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Rating: 
Summary: A Truly Magical World
Review: Enter the magical medieval pages of the illuminated manuscripts of the gifted Limbourg brothers and discover a world long gone, but one which seems oddly familiar in a storybook sort of way. The colors (nicely reproduced in this hardback version of the book) will dazzle you - the skies were painted with an ultramarine made from costly lapis lazuli. The compositions, drawn in the pre-perspective days of the 15th century, will delight you. Many of the religious illuminations are moving - the Death of Christ captures the grim darkness into which the world has been cast in tones of grey and brown with only the shining gold halo of Christ piercing the gloom; God in his heavenly lunette above the picture looks sadly down on the scene, brilliant amidst reds, blues, and gold. But it is the pictures of the calendar - a wonderful record of daily life among the rich and the poor alike - that will charm you the most. The Duke feasts, the peasants warm themselves before fires, the plowman tills the soil, the farmers shear the sheep, and the pigs forage for acorns. And rising in the background of each of these magical scenes, in regulation storybook fashion, is a shining white castle. This hardcover version is a beautiful book that you will treasure for years.
Rating:
Summary: The hardback version of this art masterpiece is awesome
Review: Having read negative reviews of the cheap, paperback version of this book, I took a deep gulp and sprang for the expensive hardback. This is a case where spending more for the hardback version is more than worth it. The pictures are very large size format, with the gold intact (unlike the paperback version). The quality of the paintings is excellent. The book is beautiful to display, look at and/or study. I have been copying one of the illustrations, and having a great time.I love medieval illustrated books. I have not found another one in this large a format, with such detail. If you are into illuminated manuscripts, you must have this one, there can be no argument. (Hardback version)
Rating: 
Summary: Five Stars for the Text, Three for the Photos
Review: I've visited Chateau Chantilly several times, so I've actually seen several of the original paintings that form part of LES TRES RICHES HEURES (usually only two are exhibited at any given time).LES TRES RICHES HEURES is the classic (and best known) example of a medieval book of hours, i.e., a collection of prayers for each literugical hour of the day, accompanied by (usually) gorgeously painted illustrations and, in this case, a calendar. The illustrations for the calendar in LES TRES RICHES HEURES were painted by the Flemish brothers Paul, Hermann and Jean Limbourg between 1412 and 1416 for Jean de Berry, one of the wealthiest and highest-ranking noblemen of 15th century France (the king was his brother). LES TRES RICHES HEURES was only one of many books this great art connoisseur owned (sadly, many were destroyed when the Burgundians burned de Berry's Chateau du Bicetre). I own both this version of LES TRES RICHES HEURES and the newer, French language version (purchased recently at Chantilly) and I can tell you there is a vast difference between the two. While the text in both is unimpeachable, the newer, French language edition has reproduced the illustrations in all their original brilliance, while the English language edition is sadly lacking. Two of the Limbourg brothers "signature" colors (vert de flambe and azur d'outreme), which were extremely brilliant, just look faded and "washed out" in this edition, something that is really quite a shame, since they go a long way toward making the illuminations the masterpieces they are. If you're ever in the vicinity of Paris, make a side trip to Chantilly and see the original illuminations. If you can't get to Chantilly, then I would suggest tracking down a French language version of LES TRES RICHES HEURES. If that can't be done, either, then owning this edition is certainly better than not familiarizing yourself with the illuminations at all. They are, after all, one of France's greatest artistic treasures, on par with the Mona Lisa. Just remember that the reproductions in this edition of LES TRES RICHES HEURES simply can't begin do the originals justice. Although this book is lacking in its reproduction of the original illuminations, I would still recommend it for the text alone.
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