Manchester, Chetham's Library MS 8009 (Mun. A.6.31): A Codicological Description

Abstract

This article presents a complete codicological description of Manchester, Chetham's Library, MS 8009 (Mun.A.6.31), a late fifteenth-century production that contains a combination of secular and religious texts. The manuscript's significance for both the literary and textual scholar was recognized by Derek Pearsall when he suggested its suitability for a facsimile edition. The restrictions imposed by the Governors of the Library for reproduction under the present conditions, however, suggest that Pearsall's recommendation may have to wait for some time. The purpose of this paper is to fill that void by correcting some inaccuracies in previous descriptions and completing them with supporting visual evidence.