IV. Typology of Medieval Books ^Credits

3. Diverse Book Categories

Schoolbooks and University Books

To the category of schoolbooks belonged first of all the Alphabet books, or Abecedarii, all kinds of grammar books, and, in the later Middle Ages, also commented classical texts. University books comprised legal, medical, philosophical, scientific, and theological texts. All of them were presented in a specific commented form.
 

Books for Private Use

Numerous books were used for private religious study and contemplation. Many of them were produced purposefully for individual customers. In such cases manuscripts were often richly decorated and illuminated. To this category belong the Psalter, the Book of Hours, and the Passional (Legendary).
 

Such books as hunting manuals, books on warfare, romans, chansons de geste, travel-books, cookbooks, bestiaries were mainly produced for private secular entertainment. These were written in the vernacular rather than in Latin, and became immensely popular in the later Middle Ages. It is important that in most cases such books, even though called "manuals," were not intended as a practical guide. Their presence in the library of a rich nobleman was a prestigious sign of his high education.
 

Historical Books

Chronicle is a very significant and wide-spread genre of medieval historical writing. This is a collection of annals or yearly events, initially in the form of world history beginning with the Creation; from the ninth century on, local chronicles began to emerge. The thirteenth century saw the appearance of the first vernacular chronicles.