Archives & Manuscripts Department: Rare Books

This is one of the finest facsimile editions of the Book of Kells: ms. 58, Trinity College Library, Dublin. The full-color facsimile is issued with a commentary by Peter Fox in a unique, limited edition of 1480 copies worldwide. In the making of the copies, Fine Art Facsimile Publishers of Switzerland sought to re-create the work of artists of the 8th century. The texture and surface of the paper used, for instance, are as close as possible to that of the original parchment; all six hundred and eighty pages are reproduced in their actual condition, and each page is cut to the irregular original size with any holes in the pages reproduced to resemble the original manuscript.