In 1561-62 Georg Bocskay, imperial secretary to the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I, inscribed the Mira calligraphiae monumenta as a testament to his preeminence among scribes. He assembled a vast selection of contemporary and historical scripts, which nearly thirty years later were further embellished by Joris Hoefnagel, Europe's last great manuscript illuminator.

This book, now in the collection of the Getty Museum, is reproduced here in complete facsimile form, accompanied by a commentary that includes a full description; a discussion of the work's patron, Rudolf II, and his cultural and historical milieu; biographies of Hoefnagel and Bocskay; and an analysis of the manuscript's role in their careers. The manuscript's remarkable calligraphy will be of particular interest not only to scholars but to collectors, graphic designers, and typographers as well.

---