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What if the bird you keep and the words you use reveal your place in society?
The Boke of Saint Albans gathers hawking, hunting and heraldry into a handbook for gentlemen. Printed in 1486, it opens a window onto the English upper classes before the Tudors. Here, knowing the right bird, naming the beasts of the chase and describing a shield are signs of good breeding.
The hunting section takes the form of verse and is traditionally linked to Juliana Berners, though her share of the book remains uncertain. Alongside it, the hawking and heraldry sections reveal a world where skills and possessions mark rank. Practical knowledge and social rules meet in these noble pastimes.
What you’ll discover
- Birds that mark rank Discover why the book assigns an eagle to an emperor and a gyrfalcon to a king.
- The work behind hawking Look beyond noble sport to the daily demands of keeping and caring for a hawk.
- A hunter's exact words Explore verse that teaches the beasts of the chase and the special language hunters use.
- Reading a painted shield Learn how heraldry names colours, metals, beasts and crosses in a language of family identity.
- A map of status See how pastimes and possessions reveal the place a gentleman holds in his world.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who love falconry, hounds and the countryside, who enjoy medieval manners and curious lore, or who want to know where heraldry and hunting terms come from.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A gentleman's world begins with words
- Exact names teach careful attention
- Gentle handling builds a working bond
- A keeper answers for the hawk
- Names put society in order
- The chase has its own speech
- Gentility carries a moral claim
- A shield becomes precise spoken language
- Craft and rank share a vocabulary
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- Large print hardcover
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The Boke of Saint Albans
by Juliana Berners · 1486
A hawk is for an emperor, a goshawk for a yeoman, a sparrowhawk for a priest, so which bird would you fly?
Medium level2–5 hours to read20 languages
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In short
A hawk is a gift fit for an emperor, a king, an earl or a priest, and the bird you fly says who you are. Would you know which one is yours?
The Boke of Saint Albans at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 h 20 min2 h 40 min fast, 4 h slow
- Length
- 48,200 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1486by Juliana Berners
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Speak the right word for every hawk
The book opens with hawking, and its first lesson is about language. A gentleman must know how to keep a hawk, and he must also know how to talk about her. Hawks lay eggs but do not breed, and they fetch timber but do not build nests.
The rules go on at a steady pace. A hawk rouses and does not shake herself. She mantles rather than stretches. She jouks, which means dozes, and she does not sleep. She snites her beak and does not wipe it. Even praise has its form. You call a hawk fair and never great, and she has a beak and not a bill.
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Details
- First published
- 1486
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Berners, Juliana. The Boke of Saint Albans. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-boke-of-saint-albans.
Berners, J. (2026). The boke of Saint Albans. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-boke-of-saint-albans (Original work published ca. 1486)
Berners, Juliana. The Boke of Saint Albans. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-boke-of-saint-albans.
@book{berners2026boke,
author = {Berners, Juliana},
title = {The Boke of Saint Albans},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-boke-of-saint-albans},
note = {First published ca. 1486}
}
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What is The Boke of Saint Albans about?
It is a fifteenth-century guide for gentlemen in three parts. The first covers hawking, with training, feeding and medicine for birds. The second covers hunting with hounds, and the third covers heraldry, including how coats of arms are described and who may grant them.
Who was Juliana Berners?
Juliana Berners, called Dame Juliana Barnes in the text, is the name attached to the book, especially its hunting verse. Few facts about her life are firmly known. The book itself shows the world of hawking, hunting and heraldry that she wrote about.
When was The Boke of Saint Albans written?
The text says it was translated and compiled together at Saint Albans in 1486. It gathers older material on hawking, hunting and arms. It is a real handbook from that time, meant to teach gentlemen the skills and words of their class.
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