Saturday 30 June 2007

British Library, part II


The British Library holds one of the world's greatest collections of Western early printed books: nearly 2.5 million dating from 1454 to 1914. The day after having seen the exhibition "Sacred," our group had our own private exhibition, organized by librarian Adrian Edwards. Unfortunately there is not enough room here to list all of the amazing books we saw that relate to the Reformation. Highlights for me included the Mainz bible of 1462, printed by Fust and Schoeffer; Martin Luther's German New Testament, which first appeared in September, 1522; and bibles owned by Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth.

British Library



Our group visited the British Library in London and toured the exhibition "Sacred," which presents some of the rarest and most exquisite books and manuscripts from the faith traditions of judaism, christianity, and islam. We saw a number of books dealing with our subject. Of special note was the Tyndale New Testament. We had walked the streets that Tyndale walked in Antwerp, seen his college at Oxford, and now saw one of the three copies of this book that are known to be in existence. Though printed, the British Library copy features beautiful illuminations produced by hand throughout. The library purchased this copy in 1994 for over a million pounds. It is considered by some to be the most important printed book in the English language.

Oxford University Press


Printing in Oxford began during the time period we are studying. In 1478 Theodoric Rood put out the first book, and printing for the university continued intermittently for the next hundred years or so. In 1586 an ordinance of the Star Chamber granted Oxford a press and an apprentice. In 1636 a charter of Charles I allowed Oxford to print "all manner of books." So there has been a university press in operation here continuously since the late 16th century. Shown here is a type case from the press, dating from the 17th century.

Wednesday 27 June 2007

The Oxford Martyrs


The Oxford Martyrs were bishops Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, and archbishop Thomas Cranmer. Cranmer is remembered especially for his work on the Book of Common Prayer, which was first printed in 1549, and then revised in 1552 and again in later years. Each of the churchmen was tried and convicted of heresy at the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin. They were burned at the stake, the first two in 1555, and Cranmer in 1556. The actual place where the burning occured is commemorated in Broad Street with cobbled stones that form a cross. The Martyr's Memorial, pictured here, is a nearby Victorian monument completed in 1843.

Tuesday 26 June 2007

William Tyndale and the English Bible


William Tyndale (ca. 1494-1536) has been called “the father of the English Reformation,” and is known for his translation into English of the New Testament and parts of the Old Testament. He attended Hertford College, Oxford, receiving degrees in 1512 and 1515. As an ordained priest he later studied at Cambridge, where he came into contact with Erasmus. By the early 1520s was working on a translation of the Bible into English. Church authorities did not support this effort, though, which forced him to flee to the continent, where he met Martin Luther and others. Tyndale’s English New Testament was published at Worms in 1526, and copies were smuggled into England. Tyndale was condemned as a heretic, and he went into hiding, continuing to translate other parts of the Bible. He was arrested in Antwerp and burned at the stake outside Brussels in 1536. Tyndale’s influence on later editions of the English Bible, particularly the King James version, is great, and he has been called an architect of the English language. The stained glass window shown here is located at Hertford College; it depicts the reformer holding a book above a printing press scene. The names of other reformers are listed on the side windows, and there are several inscriptions, including “Every man in his own language.”

Monday 25 June 2007

Bodleian Library


My colleagues and I will be conducting research at a variety of institutions during the seminar. Much of our work, however, will be centered in the Bodleian Library, which is the main research library at Oxford. We received a wonderful introduction to the library from David Vaisey, former director of the library. Mr. Vaisey pointed out that the early history of the library is intimately tied to our areas of interest, namely the Protestant Reformation, and the revolution that was printing. Duke Humphrey gave a large collection of manuscripts in the 15th century, but during much of the 16th century the library declined. Thomas Bodley donated books and supported renewed growth, and "Bodley's Library" was formally opened in 1602. In 1610 the library began to receive a copy of every book registered with the Stationers' Company in London, and so the collections are unusually extensive. The Bodleian developed as a bastion of Protestant scholarship.

Sunday 24 June 2007

Erasmus House




Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466?-1536) was one of the greatest northern humanists. He produced a Greek New Testament, the Novum Instrumentum, and other works. He was also a friend of printers, with whom he collaborated on the publication of key texts. Today one can visit his home in Anderlecht, Belgium, where he lived for 5 months in 1521. I was fortunate to see not only the house, but also the current exhibit on "Erasmus and his Printers." Afterward I toured the philosophical garden, which is adjacent to the museum.

Friday 22 June 2007

Plantin-Moretus Museum





The Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp is one of the best places in Europe to learn about early printing. Christopher Plantin (ca. 1520-1589) ran one of the largest printing businesses of his time. He is especially known for the printing of the polyglot bible (1573), which featured the text of the bible in several languages, side by side. Today the museum has wonderful collections of type, cases, presses, artifacts, and books. Here we see the inner courtyard of the museum, facing the rooms used as a bookstore, and a press used to print from copper plates.

Antwerp



The seminar begins in Antwerp, Belgium. This city was an important center of printing in the early 16th century. The first bibles in French, Dutch, and English were printed here. Pressures against printers increased, and after the 1540s, fewer Protestant texts were printed in Antwerp.

Introduction

This summer I am participating in a summer seminar sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities. "The Reformation of the Book, 1450-1700" will investigate various topics relating to the creation and dissemination of books during the early modern period, with special emphasis on England. The seminar will take place in Antwerp, London, and Oxford. As someone involved in the teaching of courses on the history of the book and the Reformation at Vassar College, I am greatly looking forward to this experience.