Although they are not in quantities such as can be found in other libraries, Malta has quite a number of illuminated books that constitute a national treasure which is not generally known and indeed mostly kept out of sight.
Dr Martina Caruana, speaking at Din l-Art Helwa last week, peppered her presentation with many illustrations of some of the illuminated books in Malta, most of which are kept at the National Library.
Some even date from before the Knights' arrival in Malta, such as an Adoration of the Magi dating from 1497. An earlier book from 1470 discusses Boethius and philosophy.
The oldest book in Malta is that known as the Codex Evangelorium Melitense, dating from the 12th Century which may have arrived in Malta sometime in the 13th Century and which is kept at the Mdina Cathedral.
The Mdina Cathedral also has illuminated books dating from Norman times.
Obviously, many of such old books are related to the church's liturgical needs such as missals. One such copy came from England and another one from France. Another book is a copy of the Book of Hours, small-sized books for the use by the laity.
The Wignacourt Museum has what is called the Wignacourt Psalter, a Franco-Flemish book, discovered quite recently by Mgr John Azzopardi.
The St John Co-Cathedral museum has a picture of the Last Supper dating from 1533, that is, three years after the arrival of the Knights.
This is contained in a much-prized set of Graduals commissioned by Grand Master L'Isle Adam after the corresponding church volumes brought by the Knights from Rhodes got burned in St Lawrence Church in Birgu when the sacristan left the Paschal Candle alight on Easter and the church burned down.
The arrival of the Knights coincides with changing nomenclature as regards manuscripts. For long centuries books had been laboriously copied until they started to be printed. Those so produced before 1500 are called incunabula while Gutenberg and his printing presses came into being some time after that date.
The production of illuminated books before the invention of printing presses was very laborious, involving usually more than one person. The outline design came first and then the lettering of the text. The last process was the filling in of spaces with miniature paintings sometimes to decorate the initial letter of the text, sometimes rather fancifully filling in all available space with designs, which sometimes quite resemble doodles.
It may be that one of the books at the National Library may have been by the famous Jean Colombe, the most famous illuminator and miniature painter who lived in Bourges in the 15th Century.
There are also signs of links with Naples and a book, in particular, carries the Coat of Arms of Giovanni Aloysius Carafa from the Neapolitan nobility.
Bibles, before Martin Luther and Gutenberg were rather rare on the ground but the National Library has one dating from the 13th Century.
It is not clear how such books came to Malta and are found in the National Library. Maybe some were heirlooms of the aristocratic Knights and were left to the library after their death. Or maybe they belonged to the few aristocratic families in Malta and had been in Malta even before the Knights came.
One last fascinating tit-bit that Dr Caruana left till her last intervention at question time was that the National Library also has some Islamic illuminated books too.