

3 min read

Collecting Manuscripts

An introduction to manuscript collecting: how manuscripts are dated and localised, what a single leaf can and cannot tell you, and the particular questions that attach to handwritten material.

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Handwritten literary manuscript leaves with inked corrections beside a pair of spectacles

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Collecting Literary Manuscripts

Literary manuscripts record how a work came to be. This guide explains the kinds of material that survive, how a draft is valued against a fair copy, and the particular questions raised by modern literary archives.

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An eighteenth-century indenture on vellum with a pendant seal, partly unrolled

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Collecting Historical Documents

Historical documents are the working paper of government, law and commerce. This guide explains the principal categories, how they are dated and read, and the questions of title that attach to official records.

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