"I'm the armarius, in charge of the scriptorium and the library." "Is it a big library?" "We have eight books, but when I get home we'll have sixteen. And the scriptorium consists of me and an assistant, Brother Tatwine. He colors the capital letters. I do the plain writing—I'm more interested in words than colors."
A prequel to The Pillars of the Earth, the author talks about how Kingsbridge priory came to be from uninspiring beginnings thanks to the vision, generosity, and hard work of a few people despite odds that often seemed all but insurmountable. Also, an interesting study of how justice is all too often superseded by expediency and power. Even so, justice sometimes triumphs in the long run.