Friday, March 20, 2015

Antiquarian Book News


Shakespeare

Sometime next year, one of the most valuable and important books in the world will make its way to the University of Iowa: A first folio of 36 plays written by William Shakespeare.

UI Libraries has been selected as the only host site in Iowa for next year’s ‘First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare,’ a 50-state travelling exhibition of the Shakespeare First Folio. The tour is being sponsored by the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., and the Cincinnati Museum Center.

Published in 1623, seven years after Shakespeare’s death, the First Folio is the first collected edition of the plays. Without the folio having been compiled, as many as 18 of Shakespeare’s previously unpublished plays might have been lost to history –  including ‘Macbeth’, ‘Julius Caesar’, ‘Twelfth Night’, ‘The Tempest’, ‘Antony and Cleopatra’,  ‘The Comedy of Errors’ and ‘As You Like It.’

A specific date has not been set for when UI Libraries will host the first folio next year, but the university is already making plans to make the most of the four-week period. UI Special Collections already has a copy of the Second Folio, printed in 1632. That book, along with other works from the period, will be on display when the First Folio comes to town.
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Ransom Rejected

The Vatican has received a ransom demand for two documents written by Michelangelo that were stolen from its archives nearly 20 years ago.

The theft of the documents – one a letter including the signature of the Renaissance artist who painted the Sistine Chapel, designed part of St Peter’s Basilica and sculpted statues such as David and the Pieta – had not been made public before Sunday.

Following a report by the Rome newspaper ‘Il Messaggero’ on Sunday, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said that a cardinal in charge of St Peter’s Basilica had been contacted recently by a person who offered to get the documents back for what Lombardi called “a certain price”. ‘Il Messaggero’ reported that the person, described as a former Vatican employee, had asked for €100,000 (£72,000).

The spokesman said a nun who worked in the Vatican archives informed officials back in 1997 that the documents had gone missing. He did not say why the Vatican had not disclosed the theft before. While the newspaper spoke of only one letter signed by Michelangelo, who lived from 1475 to 1564, the spokesman said two documents had gone missing.

Neither the spokesman or the newspaper disclosed any details of the documents, which were taken from the archives of the Vatican department that looks after the upkeep of the basilica, known as the Fabbrica di San Pietro.
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Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy 

Foundation of democracy or rallying cry for modern rights? One of the world's most famous documents, Magna Carta has inspired some of today's fundamental liberties. Yet it started as a practical solution to a political crisis 800 years ago.

Since 1215, Magna Carta has evolved from a political agreement to an international symbol of freedom. Uncover the story of how its power has been used – and abused – from its genesis through to today's popular culture, in the largest exhibition ever staged about this world-famous document.

Explore centuries of dramatic history, from King John, medieval battles, revolution, wars, empire and the struggle for the right to vote, right up to today's satirical commentaries.

Treasures on display

Together, for this once-in-a-lifetime moment, are the iconic documents and artefacts that tell the story of Magna Carta: two of the four original 1215 Magna Carta documents, Jefferson's handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence and one of the original copies of the US Bill of Rights, both on display in the UK for the first time, together with stunning manuscripts, paintings, statues and royal relics.

For more information and booking details click here
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Formerly known as New Bodleian

On 21 March 2015 the University of Oxford’s Bodleian Libraries will celebrate the completion of the Weston Library following an £80m transformation designed to create a 21st-century library where scholars can study and undertake their research and where members of the public can explore the Bodleian's national and international treasures. The public opening marks the completion of an ambitious three-year project to dramatically renew this iconic Grade II-listed building, formerly known as the New Bodleian.

The vision of this ambitious project was to fully modernize a historic library, overhauling 80-year old storage facilities for the Bodleian Libraries’ collections to make them meet the latest standards; to dramatically improve research facilities to support scholarship at the highest level; and to create inspirational new facilities for engaging the general public.

Central to this was the removal of an 11-storey book stack in the centre of the building to create Blackwell Hall, a grand 13.5 metre-high entrance foyer. From here visitors can look up to see an innovative glass-sided 'floating stack' which encompasses the centre of the hall, providing a glimpse into the inner workings of the library. In Blackwell Hall visitors can see displays such as the newly-conserved 16th-century Sheldon Tapestry Map of Gloucestershire and they can view interactive screens providing a behind-the-scene view on the research being undertaken by university scholars of all disciplines within the Libraries.

Above and below ground, more than 40km of secure, state-of-the-art storage facilities now house the Bodleian Libraries’ special collections which include rare books, manuscripts, archives, music, ephemera and maps. Key materials found within the Weston Library include the largest collection of pre-1500 printed books in a university library, a highly important collection of manuscripts from medieval Europe and the Byzantine Empire and one of the largest concentrations of modern British political manuscripts.

The Weston Library will open to the public from 8am on Saturday 21 March 2015. To celebrate the opening an exciting programme of events will run over the course of the weekend of 21 and 22 March. For this weekend only, visitors will be able to enjoy behind-the-scenes tours of the new building as well as displays and free lectures about the history of the building and the process of its transformation over the past three years. Pre-booking is recommended but some tickets for tours and talks will be available on the day. View a full listing of the Weston Library's opening weekend events.

And…
March 21 is also the launch weekend of the Oxford Literary Festival, to which the Bodleian Libraries is Cultural Partner. Many of the Festival’s events will take place in the Weston Library over its nine-day run. The weekend also sees the much-anticipated opening of the Marks of Genius exhibition in the Weston Library, featuring world-renowned items of the Bodleian's unique collections, including one of the Bodleian’s engrossments of Magna Carta


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