A survey of medieval literacy going beyond the shift ‘from memory to written record’, paying attention to the role of women in teaching reading. Michael Clanchy’s From Memory to Written Record, first published in 1979, has shaped the study of medieval literacy. Apart from continuing to work on ‘pragmatic literacy’, he has also turned his attention to other forms of making, keeping, and using written texts. This book collates six articles since published, showing new directions in the field of medieval literacy and communication. The first two chapters — ‘Looking Back from the Invention of Printing’ and ‘Parchment and Paper: Manuscript Culture, 1100-1500 AD’ — provide an overview of further work on medieval manuscript culture. The next four — ‘Images of Ladies with Prayer Books: What Do They Signify?’; ‘An Icon of Literacy: The Depiction at Tuse of Jesus Going to School’; ‘The ABC Primer: Was it in Latin or English?’; ‘Did Mothers Teach Their Children to Read?’ — highlight a new interest in gender that has reviewed earlier ideas on literacy.

Featuring 49 colour illustrations, the book also includes an Introduction written for this book, a Bibliography, and an Index.

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