INTRODUCTION TO RARE BOOKS

Anna James – Pusey House Library

BOOK 2.0

Click icon to add picture

BEFORE PRINTING

???-1455+

THIS IS A BOOK

http://library.osu.edu/blogs/rarebooks/2009/12/08/things-happen-in-threes-or-at-least-medieval-manuscripts-do/

"Sumerian 26th c Adab" by Unknown - http://www.schoyencollection.com/religions_files/ms3029.jpg. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sumerian_26th_c_Adab.jpg#/media/File:Sumerian_26th_c_Adab.jpg

"2049 - Byzantine Museum, Athens - Parchement scroll, 13th century - Photo by Giovanni Dall'Orto, Nov 12" by G.dallorto - Own work. Licensed under Attribution via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2049_-_Byzantine_Museum,_Athens_-_Parchement_scroll,_13th_century_-_Photo_by_Giovanni_Dall%27Orto,_Nov_12.jpg#/media/File:2049_-_Byzantine_Museum,_Athens_-_Parchement_scroll,_13th_century_-_Photo_by_Giovanni_Dall%27Orto,_Nov_12.jpg

GUTENBERG BIBLE

1454 or 1455

"Gutenberg bible Old Testament Epistle of St Jerome" by Johannes Gutenberg - From a scan at the Ransom Center of the University of Texas at Austin http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/permanent/gutenberg/. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gutenberg_bible_Old_Testament_Epistle_of_St_Jerome.jpg#/media/File:Gutenberg_bible_Old_Testament_Epistle_of_St_Jerome.jpg

Click icon to add picture

HANDPRESS ERA

1454/5-ca. 1820

PRINTING IN ASIA

Click icon to add picture

Xylographic printing –8th century

Movable type – 11th century

http://csmh.pbworks.com/w/page/7309486/1050%20-%20Chinese%20invent%20movable%20type%20print

Handpress (Bodleian Print Room)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SZ5iZZ0e3k

PARCHMENT AND PAPER

PARCHMENT AND PAPER

PRINTING PRESSES

15th century: Most of Europe England (1476), Scotland (1507), Ireland (1551)

16th century: South America, North Africa, Southern India, Japan

17th century: North America

18th century re-introduced to Asia

19th century: China

INCUNABLES / INCUNABULA1454-1500

Incunabulum =

Baby not old enough to sleep in its own bed.

Caxton's Chaucer: Prologue page of the Canterbury Tales with an illustration of a knight on horseback, c.1485? ©BL

INCUNABLES / INCUNABULA1454-1500

Singular

Incunable / Incunabulum

Plural

Incunables / Incunabula

Caxton's Chaucer: Prologue page of the Canterbury Tales with an illustration of a knight on horseback, c.1485? ©BL

CUSTOMISATION

"Gutenberg bible Old Testament Epistle of St Jerome" by Johannes Gutenberg - From a scan at the Ransom Center of the University of Texas at Austin http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/permanent/gutenberg/. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gutenberg_bible_Old_Testament_Epistle_of_St_Jerome.jpg#/media/File:Gutenberg_bible_Old_Testament_Epistle_of_St_Jerome.jpg

Click icon to add picture

Click icon to add picture

CUSTOMISATION

Caxton's Chaucer: Prologue page of the Canterbury Tales with an illustration of a knight on horseback, c.1485? ©BL

Click icon to add picture

CUSTOMISATION

Nuremberg Chronicle1493

http://theangus.rpc.ox.ac.uk/media-bank/?textsearch=nuremberg&file_type=&media_type=&theme=&sortby=date-desc

BINDING

Click icon to add picture

Qu’ran, British Museum https://bridgesandtangents.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/the-beauty-of-an-unbound-book/

ILLUSTRATIONS

Click icon to add picture

WOODCUTS

Very early books

Very cheap books

Heavy lines

ILLUSTRATIONS

ENGRAVING&ETCHINGSlightly more subtle?

INTAGLIO

Click icon to add picture

Printed separately from text

Often separate plate

Squished paper

TITLE PAGES & COLOPHONS

Title pages didn’t catch on so quickly

Books usually sold without covers until c.19th

See blank outer pages in shop, protecting the text

FIRST TITLE PAGEBulla Cruciata contra Turcos -1463

http://diglib.hab.de/inkunabeln/li-4f-413-1-1/start.htm

Click icon to add picture

COLOPHON

Click icon to add picture

John Fortescue, A Learned Commendation of the Politique Lawes of Englande (1st English ed, 1567)

20140816" by Smuconlaw. - Own work.. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Fortescue,_A_Learned_Commendation_of_the_Politique_Lawes_of_Englande_(1st_English_ed,_1567,_colophon)_-_20140816.jpg#/media/File:John_Fortescue,_A_Learned_Commendation_of_the_Politique_Lawes_of_Englande_(1st_English_ed,_1567,_colophon)_-_20140816.jpg

TITLE PAGES & COLOPHONS

Books usually sold without covers until c.19th

See blank outer pages in shop, protecting the text

Title page invented 1463

Started to put publication details on title page

Title page now important

See blank outer pages in shop, protecting the text…

MACHINE-MADE BOOKS

VIVAT VICTORIANA

Integral covers

Cheaper paper

Overlooked in past

WHAT COUNTS AS RARE?

WHAT IS WORTH TREATING AS RARE IN YOUR LIBRARY?What is it?

Who else has it?

Why do you have it?

IF IT’S SPECIAL TO YOU

That’s the most important thing