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Exhibits University Archives and Special Collections

7-1-2008 The oP wer of University Archives and Special Collections Department

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Recommended Citation University Archives and Special Collections Department, "The oP wer of Books" (2008). Exhibits. Paper 1. http://hdl.handle.net/10950/133

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Foreword Introduction

“The Power of Books” gives patrons and visitors to the University Archives For books are not absolutely dead things, but do contain a potency of life in and Department of Special Collections (UASC) a rather full accounting of them to be as active as that soul was whose progeny they are; nay, they do some of the most notable bibliographic items contained in our holdings. preserve as in a vial the purest efficacy and extraction of that living intellect While the curator has united these objects under a Miltonian theme, these that bred them. disparate pieces have more traditionally seemed to form a somewhat in- —John Milton, Areopagitica choate whole. In fact, most of the arrived at the University dur- ing the 1980s, partly due to local generosity (as was the case with the In many ways, Milton dominates this exhibit. Although his life and work Spanish colonial manuscript) and partly as a result of some intrepid finds are not centra to it—our presentation of a nineteenth-century of from local estate sales (particularly in the case of the German bible). In- Paradise Lost has perhaps more to do with the fine and Do- deed, collections such as these rely largely on efforts from our friends, in re ’s masterful illustrations than it does the literary value of the work—one collaboration with a special collections librarian. We are proud to display might say that Milton’s ghost haunts the exhibit. After all, his brilliant de- the materials in this modest exhibit as both a pedagogical exercise fense of free speech, Areopagitica, shares a concern with this exhibit: the (demonstrating “the power of books”) as well as a potential starting point power of books. Indeed, this exhibit concerns itself with not only the pow- for community involvement in potential special collections building. er of literary works to transform human society, but with the real power of printed, published works. The Luther Bible on display in this collection Michael Cerliano (UT-Tyler, class of 2008) curated this exhibit under the is not simply a record of the end of the medieval era and the beginning of guidance of the University Archivist and Special Collections Librarian. the modern; its status as an immigrant’s Bible, a family heirloom recording Michael recently graduated cum laude with an English major and a minor the progress of one family in America, speaks to the power of books to field in philosophy. He was also a member of Sigma Tau Delta and Phi Sig- reach across history and connect us to our roots. Likewise, the Spanish ma Tau, honor societies for both his fields of study. While he has toiled in manuscript—a genealogy of Philip Habsburg III of Spain, but published in the UASC since January 2007, we unleashed his full talents this summer, Colonial Mexico—is a testament to the use of books as political and cultur- bringing them to bear on the creation of this exhibit. The end result has al weapons whose full effects cannot be immediately felt. The power of reflected a level of excellence that I have come to expect from Michael, books also finds its expression in the creation of books that are themselves giving us a display that has been both exhaustively researched and works of art, as in our velvet-bound edition of the “Dore Milton”, or in our thoughtfully assembled. He leaves us this August to pursue graduate de- numerous nineteenth-century gift books. These were not merely meant to grees in comparative literature at the University of Notre Dame in South be read, but to be kept as reminders of human affection and the im- Bend, Indiana, where he has received a full fellowship. We wish him the portance of art in life. This importance finds its expression in our nine- best of luck. teenth-century edition of Shakespeare’s works, which includes engravings of actors so popular that their fans were often willing to kill and be killed De irdre Joyce in the name of these cultural artifacts. Printed literature changed the University Archivist and Special Collections Librarian world by reshaping human consciousness, and by examining the impact of The University of Texas at Tyler the printed word, we are, in a way, reaching into the depths of history and July 2008 memory to discover who we truly are.

