Duquesne University Press

The Bible of the Poor [Biblia Pauperum]

A Facsimile and Edition of the British Library Blockbook C.9 d.2

Edited by Albert C. Labriola and John W. Smeltz

Published in 1990
$24.00  paper
Text discount available
ISBN: 978-0-8207-0230-8  (0-8207-0230-7)

200 pages

Add to Order

Book Information

This first inexpensive edition of The Bible of the Poor reprints a copy of a blockbook in the British Library. Popular from the twelfth to the fifteenth century, The Bible of the Poor was a manual used by friars to instruct the common folk in the fundamentals of the faith. The 40-leaf book presents 120 pictures interrelating the Old and New Testaments, pertinent verses from Scripture, and interpretations by the anonymous compiler. The text is in Latin, but transcriptions and translations into English are provided; a detailed commentary highlights the medieval method of interpreting Scripture. This volume is the key to understanding how the Bible was taught in the Middle Ages. And as a handbook of biblical illustration and interpretation, The Bible of the Poor is an invaluable resource in studying the various forms of literature, including illuminated manuscripts, painting, sculptures, stained glass, medieval drama, and devotional poetry. It is also a handbook for meditation and spirituality.

Author Information

ALBERT C. LABRIOLA is professor of English at Duquesne University and secretary of the Milton Society of America. He is also the general editor of the Medieval & Renaissance Literary Studies book series. He was named the Honored Scholar of the Milton Society of America for 2000.

JOHN W. SMELTZ is research associate in English at Duquesne University. Smeltz specializes in Middle English language and literature, manuscript study, and paleography.

Book Reviews

“Every religious studies library needs a copy.” — Review and Expositioner

“Chaucerians and other teachers of medieval and Renaissance literature and art will indeed find this book to be a valuable, and affordable, pedagogical resource for themselves and their students.” — Studies in the Age of Chaucer