If you’re looking for early Latin American primary sources, this new resource compiled by Special Collections intern Tyler Broadhead lists Special Collections’ holdings of books, maps, and manuscripts about Latin America or produced in Latin America before 1800. The document also includes modern facsimiles of Mesoamerican codices like the one pictured here, as well as …
One of the most famous early printed Bibles is known as the “Complutensian Polyglot,” a multi-language Bible published at the Complutense University in the early 1500s (the University is now the University of Madrid, but in the 15th and 16th centuries the university was located in Alcalá de Henares, which was called Complutum in Latin). …
Currently on display in Special Collections is a small exhibit featuring 20th century Mormon cookbooks. In that same vein, this post highlights the oldest cookbook in the library, which was printed in Zurich, Switzerland in 1542. The first printed version of this cookbook appeared in Italy in 1498, but the text itself is much older, …
Special Collections owns a still-growing collection of original works by early Protestant reformers like Martin Luther, Philipp Melanchthon, and Jean Calvin. While it contains many important works, both in Latin and in vernacular languages, it is not complete by any means! The library has recently acquired a new database, the Digital Library of Classic Protestant …
Single-language and dual-language dictionaries were just as indispensable to writers and scholars of the Renaissance as they are today, though in the age of online dictionaries and Google Translate it may be harder to appreciate just how revolutionary printed reference books were in the late 15th century. Printing not only sped up the process of …
This week marks the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta — either on June 15 or 19, 1215 (historians are still debating the exact date). The iconic charter has a strong legal and historical legacy both in the United Kingdom as well as the United States, where it is seen as an influence …
One of the HBLL’s current Art in the Library exhibits, Todd Stilson’s Necrocoactionism: Joint Ventures with the Deceased, features three of Special Collections’ emblem books. Emblem books originated in Europe in the 16th century. They feature images inspired by proverbs, mottoes, epigrams, and other pithy quotes, with the text printed alongside the image. Readers were …
A new exhibit to celebrate Women’s History Month is up in Special Collections’ lobby. It focuses on women’s spirituality throughout history and includes works by Saint Teresa of Avila, who was born 500 years ago this month. Teresa was a Spanish Carmelite nun who is remembered for her reform efforts within the order and the …
Some of the rare Bibles in Special Collections were recently featured in the Fall 2014 issue of BYU Magazine. What makes a Bible rare and collectable? If you have an old Bible in your possession, would BYU Special Collections be a good home for it? There are a number of factors to consider: 1. Old does …
If you were a Renaissance university student, you’d need to write your compositions and give your presentations in Latin. But never fear, you would have had textbooks and other manuals available to help you with grammar and style. Think of these early printed books as the Renaissance equivalent to your copy of Strunk & White. …