A curious college student in Portland, Ore., has
discovered a 1599 Geneva Bible — the Bible of Queen Elizabeth I and William
Shakespeare — in the basement of his school’s library, CBC News reports. The book — found at Lewis & Clark College’s Aubrey R.
Watzek LIbrary — could have royal lineage, according to the local Oregonian
newspaper. One page reads: “Imprinted at London, by the Deputies of Christopher
Barker, Printer to the Queenes most excellent Majestie.” “It’s quite rare,” said Hannah Crummé, the archivist at
Lewis & Clark College.
This edition of the Bible made the scriptures accessible
through many elaborate woodcut illustrations. One, titled “The Situation of the
Garden of Eden,” is a map of the ancient Middle East, showing “The Great
Armenia,” “Mesopotamie,” “Babylone” and “The Golphe of the Persian Sea.”
The Bible is in good condition despite repairs that
wouldn’t meet today’s book-conservation standards, the newspaper reported.
Crummé has traced its ownership to Francis Fry, a
19th-century Bible collector in England.
Student Sam Bussan was working in the special collections
and archives on Sept. 27. As he was preparing to leave for the day, he spotted
a label on a bottom shelf that read “Bibles.”
Intrigued, he opened the four boxes and “found all these
incredible books,” including Bibles from the 17th through 19th centuries.
“To have that end up in such an unlikely place is very
exciting and intriguing,” Bussan said. “The quality of printing is really
amazing.”
According to the Oregonian, the 1599 Geneva Bible is the
second-oldest book in the school’s collection, as they have one book that is
about 500 years old.
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder
Not: Yalnızca bu blogun üyesi yorum gönderebilir.