It has long been a truism that the Bible is the most-published book in the history of Western culture. But for almost 250 years, from about 1275 to 1525, Books of Hours (illuminated prayer books whose heart is a series of prayers devoted to the Virgin Mary) were the medieval best sellers. During this period the Book of Hours was the book most frequently commissioned by both the aristocracy and the middle classes. On the pages of Books of Hours the best artists created the most beautiful pictures, and the prayers on these pages offered the reader an intimate […]
