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A Snapshot from the [Bodleian] Library

A change of tack this week as we present yet another snapshot from our visit to the Bodleian Libraries at the University of Oxford. (They showed us so much cool stuff, we can’t help ourselves.)

This is the personal travelling library of King Charles I (1600-1649). We can tell that for certain as a couple of his books, mostly classical literature and poetry, contain his own signature (shown above). The Bodleian Rare Books team haven’t even accessioned it yet, and recently acquired it from a private collection. It’s amazingly complete considering its age, although whatever original housing it had is now lost. 

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reblog and make a wish! this was removed from tumbrl due to “violating one or more of Tumblr’s Community Guidelines”, but since my wish came true the first time, I’m putting it back. :)

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Sonder: The realization that each passerby has a life as vivid and complex as your own.

Opia: The ambiguous intensity of Looking someone in the eye, which can feel simultaneously invasive and vulnerable.

Monachopsis: The subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place.

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Typography Tuesday: Fire Font

Flame design on the title page of a volume of the Biblia Pentapla, 1711. The Bible is so named because it holds five versions in parallel columns.

Bible. German. 1710.  Biblia pentapla : das ist die Bücher der heiligen Schrift des Alten und Neuen Testaments nach fünf-facher deutscher Verdolmetschung … Wandesbeck bey Hamburg : gedruckt und verlegt durch Hermann Heinrich Holle …, 1710-1712.

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A dramatic and beautiful hanging for an equally dynamic piece. 

This gorgeous painting on loan from the clevelandmuseumofart helps bring to life the workshop of Renaissance master Andrea del Sarto. Works from around the world have traveled to the Getty to tell the story of the powerful and intimate drawings that make Andrea del Sarto such a creative and inventive draftsman. 

Now on view through September 13.

The Sacrifice of Isaac, about 1528, Andrea del Sarto, oil on panel. Courtesy of and © The Cleveland Museum of Art, Delia E. Holden and L.E. Holden Funds, 1937.577

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Books as hardware

These odd-looking medieval books share one peculiarity: they were all made into interactive objects because actual turning discs were attached to the page, usually more than one. The makers of these manuscripts added them to calculate the position of sun and moon (Pic 1), the date of Easter (not shown), or make other calculations (Pic 3). Particularly intriguing is the set of cogwheels embedded in the bookbinding (Pic 2), which picked a random number used for a method of divination. More about these unusual books and their function in this post on my other blog, medievalbooks.nl.

Pics: British Library, Egerton 848 (top); Oxford, Bodleian Library, Digby 46 (middle); Maastricht, Regionaal Historisch Centrum (bottom, pic my own).

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Medieval book transport

You are looking at two ‘wraps’ (top), the outside and inside of a box (middle), and a leather satchel (bottom). What they share is not just their old age (they are all medieval), but also the purpose for which they were made: to transport a book from A to B. The actual reason for transporting books in these objects varied considerably. The wraps are late-medieval girdle books, which were hanged from the owner’s belt by the knot. The text inside - which was often of legal or religious nature - could be consulted quickly and easily: just unwrap it and read. The box (and the ninth-century book inside) had a more exotic use: the package functioned as a charm for good luck on the battlefield, where it was carried in front of the troops by a monk. The satchel, which also dates from the ninth century, was just a bag to transport a book while on the go - it was popular among monks. Read more about these fascinating devices in my blog post “Medieval Books on the Go” (here).  

Pics -  Wrap at top: Stockholm, Royal Library (16th century, source); Wrap below it: Yale, Beinecke Library, MS 84 (15th century, source); Box: Dublin, Royal, Irish Academy, D ii 3 (8th/9th century, source); Satchel: Dublin, Trinity, College, MS 52 (Book of Armagh, 9th century, source).

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Recycled Motor Oil Pool Reflects The Stunning Architecture of Switzerland’s Bellelay Abbey

Switzerland’s Bellelay Abbey is featuring two enigmatic pools of recycled motor oil, which reflect the stunning architecture of the grand, ornate chapel. A contrast to its white-washed environment, the glassy black pools mirror in detail the building’s beauty The juxtaposition lends itself to the purity and prestige of the building. Unlike water reflects, the oil pool allows viewers to appreciate a vivid, clear image with no glare. Along with its aesthetic value, the oil pools offer Bellelay Abbey a serene and poised atmosphere. 

