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Missal vs. Book of Hours
Another liturgical book frequently copied during the Middle Ages was the breviary that combined all the texts necessary for the celebration of the Divine Office, which is a cycle of daily prayers recited by cloistered monks and nuns. A derivative form of the breviary, the Book of Hours, was widely copied beginning in the late 13th through the early 16th centuries and circulated among the wealthy population living outside of the monasteries and convents.
What distinguishes a Missal from a Book of Hours is the absence of miniature paintings. The beginning of each text section in a Book of Hours provided an opportunity for a picture, or a whole cycle of pictures. These illustrations were an intrinsic component of the Book of Hours.
The City College manuscript does not have any miniature paintings, or historiated initials; therefore it cannot be a Book of Hours. It is a service book, a missal; it does not include the prayers and other service texts found in a breviary or its derivative form, the Book of Hours.
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