Michael Cerliano July of 2008, The University of Texas at Tyler to stand up for the reputation of their favorite stage presence, even if it The Complete Works of Shakespeare meant violence. The most famous case of fans running amok during this era was the Astor Place Riot. The riot was the culmination of a feud between two rival New York: Johnson, Fry and Shakespearean actors: the Englishman William Company, 1861 Charles Macready, a fop- pish, aristocratic man who was the toast of the Anglo- philic New York upper clas- ses; and Edwin Forrest, an American actor with a working-class background, whose admirers came from among the working poor of Manhattan’s notorious Five Points slums. The rivalry came to a head in May 1849, when Macready was engaged to perform in Mac- beth at the Astor Place Opera House, a theater fre- quented by wealthy New Yorkers. In response, the nearby, working-class Bowery Theater also began a run of Macbeth, featuring Forrest in the lead role. On Clockwise from top left: Edwin Forrest as Richard III; The marbled end papers used in this edi- tion were popular in nineteenth-century ; James Henry Hackett as Falstaff; Editions of May 10, a crowd of 20,000 works from this period often featured intricate abstract designs on the cover. gathered outside the Astor Place Opera House and Edwin Forrest as Macbeth in an 1861 illustration. The 19th Century is considered by many scholars to be the golden age of began pelting the place Shakespearean performance. Entertainment was dominated by the Bard with bricks and stones. A during the Victorian era; in the United States, performances and public riot broke out, and New York police and National Guard were called in to of Shakespeare’s plays were popular with everyone from upper- restore order. In all, over 30 civilians were killed and 40 wounded and class elites in Boston and New York to working-class laborers in Philadel- over 100 national guardsmen and police officers were wounded in what phia and Chicago to outlaws and pioneers on the Western frontier. The was the worst riot in American history until the New York City draft riots popularity stemmed not only from the works themselves, but of the of 1863. Following the riot, Macready left the United States and never re- unique contributions of the popular actors and actresses of the era. Live turned, dying in England in 1873. Despite being associated with the riot, drama was as important to 19th-Century popular culture as Hollywood Forrest continued in a successful career until his death in 1872. was to the 20th-Century. Consequently, editions of Shakespeare’s works, such as this one published by Johnson, Fry and Company in 1861, bound in half-calf leather with marbled boards and endpapers, printed alongside the plays elaborate portraits of popular Shakespearean performers. Each actor had legions of loyal fans, many of whom were willing to do anything in velvet cloth bindings. In the Paradise Lost 1820s, William Pickering intro- By John Milton duced cloth bindings made of a durable “ cloth” which was stronger and less expensive than New York, London and Paris: Cassell and Company, the dress fabrics (such as silk and th velvet) that had occasionally been Limited, late 19 Century. used as an alternative to animal skins. This particular book (possibly a late nineteenth- Gustave Dore (1832-1883) was a critically- century reprint of the 1866 edi- and popularly-acclaimed French illustrator tion) is an example of the “Arts and engraver, whose artwork was responsi- and Crafts” movement in design, ble for some of the highest-selling editions of which flourished during the late literary works of the nineteenth century. nineteenth century and early Dore ’s work is representative of the Roman- twentieth century. Inspired the tic movement in illustration, with a deep in- writings of John Ruskin and Pre- terest in the gothic and bizarre. Dore ’s illus- Raphaelite artists such as Dante trations have, in many ways, become iconic: Gabriel Rossetti, who romanti- the woodcuts he produced for works such as cized pre-industrial art and de- Gustave Doré, “Satan Descends to Earth” from Cervantes’ Don Quixote, Dante’s Inferno and sign as being purer due to its Paradise Lost. Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner hand-crafted nature and the abil- thrilled 19th centu- ity of its creator to take pride in ry audiences and his own work, the Arts and Crafts have had a lasting movement emphasized simple, influence on the flat designs often featuring ab- way future illustra- stract plant motifs (as in the de- tors depicted (and sign on the cover of this edition). the way readers The use of velvet binding and envisioned) the unevenly-cut pages gives the characters and book a handmade feel that many events of each printers believed was lacking in text. Likewise, his contemporaneous book publish- moody, melan- ing. Although the ’s copy is cholic illustrations damaged (particularly on the for an 1866 edition spine) the cover has remained of Milton’s Para- well-preserved, as have the gilt dise Lost proved to edges on the pages and the re- be extraordinarily markable illustrations by Dore , popular with read- This edition of Paradise Lost features elaborately-patterned engrav- including these images depicting ings on the cover depicting vegetation and other natural motifs, a ers and turned the Satan’s arrival on Earth and the edition into a best- hallmark of the late 19th Century Arts and Crafts movement in de- Gustave Doré, “Eve is tempted by the Serpent” sign. temptation of Eve. from Paradise Lost. seller. This edi- tion of the “Dore Milton” is unique for several reasons, most notably the fact that it is bound uncommon Biblia, Das ist: Die gantze Heilige Schrifft dess Alten for owners und NeuenTestaments. Wie solche von ... Martin Lu- of elector bibles to ther ... in unsere Teutsche Mutter-Sprach ... gebracht ... remove the Samt einer Vorrede Herrn J.M. Dillherrns. illustration of their [1770]. J. A. Ehdner, Nürnberg. elector (along with the frontis- piece of Martin Lu- Germany was not ther) and united as a nation- place it on state until 1871, fol- their wall lowing the victory of as a form Prussia over France of decora- in the Franco- tion. Prussian War. Before This bible An illustration of the Ascension from the introductory section of the then, the nation was was print- Acts of the Apostles. Each book in the Bible features an introduction divided into hun- ed on typi- and commentary by the theologian and poet Johann Michael Dilherr. dreds of kingdoms, cal German duchies, principalities Frontispiece stamped in red and black. A typically elabo- paper of the eighteenth century which—due to the short wool fibers used and bishoprics which rate title page which chronicled all contributors who to make it—has become soft, limp and darkened over the centuries. Each composed a political made this book possible. sheet is a folio, which means that each page is produced by folding