Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.TIME WAS when an occasional jug of mead was enough for the medieval monks who toiled away transcribing the Bible in illuminated script.
Today the asking price leaves little change from pounds 2m, the size of the research grant won by the Queen's calligrapher, who has been commissioned by an American university to demonstrate the monks' methods.
Donald Jackson, 61, is more commonly employed writing official decrees that need Her Majesty's seal. Now he faces a six-year stint with a goose quill pen transcribing on to fine calfskin leather the 1,150 pages of the Bible with a team of other calligraphers in his scriptorium at Monmouth, south Wales.
It is a commission worth $3m (pounds 2m) from St John's University, a Benedictine school in Collegeville, Minnesota.
The English text will fill seven volumes - decorated with gold leaf, elaborate letters and illustrations of Bible stories.
Mr Jackson has designed a new style of lettering for the work. But he will rely on computers to design pages and decide how much script will fit.
Mr Jackson said: "It's a big job but I won't be doing it alone. I must thank the staff of St John's for their moral support - doubt is a recurring theme of all this".
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments