Adopt a Book Catalogue 2017 1. Claudius Ptolomaeus, Geographia; Venice, 1562 – H.III.16 In his Geographia, Greek astronomer and polymath Claudius Ptolemy offered instruction in laying out maps by three different methods of projection; provided coordinates for some eight thousand places; and treated such basic concepts as geographical latitude and longitude. A best seller both in the age of luxurious manuscripts and in that of print, Ptolemy's Geography became one of the most influential cartographical manuals in history. Maps based on scientific principles had been produced in Europe as early as the 3rd century B.C.; however, Ptolemy’s work was different in that it offered instruction in the art of map projection. Its translation, first into Arabic in the 9th century, and then later into Latin in the 14th century, was seen as strongly influencing the cartographic traditions of both the Medieval Caliphate and Renaissance Europe. Columbus – one of its many readers – found inspiration in Ptolemy's exaggerated value for the size of Asia for his own fateful journey to the west. It was a key source for the maps of prominent cartographers including Martellus and Waldseemueller. ADOPTED £80 2. John Shute Barrington, Theological Works; London, 1828 – Q.X.62-64 The Barrington who authored this work is not the Shute Barrington who would serve as Bishop of Durham over a thirty five year period (who also published extensively on matters theological), but rather his father, John Shute Barrington, the 1st Viscount Barrington, a “politician and Christian apologist”. Barrington began publishing his theological works anonymously in 1701, with the publication of his essay concerning England and its Protestant dissidents; later editing this and publishing it under his own name, he followed it with works on The rights of Protestant dissenters and later, A dissuasive from Jacobitism. He came to the attention of George I after speaking out vocally against the dangers of popery and the Young Pretender, and the new king greeted Barrington on his first day in London. This three volume collection of his theological works was the first extensive collection published – nearly one hundred years after his death, by George Townsend. Its boards have become worn and loose; it requires rebacking in leather, repair to the damaged boards, and the remounting of the original title piece. £100 3. Benjamin Ferrey, Recollections of A.N. Welby Pugin; London, 1861 – P.VIA.45 This mid-19th century account of the life of architect and designer Augustus Pugin – itself written by an architect – is one of the most recent books available to adopt through Durham Cathedral’s Adopt-a-Book scheme. Its spine is damaged and its cover is coming away; some of the pages inside also require conservation cleaning. Augustus Pugin is primarily remembered for his key role in the Gothic Revival style of architecture. Pugin is perhaps best known for his work designing the interior of the Palace of Westminster in London following a devastating fire in 1834. Pugin’s designs for the Palace included stained glass, metalwork, wood carving, upholstery, furnishings, a royal throne, and – one of the last things he designed, while in the Royal Bethlem Hospital in Southwark (otherwise known as Bedlam), following something resembling a seizure – the Elizabeth Tower: otherwise known as Big Ben. Pugin also did a significant amount of work at Ushaw College – a former seminary based in the countryside of County Durham, now under the care of Durham University. Himself an architect of the Gothic Revival, the author of this work, Benjamin Ferrey, was a student of Pugin’s father (also named Augustus), and a friend of Pugin himself. He carried out significant work on Wells Cathedral, and was twice appointed Vice-President of the Royal Institute of British Architects. This work, printed ten years after the death of Pugin, may well have been an attempt by Ferrey to protect the damaged reputation of his friend, whose work had been soundly criticised by John Ruskin in his seminal work The Stones of Venice. Ruskin suggested that Pugin “is not a great architect, but one of the smallest possible or conceivable architects”. £100 4. George Townshend Fox, Synopsis of the Newcastle Museum; Newcastle, 1827 – N.IV.56 In 1822, following the purchase of the ornithological collections of Marmaduke Tunstall, an offshoot of the Newcastle Literary and Philosophical Society established the basis of the Natural History Society of Northumberland, Durham and Newcastle- upon-Tyne Museum – or the Newcastle Museum, as it came to be known. It is now better known as the Great North Museum: Hancock. Before ownership of Tunstall’s extensive collection passed to the Newcastle Society, it had been owned by George Allan – celebrated antiquary and resident of Darlington, whose extensive collection of manuscripts is also held by Durham Cathedral Library. Printed in Newcastle, this 1827 edition contains the memoirs of both Marmaduke Tunstall (“the founder”) and George Allan (“the late proprietor of the collection”), as well as occasional remarks on the species in the collection, and was written and collated by George Townshend Fox, a member of the Zoological Society of London, and of the Lit. and Phil. Society of Newcastle. Its historical relevance to the North East lies in both its content and its contributors. ADOPTED £100 5. Vita Di S. Oswaldo Re Di Northumberland; 1769 – D.V.61 As the preface to this Italian work acknowledges, much of what is known of the life of St. Oswald comes from the Venerable Bede, who viewed Oswald as a saintly king, and wrote most positively of him during the century after his death. Becoming King of Northumberland in 634AD, after the defeat of Cadwallonap Cadfan (who, in his turn, had deposed Oswald’s brother Eanfrith in order to become King of Bernicia), Oswald supposedly had a vision of St Columba before going into battle. The Irish apostle appeared in a dream, stating “Be strong and act manfully. Behold, I will be with thee”. Upon hearing of his vision, his council and Oswald all agreed that they would be baptised and convert to Christianity following the battle. Oswald is often depicted – as in the frontispiece to this work – with both a halo and a crown. Killed at the Battle of Maserfield in 641 or 642, Oswald prayed for the souls of his soldiers before being killed and dismembered; the site of his death came to be associated with miracles, and when a raven grabbed – and later dropped – his arm, a spring sprang from the site on which it fell. The head of Oswald was later interred with the body of St. Cuthbert, where they both remain in Durham Cathedral. This 18th century, Italian version of the life of Saint Oswald was printed in the Italian city of Udine, and dedicated to the city’s archbishop. Its soft, marbled binding has begun to come loose, and many of the pages beneath have started to sustain damage as a result. ADOPTED £120 6. The Westminster Shorter Catechism; London, 1813 – H.IIIC.79 What became known as the Westminster Shorter Catechism was originally produced in the 1640s by the Westminster Assembly, a synod of English and Scottish theologians working to reform the Church of England in the run up to the English Civil War. As part of a military alliance with Scotland, Parliament agreed to an attempt to bring the Church of England more in line with the Church of Scotland. The intended use of the ‘shorter’ catechism – based on the ‘larger’ catechism – was to teach children, as well as those “of weaker capacity” about the Reformed faith. The catechisms were set down in a question and answer format, which congregations would be expected to learn and answer by rote. This Shorter Catechism – consisting of 107 questions – is still in use by the Church of Scotland today. Measuring only 89mm by 56mm, this is the smallest book in the Cathedral Library’s collection. It requires rebacking in leather, and repair work to its marbled boards. ADOPTED £125 7. Sarah Trimmer, A Series of Prints Designed to Illustrate The English History; London, 1821 – H.IIIB.20 A devout evangelical Anglican, educational reformer Sarah Trimmer was a writer and early critic of English children’s literature; her periodical The Guardian of Education not only marked the first time children’s literature was taken seriously as a genre in its own right, but also now serves as a useful early history of the development of children’s literature – still useful to scholars of this field today. Trimmer devoted herself primarily to formulating methods, practices, and materials that would be acceptable to evangelical parents educating their children at home, and that could be utilised in charity schools. Her works encouraged other women to establish Sunday schools and to write for children and the poor. She also popularized the use of pictorial material in books for children. Trimmer produced a series of prints to help illustrate various stories, including tales from both the Old and New Testaments, tales from Roman history, and French history. This small collection consists of a series of prints depicting various events from English history, including the execution of Charles I, the Great Fire of London, and the humiliation of the body of Richard III after his defeat at the Battle of Bosworth. A former owner has rather inexpertly attempted the hand-colouring of many of the prints. Like many of the chapbooks in the collections of Durham Cathedral Library, it was donated in 1967 by William Waples. ADOPTED £140 8. Sir William Dugdale, The History of St. Paul’s Cathedral; London, 1716 – I.I.28 Originally published in 1658 – less than a decade before the original building of St.