ENCORE FIVE FAVES
Five Faves
Fantastic finds in the A.M. Todd Rare Book Room by
MALLORY HESLINGER
photos by
BRIAN K. POWERS
The A.M. Todd Rare Book Room, tucked away on the third floor
of Kalamazoo College’s Upjohn Library Commons, holds more than 3,000 unique books and manuscripts. The term “rare” often includes first editions, signed copies, limited editions and antique books with intrinsic historical value. The room itself is named for Albert May Todd, known locally for his mint extract company, his philanthropy, his worldwide travels and his collection of art and literature. After
his death in 1931, a portion of his collection was given to Kalamazoo College. Thanks to the generosity of his children, grandchildren and numerous additional donors, the collection has continued to grow since the room’s opening in 1957. Today the A.M. Todd Rare Book Room is available to anyone who would like to visit its three yearly exhibits or simply stop by to view something interesting, like these five favorites of mine:
Medieval Psalter The oldest book in the Rare Book Room is a small illuminated manuscript dating to approximately the 13th or 14th century. The manuscript is a collection of the psalms, called a psalter. Some of the book’s pages contain initials and decorations of gold leaf, also called illuminations. The manuscript was written in Latin on vellum, or calf skin, and likely belonged to a French monastery. At one point in its long history the manuscript belonged to an English nobleman. By the 20th century the book had traveled to America, where it was in the possession of a New York artist. This book demonstrates the artistry and craftsmanship that went into even small books in the Middle Ages. The tears and marks on the pages, the bookplates of the previous owners, the illuminations, mistakes, notes, scribbles and even the scribe’s handwriting are all part of the book’s long history, providing a bridge between the scribe’s time and our own.
Poeticon Astronomicon During the Middle Ages, books were copied by hand.
In the mid-15th century, Johannes Gutenberg introduced the printing press to Europe, providing a way to quickly disseminate information among the population. Books printed before 1501, in the infancy of printing, are known as incunabula, or incunables. The Latin word translates to “cradle” or “swaddling clothes.” German printer Erhard Ratdolt printed this volume in Venice in 1485. The book has beautiful, though scientifically inaccurate, woodcut illustrations of constellations, meant to complement the tales attributed to the Roman author Hyginius.
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