This is part of a corporate donation by the distributor for the publisher. It does not have a dust jacket but comes in its original kraft paper wrapping. The Bedford Hours is considered by many to be the most sumptuous Book of Hours ever created by an illuminator's hand-as well as one of the greatest treasures possessed by the British Library. It once belonged to John, Duke of Bedford, who was the younger brother of King Henry V and regent of France from 1422 until his death in 1435. Its 1,250 elaborate medallions, thirty-eight large-scale miniatures, and extensive brush gold, gold leaf, and silver decorations are extravagant enough to make it one of the most precious manuscripts of its period. Known only as the Bedford Master, the artist behind the manuscript was among the most prolific painters of his day, though his identity has long remained a mystery. The Bedford Hours: A Medieval Masterpiece presents superb and luminous illustrations of the manuscript-seldom available in print-