Sparrow, John Visible Words A Study of Inscriptions in Books and Works of Art , London: Cambridge University Press, 1969.

Illustrated by 63 Illustrations / Plates. Hard Cover. Very Good/Very Good. 4to 0521065348 Heavy book but will be despatched for the standard charge. Dust jacket complete, unclipped. Grey cloth with bright gilt titling on spine. No ownership marks. 63 illustrations / plates. pp151, indexed clean and tight. Mr Sparrow traces the development of the inscription as a literary form in Renaissance and post-Renaissance Europe. He defines the `literary' inscription as `a text composed with a view to its being presented in lines of different lengths, the lineation contributing to or enhancing the meaning, so that someone who does not see it, actually or in the mind's eye, but only hears it read aloud, misses something of the intended effect'. Mr Sparrow attributes the Renaissance concern with the visual presentation of words to the profound interest in epigraphy aroused by the rediscovery of classical inscriptions. This interest was felt mainly by scholars and writers, but it extended to architects, painters, sculptors and designers of uionuments-all of whom incorporated inscriptions in their work. Popular interest in inscriptions was aroused by their use in pageants and triumphal displays. They became also a vehicle for baroque wit. During the seventeenth century collections of inscriptions were published in book form; and this in turn led to the curious literary taste for books whose whole text took the form of an extended inscription. This hitherto unrecorded episode in literary history is the central subject of these lectures, and it finally leads Mr Sparrow to a question of aesthetics: how far can the eye play a part in the appreciation of a work of literature? A collection of apt pictures illustrates the text. (Book ref. 130009)  £23.50

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