Among the most exhilarating experiences available to scholars of any time prior to the wide availability of the printing press, holding a hand-made and hand-written text or document in one’s own hand as a direct and physical link to the past is perhaps the most exciting of all. Exciting, but also perhaps daunting; releasing the many kinds of information a manuscript contains requires a specialised set of skills, drawing on several disciplines. This course uses the unique range and depth of medieval studies at Durham to offer a basis for approaching medieval manuscripts with confidence. We invite students to look at form, function, and content of manuscripts under one and the same broad outlook, in particular by emphasising the importance of considering language and content in order to describe and transcribe a manuscript correctly. Our dedicated tutors are looking forward to communicating their own delight at studying medieval manuscripts and texts, and to share their continuing journey of exploration with you.