In Early Modern Europe, well-connected individuals with the collecting bug assembled eclectic collections of natural and man-made objects known as kunstkammer or cabinets of curiosities. These collections could be small enough to fill a bookcase or large enough to fill an exhibit hall. One prominent collector of the 17th century was Jesuit Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680), …
Special Collections has a small but significant collection of rare Japanese books and manuscripts, and we periodically add to it. One of our most recent acquisitions is a 1796 treatise on Western science, “Oranda tensetsu,” or Dutch Astronomy Explained. It is one of several books published by Japanese printmaker Shiba Kōkan which discuss European science …
Folklore is the the things people say, do, or make. Currently an exhibit on what people make is in the reference area of special collection. People make things out of fabric, yarn, wood, clay, leather and many other materials. These things are called material culture. It takes commonplace items and makes them beautiful. The exhibition …
Interested in Colonial American History? This new resource provides a list of books and manuscripts held by Special Collections which were produced in North America before the 19th century. The document also lists our holdings of descriptive and historical works about North America produced in Europe during the Colonial period. Fun fact: the oldest book …
In the Catholic liturgical calendar, today marks the Feast of Corpus Christi. This religious observance, which celebrates the Eucharist, originated sometime in the 13th century. The Feast of Corpus Christi was the first church rite to be made official through papal decree, by Pope Urban IV in 1264. L. Tom Perry Special Collections owns an …
Listen to HBLL librarians Tom Stephens and Maggie Kopp talk about the significance of Nicolaus Copernicus and the transmission of his famous book De Revolutionibus on BYU Radio’s Top of Mind with Julie Rose, May 24, 2016 episode.
The founder of the Wilson Folklore Archives passed away on April 25, 2016. William “Bert” Wilson contributed much to Mormon folklore as well as folklore at large. Two of his seminal works were “In Praise of Ourselves: Stories to Tell” and “On Being Human: The Folklore of Mormon Missionaries.” He was also the founder of …
In July 2015 I visited the American Antiquarian Society for a seminar. The first day the teacher laid out a variety of cookbooks from the 1700s and 1800s. I was fascinated by them. They were not just recipes. there were instructions for medicines, how to fireproof clothing and put out fires in nurseries, and growing …
April 23 marks the 400th anniversary of the death of Spanish novelist Miguel Cervantes, author of Don Quixote. Special Collections holds over a dozen rare copies of Don Quixote in Spanish, French, and English, from early 17th century English translations to fine press versions illustrated by modern artists. Here are some of our favorites! The …
Love typography? Here’s a trick for finding fine press books printed with your favorite fonts. Go to the library catalog (catalog.lib.byu.edu) Enter the search string “typefaces type evidence” and the name of the font in the search box Select “genre/form” in the drop-down next to the search box Choose a book to request in the …