Image and Imagination from the Middle Ages

Illuminated Manuscripts in the Loras College Rare Books Collection

Dr. John Eby, Loras College History Department

“Image and Imagination from the Middle Ages” is an interactive internet exhibit designed and executed by undergraduate students for the library at Loras College. This project was part of the coursework for HIS 341, “The Age of Love and Reason, 1075-1517,” a History course on the Late Middle Ages taught by John Eby. Inside this site, you will find topical essays, images and information, and a link to a full-text scan of one of the most impressive manuscripts in the Loras College Rare Books Collection. 

The Loras College Library has an impressive collection of manuscripts from the medieval period. Its collection contains biblical texts and glosses from the twelfth century, ornately decorated Books of Hours, Psalters, a large Choir Book, and a Missal from the fifteenth century, and other books and documents from the intervening centuries. 

We hope that you enjoy perusing these aesthetic treasures from the past. The scans are the property of the Loras College Library, which invites ongoing open use of them for academic purposes. Welcome to “Image and Imagination from the Middle Ages.”