Tuesday, May 27 marks the 450th anniversary of the death of Protestant reformer Jean (or John) Calvin (1509-1564). Calvin was born in France and was trained as a lawyer. He was also interested in humanism and studied Greek and Latin classics. Sometime in 1533, he had a religious experience which led him to reject Roman …
Special Collections recently acquired two important Reformation pamphlets. The first is an edition of Pope Leo X’s bull Exsurge Domine, printed by German Protestant reformer Ulrich von Hutten. The papal bull censured statements from Martin Luther’s writings and threatened him with excommunication if he did not recant. Hutten reprinted the text of the bull and …
The Lee Library’s multi-year project to digitize our collection of French Political Pamphlets from the 16th and 17th centuries is now complete: a total of 2,156 pamphlets are available at the library’s Digital Collections site. You can link directly to the French Political Pamphlets project at http://lib.byu.edu/digital/fpp/.
German translations of the Bible have been around since the Middle Ages. After Gutenberg printed a Latin Bible in Germany around 1465, vernacular Bibles in German quickly followed. A Bible in High German was issued by Johannes Mentelin in Strasbourg in 1466. Low German vernacular Bibles were issued in Cologne in 1478 and 1479. In …
Looking for the work of famous printers of the 15th and 16th centuries? Have no fear, here is a handy list of call numbers for some of the rare books in L. Tom Perry Special Collections. All of these call numbers refer to the Vault Collections. You can use these numbers to browse the library …
Simon de Colines (d. 1546) is another famous Parisian printer and typographer of the 1500’s. He was actually related to the Estienne family through marriage (he married Henri I Estienne’s widow, thus becoming the stepfather to Robert I, Charles, and François I). Simon ran Henri Estienne’s presses and took over the shop upon Estienne’s death. …
One of the most distinguished families of printers in 16th century Europe was the Estiennes. Henri Estienne I was a printer and bookseller who was active in Paris from 1502-20. His sons Robert and François carried on the family legacy, printing in Paris and Geneva, as did his grandsons. In fact, there were Estiennes printing …
The Nuremberg Chronicle (1493) is one of the most famous early printed books. It is a history of the known world written by German humanist Hartmann Schedel, incorporating Biblical, classical, and European traditions. The Nuremberg Chronicle is a large-scale work: BYU’s copy measures nearly 18 inches tall. The book is known for its elaborate illustrations, …
There are only a few more weeks to catch “The Life and Legacy of the King James Bible,” Special Collections’ current exhibit. It will be taken down in early June to make room for a new exhibit on the American Civil War. Don’t miss the chance to see a first edition copy of the King …
This week’s post highlights a different type of Bible found in Special Collections: the polyglot. Polyglots present the text of the Bible in multiple languages, side-by-side on the page, in order to facilitate study and scholarship. Special Collections’ earliest example of a polyglot Bible is the “Genoa Psalter” of 1516. This polyglot presents the text …