Laura Cleaver

Professor Laura Cleaver is Co-director of the London International Palaeography School and Professor in Manuscript Studies at the Institute of English Studies, University of London. She holds a PhD from The Courtauld Institute of Art (2008) and serves as Senior Lecturer in Manuscript Studies.

Education:

• PhD (2008), The Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London

Professor Cleaver's research focuses on medieval illuminated manuscripts from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, particularly those produced in France and England. She investigates the trade in pre-modern books during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and its impact on library formation and scholarly development. Her work explores how medieval manuscripts shaped cultural identities and national narratives, especially during periods of political upheaval like the Great War.

Her recent publications reveal consistent themes in manuscript trade history, cultural identity formation, and the economics of rare book markets between 1890-1945. These works demonstrate her expertise in analyzing how collectors, dealers, and scholars shaped manuscript collections and influenced scholarly approaches to medieval books.

Professor Cleaver leads the ERC-funded CULTIVATE MSS project (2019-2024), which examines the significance of the medieval manuscript trade for developing ideas about European cultural value between 1900 and 1945. She supervises multiple PhD students researching aspects of manuscript collecting history, including women's roles in the book trade and the influence of clubs and societies on manuscript collection formation.

She teaches on the MA in Book History and for the summer school course Introduction to Palaeography and Manuscript Studies, contributing significantly to training the next generation of manuscript scholars.