Byzantine Style, Religion and Civilization (In Honour of Sir Steven Runciman)

Abstract

Festschriften are notorious for producing mixed bags of contributions, which sit uncomfortably together between two covers and give cataloguers and librarians a headache. This commemorative volume, however, combines the very best of birthday offerings with a developed and shared devotion to the honorand, in order to bring about a much more united and pleasing result. In the course of a long life, Sir Steven Runciman stimulated, irritated, inspired and amused a global range of scholars, making friends wherever he went—and he travelled widely. In 1993 those based in the UK were mainly responsible for celebrating his 90th birthday with a collection of papers delivered orally. These form the core of the volume in his honour, which was designed to mark his centenary (7 July 2003). Sadly, Steven did not live to that great age, nor was the volume ready for the anniversary. Thanks to the determination of the editor, Elizabeth Jeffreys, it has now been published and was worth the wait.