PhDs present at Early Book Society conference

In June, two PhD candidates from the School of English received funding to present papers at the Early Book Society biennial conference. Phoebe Macindoe, a fourth-year PhD candidate, delivered a paper entitled '"Well, It’s all [Latin] to me!": Latin Glosses in Confessio Amantis, a Journey through Print Editions', while Lucy Turton, a third-year PhD candidate presented a paper entitled 'Noble Intentions: Variants in the Bowes Family Copy of Handlyng Synne.'

The conference took place between 23rd and 27th June and was hosted by New York University (NYU) in Manhattan. This central location meant that the plenaries and conference excursions could take place at some of the most exclusive spaces in New York, merging its modern sensibilities with the medieval focus of the conference itself.

They were invited to look at manuscripts and early printed books in the Pierpont Morgan Library, visit the private library at the Grolier Club, and explore the Cloisters Museum owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. These Cloisters contain a wealth of medieval artefacts, from doorframes and wardrobes to the series of Unicorn tapestries.

The visit to the Pierpont Morgan was particularly special for Phoebe's own work as they were shown New York, Pierpont Morgan Library and Museum, MS M. 126, a manuscript of the Confessio Amantis with 79 miniatures, some of which have been removed and later pasted back into the book.