Based on over 15 years of research, Teresa Perez-Higuera"s exquisite Medieval Calendars is a fascinating exploration of the medieval perceptions of time. Drawing on some of the sumptuous illuminated manuscripts from the period, including the Bedford Hours, Les Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, and the Fulda Calendar, Perez-Higuera traces the ways in which allegorical perceptions of the seasons and the signs of the zodiac were transmitted from the classical period to the medieval period. In the process, Perez-Higuera argues that these images were gradually absorbed into Christian beliefs, leading to the iconography of the manuscripts reflecting the agricultural rhythms of medieval life. Along the way the book offers highly informative accounts of the origins of the signs of the Zodiac and their transformation over the centuries, as well as speculations on the form and function of the calendars. At times Perez-Higuera"s style cannot decide whether it wants to be scholarly and erudite, or popular and informative. But the book is carried by its beautiful colour reproductions of the manuscripts and carvings from which Perez-Higuera draws her evidence. --Jerry Brotton