a print- entity known as the ed sheet in half once. The bookbinding is pigskin, and is stamped with Holy Roman Empire. Originally a unified state, the Empire eventually eight decorative brass corners and two brass clasps. Although the details morphed into a loose confederation. The head of the Holy Roman Empire of the Bible’s provenance are unknown at this time, it is likely that it was was not officially heredi- brought to America by German immigrants, who often carried their Elec- tary; instead, the Emperor tor Bibles with them as family heirlooms and used the endpapers to keep was chosen by a group of family records of everything from the successive owners of the Bible to electors selected, by Im- events such as births, weddings and funerals. In the case of this Bible, the perial decree, from among family records are located after the preface. The list of births begins in the states. The Holy Ro- German in the late 18th century, listing the various members of the man Empire was dis- Bucher family who owned the book, and concludes with the birth of Han- solved after the abdica- nah Adeline Baker in 1823, whose birth is recorded in English in a dis- tion of Emperor Francis II tinctly American hand. Because of this, the Bible allows researchers the (Franz I of Austria) in opportunity to chart the “Americanization” of an immigrant family and 1806. their assimilation into early 19th-Century society. This 18th-Century Bible (translated by Martin Lu- An image of Johann Friedrich I, elector of Saxony. ther, German theologian and father of the Refor- mation) is an example of what is termed an “elector Bible”, referring to J. C. Claussner’s elaborate illustrations of the various Imperial Electors con- tained within the text. During the early modern period, it was not uncom- fringes of the em- Genealogy of the family of Philip III Habsburg of pire, printing Spain presses were scarce, and many of Executed on vellum and bound in reverse calf with the books pub- gilt decorations and two elaborate color frontispieces. lished outside of Mexico City were Date: 1618. produced by hand in the form of illu- minated manu- scripts. The Spanish arrived in This manuscript, a the New World in the late genealogy of King 15th century, pursuing Philip III of Spain their dreams of gold and from 1618, is an empire. Following the example of these conquest of the Aztec and techniques. Like other indigenous Mexican many books pub- civilizations, the Spanish lished in colonial began setting up new Mexico, the pur- systems of government, pose of this text religion and other social was twofold: to institutions to fill the gap instruct readers left by the collapse of and to honor and these nations. But the uphold the power Spanish faced a problem: of the Spanish gov- how does one create a ernment. Unlike culture out of whole many books from Frontispiece depicting the veneration of Our Lady of Gua- cloth, and following that, this era, it was delupe by two Spanish nobles, located on the first verso page. how does one maintain written and bound that culture and extend Our Lady of Guadelupe was an important symbol of the by hand, each page growth of the Catholic church in the New World. Also of inter- one’s influence to every and illustration est in the Jesuit seal “HIS”, located on the left-hand side of the aspect of the new socie- painstakingly page. ty’s social sphere? Part of crafted by an ex- the answer lay in books. pert in manuscript Upon the establishment creation and reproduction (in all likelihood, a monk). The pages are not of Spanish authority in paper; rather, they are made of vellum, which is a tanned animal hide, usu- Illustrated frontispiece depicting Saint James the Mexico, the colonial au- Moor-Slayer (Santiago Matamoros) in battle, located ally calfskin or sheepskin. Vellum was most often used for important doc- thorities began the pro- on the first recto page of the manuscript. Santiago uments such as this due to the fact that, unlike paper, vellum is highly du- Matamoros was an important symbol of the Recon- cess of establishing print- rable and does not deteriorate as quickly. Vellum is still used today, main- quista and was often referenced in texts relating to ing presses and, with ly for things like luxury book-binding, although it does maintain official the Spanish Empire. The text across the middle of the them, a local usage in Britain and the Republic of Ireland, where acts of Parliament are page reads “By the grace of God”. industry, with the goal of printed on vellum for the purpose of archiving them. using this relatively new technology to establish their control over the area. However, on the lavishly il- 19th Century Gift Books lustrated anthologies of poetry and prose, with elabo- rate bind- ings often covered with gilt embossing. As evi- denced by their name, gift books were in- Tennyson, Alfred. The Poetical Works of Alfred Tennyson, tended to be Poet Laureate. Published by Houghton, Osgood and Company, given as Boston, 1879. presents and were often inscribed by those who presented them. Although gift books often featured collections of works by authors now considered ca- Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. Published by George Routledge and nonical, the overwhelming majority of them were collections of middle- Sons, New York, 1880. brow popular entertainment: sentimental poetry, children’s literature and some popular scientific and The nineteenth century saw a rapidly increasing rate of literacy in the in- religious texts. dustrialized world. As a result, the Victorian era saw an explosion of However, the printed materi- appeal of gift als such as books was not magazines, limited to the newspapers books’ con- and, of course, tents; their fine books. One of craftsmanship the most popu- meant that the lar forms of books them- book publish- selves were ing in the nine- intended to be teenth century looked at as was that of the Cowper, William. The Poetical Works of William Cowper: Com- works of art. In gift book. Pop- plete Edition. Published by Thomas Y. Crowell & Co., New York, this way, gift ular from the circa 1875. books can be 1830s to the seen as prefig- early 1900s, Moore, Thomas. The Poetical Works of Thomas Moore. uring contemporary mixed media works in attempting to create an all- gift books were Published by Gall & Inglis, circa 1875. encompassing “total art” that combined text, image and design into a seamless whole. Kamen, Henry. Empire: How Spain Became a World Power. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. Kamen’s one- history of the growth of the Spanish Empire emphasizes the impact of the interaction between Ashton, Susanna. “’In Bibleistic a Way’: Teaching Nineteenth-Century various cultures and environments in shaping Imperial and Colonial American Poetry Through Book and Periodical Studies.” Teaching identity in the New World and elsewhere. Bibliography, Textual Criticism and Book History. Ed. Ann R. Hawkins.

