by Petra Hofmann (College Librarian) The so-called Nuremberg Chronicle was printed as Registrum huius operis libri cronicarum by Anton Koberger in Nuremberg in 1493. Despite its early date, it is certainly not a rare book. The Incunabula Short-Title Catalogue lists 858 holding institutions, some of which hold multiple copies. It is, however, one of those books you can keepContinue reading “The Nuremberg Chronicle : A Masterpiece of the Incunable Period”
Tag Archives: Early printed books
An Early Fireworks Manual
by Petra Hofmann (College Librarian) As a form of entertainment firework displays became popular in the Tudors era and reached an early peak during the Elizabethan Age (Kinchin-Smith). There were risks involved, however. In 1572, Robert Dudley presented a fireworks display for Elizabeth I at Kenilworth Castle when an error sent fireballs into the nearbyContinue reading “An Early Fireworks Manual”
Caxton’s Chess Book
by Petra Hofmann (College Librarian) Among the Library’s early printed books are eleven published by William Caxton, including his second edition of Jacobus de Cessolis’s The Game and Play of Chess, which Caxton translated himself and printed it with woodcuts in his workshop in Westminster around 1483. Almost from the beginning chess was perceived asContinue reading “Caxton’s Chess Book”
A Hand-coloured Atlas
by Petra Hofmann (College Librarian) This hand-coloured copy of the 1603 edition of Theatrum orbis terrarum by Abrahman Ortelius, printed in Antwerp, is one of the Library staff’s all-time favourite book in St John’s extraordinary collection of early printed books. Ortelius’s Theatrum orbis terrarum is generally considered to be the first modern atlas. Although Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598)Continue reading “A Hand-coloured Atlas”
Ink and Illumination : Colour in Medieval Manuscripts and Beyond
Library Exhibition 20 January – 15 March 2025 Curated by Victoria Kinne (History of Art Undergraduate at St Catherine’s College, Oxford) Contents Part 1: The Effect of Colour Colour as Political Symbolism Colour as a Teaching Tool Colour as Character Colour in the Medieval Imagination The Effect of Colour Colour as Accident Colour as LuxuryContinue reading “Ink and Illumination : Colour in Medieval Manuscripts and Beyond”
Surprising Diversity : The Length and Breadth of St John’s Historic Collections
Celebrating the Reopening of St John’s College’s Historic Libraries 4 October – 13 December 2024 Contents Introduction The Oldest … in Our Collections Royal Connections Words & Deeds: Women in Print(ing) From Bestiaries to Zoology: Animals through the Centuries Middle Eastern Manuscripts 1: Sciences Middle Eastern Manuscripts 2: Qurans & the Hadith Middle Eastern ManuscriptsContinue reading “Surprising Diversity : The Length and Breadth of St John’s Historic Collections”
Thomas Willis (1621-1675) : Neurologist, Chemist, Physician
Willis, Opera omnia (Amsterdam: Heinricus Wetstein, 1682), frontispiece. Portrait of Thomas (engraving by David Loggan, 1667) Thomas Willis was born on 27 January 1621 to Thomas Willis (d. 1643) and Rachel Howell (d. 1631). He matriculated at Oxford’s Christ Church in 1638, possibly aiming for a clerical career at first. His interest for medicine wasContinue reading “Thomas Willis (1621-1675) : Neurologist, Chemist, Physician”
St John’s Printed Manuscript
by Petra Hofmann (College Librarian) Enchiridion preclare ecclesie Sarum St John’s College holds a remarkable 16th-century book of hours (Use of Salisbury) printed by Germain Hardouyn in Paris in 1530 with the title Enchiridion preclare ecclesie Sarum. The volume is full of decorative features (borders with floral motifs on gold, initials in various colours) andContinue reading “St John’s Printed Manuscript”
The President, the “Prince”, and the Hedgehogs
An Exhibition in honour of Ruth Ogden, Deputy Librarian 1987-2022, on the occasion of her retirement Hilary Term 2022 Online Exhibition
The Princess and the Poisoner: early modern wives, capital crime, and autobiography
Georgie Moore, our Graduate Trainee, considers how the voices of two early modern criminalized women, the princess and the poisoner, are collected in the St John’s College Library. Restoration London, 1663 When a German princess checked into an inn, the innkeeper did what any astute uncle would do: he summoned his nephew to marry her.Continue reading “The Princess and the Poisoner: early modern wives, capital crime, and autobiography”