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This handwritten list of names might not look like much, but it’s evidence of an early form of circulating library: a book society.  

A book society was an informal social group in which people would read and discuss works of literature, or works on specific scholarly topics. The group functioned as a lending library as well, and members presumably had a say in the purchase of new titles. Groups like this were particularly important because books were still very expensive in the early nineteenth century.  Lee Erickson, a book historian, places the price of a three-volume novel in 1815 at a guinea, about $100 today (JSTOR link).  

Some book societies were organized around a specific set of interests, (like the example in this blog post from houghtonlib), but others must have been less formal.  I recently came across evidence for an informal book society in our collections while preparing for a presentation on library history for a local conference.  This is from a novel called Things by Their Right Names, published anonymously by Frances Jacson in 1812.  We know that it eventually ended up in the collection of Sir Richard Brooke, but Sir Richard must have acquired it secondhand.  Under his bookplate is a handwritten list, in several different hands, of dates and names. These are the names of people who borrowed this book.  

The first entry says “1813 July 22nd lent to Mrs. Stoppard” then continues “August 1st to Mrs. Tibbits 2 volumes,” and then, under the bookplate, we can continue reading the names: Miss Mannsik [?], Mrs. J. Young, Miss Jones, Mrs. Eylas, Mrs. Arlson [or Orlson?], Mrs. Young, and finally, Mrs. Paul.  Then a note at the bottom: “July 21. Returned to the society,” almost a year to the day after the book began its circulation.  There are no corresponding notes in the second volume.

This is a book by a woman author being shared among a group of women readers - at least, as far as we can tell without being able to read the names under the bookplate.  Proof that libraries have been democratizing access to information for centuries!

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Slang Words of the Week #4

Welcome to week four of slang words of the week from 18th and 19th century slang dictionaries! (Note: this series is by one of our terrific student employees; he’s now our go-to expert of ye olden slang!)

Today we have some slang words that just so happen to also be slang words in modern times, but with very different meanings. 

Swag isn’t just a term that’s tossed about by rappers, it’s existed for centuries. Combining the old meanings with the modern, the following question and answer is possible: “How much swag does your swag have?” “Swag.”   To bag one’s swag means to hide one’s whack? But what’s a whack, you ask?

Whacks are shares of booty, which makes this word especially great for tumblr, where booty jokes abound. And when we talk about booty, we’re talking about treasure, of course - pirate booty. Booty has some other meanings as well:

So when you catch your friends cheating at a game, scold them for their booty.

Thanks for reading, and be sure to check back next week for more slang words!

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98 Near-Perfect Cubes of Raw Food Arranged in Oddly Pleasing Symmetry

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Art Teacher Paints Watercolor Landscapes Using Water Found at Her Destinations

Hannah Jesus Koh does not bring ordinary tap water with her when she creates watercolor paintings of her stunning surroundings. Using liquid straight from the environment that she wants to portray, the high school art teacher paints remarkable landscapes within the confines of her journal.

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City Farmhouse used 1700 books to create this back wall. Talk about awesome DIY book project!

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DIY Aluminium Calligraphy Pen

You’ll need tape, scissors, knife, disposable chopsticks, empty aluminium can, stapler and ink.

Calligraphy Pen for Gothic: cut the aluminium into two pieces like above and tape it on chopstick, then Staple the aluminium.

Medium Point Calligraphy Pen: Fold a piece of aluminim, and cut it like picture above. Then tape it on chopstick.

Fine Point Calligraphy Pen: Fold a piece of aluminim, and cut it like picture above. Then tape it on chopstick.

Now enjoy it :)

   ☞Turning straw into pen.

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Wip of my very last parrot piece

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Just a few more glimpses of our Marvelous Marbles exhibit being featured on the third floor Reading Room in Special Collections.  Stop by and take a look if you’re in the area.  

Or check out the previous post for more marbled beauties.

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This astronomical watch accurately tracks the position of the six planets visible from Earth. You can look down at your wrist at any time and know exactly where you are in the universe. (Also tells the time just in case you wanted that too) See more here