Many more periodicals on printing technologies, book arts, and the history of printing can be found in Periodicals and the circulating collection.  To explore some of these titles, search the library catalog for the subject “printing periodicals.”  The library’s History and Art of the Book Subject Guide is also a great resource for finding articles and books about printing and book history.

But if you’re looking for a tiny Bible which might actually be legible without mechanical intervention, Special Collections has several miniature books which contain the complete or partial text of the Bible. A book is considered to be miniature if it measures less than three inches in height or width. The miniature books pictured here include a 1965 edition of the Ten Commandments, a King James Bible published by David Bryce and Son In Glasgow in 1901, a pocket New Testament printed in 1892, and an edition of the Book of Ezekiel from 1835. These and other miniature books in the library’s collection can be found by searching the library catalog using the genre/form term “miniature books.”

Special Collections’ earliest example of a polyglot Bible is the “Genoa Psalter” of 1516.  This polyglot presents the text of the Psalms in Hebrew, Latin (Vulgate), Greek (Septuagint), Arabic, and Chaldee, with literal Latin translations of the Hebrew and Chaldee and a Latin commentary.  Besides its rarity (400 copies were printed, and the Genoa city council ordered them destroyed), the Genoa Psalter is also famous because the commentary for Psalm 19 contains a short biography of Christopher Columbus.

Special Collections owns over a dozen polyglot Bibles, including Henri Estienne’s polyglot of 1569, the eight-volume polyglot printed by Christopher Plantin in 1571-72, and the London polyglot issued by Brian Walton in 1657.  Polyglot Bibles in Special Collections, as well as modern editions in the circulating collection, can be found by searching the library catalog for the title “Bible polyglot.”

Along with early editions of the King James Bible, Special Collections acquires important editions of the Bible by fine presses.  The History of Printing and Fine Press collections contain the quarto and folio editions of the King James Version by printer and typographer John Baskerville in the 1760’s, and an array of fine printed King James Bibles from the 20th century. These include the Doves Press Bible (Vault Collection Quarto 220.53 B47 1903); the Pennyroyal Caxton Bible (Vault Collection Quarto 094.2 P386 1999 no.1); and the Oxford Lectern Bible (Vault Collection Folio 220.53 B47 1935).

Portions of the Latin Bible were used in a variety of medieval liturgical books, such as psalters, breviaries, books of hours, lectionaries, and antiphoners.  These books would have been used in private devotion and public worship services.  Special Collections contains a wealth of facsimiles of these sorts of manuscripts, from different periods and geographic areas of medieval Europe.  Some of our most recent acquisitions include facsimiles of the Douce Apocalypse (an illustrated copy of the Book of Revelation), the Luttrell Psalter (an illuminated copy of the Book of Psalms), and the Book of Hours of Jeanne D’Evreux (a devotional manuscript created for a medieval princess).  To find these facsimiles and other manuscripts in the library catalog, perform a genre search for “manuscripts facsimiles” or specific types of manuscripts, such as “books of hours” or “psalters.”

Moralized Bibles do not contain the full text of the Bible; rather, they present  illustrated scenes depicting episodes from the Bible which are accompanied by illustrations and texts explicating their moral and allegorical meanings.  The interpretation of Biblical episodes sometimes differs between Bibles.

Moralized Bibles are important not only as examples of medieval artwork and illustration techniques, but as sources for the study of medieval theology, religious practice, and religious symbolism.  Students who wish to examine these facsimile Bibles may visit Special Collections and request them in our reading room, Monday-Friday before 5 p.m.  To find copies of moralized Bible facsimiles in the library catalog, search for the subject term “picture bibles.”

To supplement the exhibit, the World History & Culture blog will highlight individual Bibles from Special Collections’ holdings throughout Fall semester 2011.  Check back periodically to see lavish medieval manuscripts, works by famed artists and book designers, extremely big and small Bibles, and other interesting items from the collections.

Special Collections owns nearly three dozen facsimiles of early Mesoamerican texts, including the three surviving Mayan Codices and various Nahuatl (Aztec) and Mixtec manuscripts.  These facsimiles can be found in the library catalog by performing a genre search using the term “manuscripts, Mexican.”

Franklin learned the printing trade as an apprentice to his older brother James in Boston, moving to Philadelphia in 1728 (at age 22) to establish his own printing business.  He was so successful that he was able to retire from active business 20 years later, though the press continued to operate under the supervision of Franklin’s business partner David Hall (no relation to the pamphlet’s author).  Hall bought out Franklin’s share of the business in 1766.

Franklin and Hall often reprinted Quaker tracts originally produced in the British Isles at their press;  besides A Mite into the Treasury, the library owns two other Quaker-related titles printed by Franklin and Hall in 1757.  The library also owns an earlier example of Franklin’s work, a travel account by George Whitefield which Franklin issued in 1740.  These items can be found in the library catalog by searching Special Collections’ holdings for works by Benjamin Franklin.

The manuscript can be viewed online here or by searching the library’s Digital Collections.