London: Pickering & Chatto (Publishers) Limited. Features an inter- “Los Primeros Libros de las Americas: A Digital Library of 16th Century esting section addressing the popularity of “gift books” in the nine- Colonial Mexican Imprints.” http://cushing.tamu.edu/collaborations/ teenth century. . An online exhibition of colonial Mexican books and manu-

scripts with information about the role of the printing industry in New “The Astor Place Riot.” http://www.wayneturney.20m.com/ Spain, maintained by the Cushing Memorial Library at Texas A&M astorplaceriot.htm. Webpage containing a contemporaneous account University. of the Forrest-Macready feud and the Astor Place Riot.

“Publisher’s Bindings from the Max Kade Institute for German American “The Astor Place Riot – Folger Shakespeare Library: Shakespeare in Amer- Studies.” http://bindings.lib.ua.edu/gallery/kade.html. An online ican Life.” collection of 19th Century German-American publisher’s bindings, onstage/yesterday/astor.cfm. An excerpt from a radio documentary showcasing the wide range of design and publishing techniques popu- from the Folger Shakespeare Library discussing the Astor Place Riot lar in the 19th Century, maintained by the University of Alabama. and its place in American history.

Todd, Pamela. The Arts and Crafts Companion. New York: Bulfinch Press, “Beauty for Commerce: Publishers’ Bindings, 1830-1910.” http:// 2004. Todd’s work is an overview of the Arts and Crafts movement in www.lib.rochester.edu/index.cfm?page=3352. Online exhibit from design, architecture and art, including a look at the movement’s influ- the University of Rochester, featuring an extensive collection of 19th ence on nineteenth-century printing and . Century publishers’ bindings, including gift books. Also contains an

extensive history of the Victorian publishing industry that traces the “WebMuseum: Dore , Gustave.” http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/ development of book design. dore/. A page containing a brief outline of Dore ’s life and work.

Cantor, Norman F. The Civilization of the Middle Ages. New York: Harper- Zafran, Eric et. al. Fantasy and Faith: The Art of Gustave Doré. New Haven: Collins, 1993. Cantor’s one-volume history of Medieval Europe pro- Yale University Press, 2007. A recent collection of essays examining vides a good introduction to the political and cultural structures of the Dore ’s art and its cultural reception. era, including those of the Holy Roman Empire.

Carter, John. ABC for Book Collectors. New Castle, Delaware: Oak Knoll Press, 1995. Considered by many to be one of the standard guides to .

Cliff, Nigel. The Shakespeare Riots: Revenge, Drama and Death in Nineteenth -Century America. New York: Random House, 2007. Cliff’s popular his- tory of the Astor Place Riot is an overview of both the events sur- rounding the riot and the early American cultural scene as it tried to distinguish itself from that of Europe.

“The Holy Roman Empire.” http://www.heraldica.org/topics/national/ hre.htm. An extensive overview of the Holy Roman Empire, detailing its history, organizational and governmental structure, geography and culture.