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Title
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Rare Delights III: Recent Additions to Special Collections. Online Exhibition
Description
An account of the resource
The rare book collection in Special Collections at the University of Otago grows - slowly and surely - by purchase and donation. With these new acquisitions Special Collections aims to build on the strengths of the collection such as those traditional collecting fields of 18th century literature, garden history, art and architecture, travel, and works by and about John Evelyn, John Locke, and the English poet Robert Graves.
Over time new areas of collecting have come to the fore, in particular ‘popular culture’ items in the guise of pulp fiction and science fiction (SF). In 2010, Professor Fred Fastier gifted his entire SF Collection to Special Collections. Since then holdings in this field have grown considerably with the acquisition of the Hal Salive SF Collection, some 2400 titles kindly donated by Rachel Salive, and a near complete run of the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, donated by Trevor Agnew. ‘Pulps’ continue to be acquired as too the works by the Dunedin-born artist John Buckland Wright. Other books have been acquired because of their historical significance or because they fill a visible gap in the existing collection. Brief examples here include French language works by Racine and Corneille, and Robert Hooke’s Micrographia (1780)
It is by no means true that all rare books are old books. Recent purchases include important modern works that complement the older material. By this means Special Collections will continue to house significant examples of printing and publishing into the next century, will continue to provide an important forum for original research, and will retain its position as an important University-based rare book collection in New Zealand. These volumes are a selection of titles added to Special Collections between 2008 and 2013. Please enjoy.
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An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Special Collections - University of Otago
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Abstract
A summary of the resource.
John Buckland Wright (JBW) was born in Dunedin in 1897. He left New Zealand in 1908 and eventually became one of the world’s best book engravers of the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Special Collections aims to amass a comprehensive collection of his works, especially in book-format. Although published in 1960, the 14 engravings made to illustrate Iwan Gilkin’s <em>Le Sphinx</em> actually antedate his first published work, <em>The Collected Sonnets</em> by John Keats (1930). Thus they are JBW’s first book-illustrations, and apart from two, were never previously published. This limited edition portfolio of 250 copies was purchased locally.
Creator
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Alexander A. M. Stols
Publisher
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Antwerp: Graphia
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1960
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Special Collections NE1147.6 B83 SV56
Title
A name given to the resource
John Buckland Wright: Illustrator
John Buckland Wright
-
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Title
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Maths, Politics & Concrete: The Legacy of the Classical World. Online exhibition
Description
An account of the resource
The classicist Richard Hingley wrote ‘the Classical past retains a highly significant relationship to the present’. It is true that no cultural tradition develops in a vacuum and we are all influenced by those who have gone before us. The exhibition Maths, Politics and Concrete: The Legacy of the Classical World aims to highlight some of the influences that the ancient Greeks and Romans have had on western civilisation. Mathematics, democracy, medicine, literature, philosophy, law, architecture and engineering are just some of the areas where western cultural heritage owes much to classical Greece and Rome.
With the reintroduction of many ancient texts to Renaissance Europe, Classical Studies enjoyed a resurgence in the 14th century and consequently, in the 18th and 19th centuries it became central to, what was thought to be, a ‘good’ education. The latter part of the 20th century saw a decline in classical studies as part of mainstream education. Now, however, more than ever before, we have more resources and technology available that enable us to study and appreciate the ancient world of the Greeks and Romans and remind ourselves of some of our cultural roots.
From Homer’s Odyssey and the nascent secular intellectualism of the early Greek philosophers, to the recipe for concrete and the perfection of archway construction, the Classical World has left a legacy which we now take for granted. The exhibition features works by, among others, Ovid, Apollonius, Archimedes, Xenophon and Marcus Aurelius – names not necessarily familiar to all but ones which have definitely shaped the past and are still very important today. Please enjoy yourself as you view volumes from Special Collections and take time to discover how the ancient world has impacted on yours.
*Every effort has been made to contact copyright owners of the images displayed in this online exhibition. If any issues arise from their display, please contact Special Collections, University of Otago, special.collections@otago.ac.nz
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Various collectors
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Abstract
A summary of the resource.
Hector, son of King Priam and Prince of Troy, was played by Eric Bana, the Australian actor, in the 2004 film <em>Troy</em>. In Homer’s <em>Iliad</em>, the epic poem on which the movie is based, Achilles (played by Brad Pitt) is enraged by the death of his friend Patroclus, and stabs Hector to death in combat, afterwards dragging his body behind his chariot. In 1950, the Dunedin-born illustrator John Buckland Wright was commissioned by the Folio Society, London, to produce engravings for an edition of the <em>Iliad</em>.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Homer
Publisher
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London: Folio Society
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Special Collections PA4025 A2 LX43
Title
A name given to the resource
The Iliad
Homer
John Buckland Wright
The Iliad
-
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Title
A name given to the resource
Maths, Politics & Concrete: The Legacy of the Classical World. Online exhibition
Description
An account of the resource
The classicist Richard Hingley wrote ‘the Classical past retains a highly significant relationship to the present’. It is true that no cultural tradition develops in a vacuum and we are all influenced by those who have gone before us. The exhibition Maths, Politics and Concrete: The Legacy of the Classical World aims to highlight some of the influences that the ancient Greeks and Romans have had on western civilisation. Mathematics, democracy, medicine, literature, philosophy, law, architecture and engineering are just some of the areas where western cultural heritage owes much to classical Greece and Rome.
With the reintroduction of many ancient texts to Renaissance Europe, Classical Studies enjoyed a resurgence in the 14th century and consequently, in the 18th and 19th centuries it became central to, what was thought to be, a ‘good’ education. The latter part of the 20th century saw a decline in classical studies as part of mainstream education. Now, however, more than ever before, we have more resources and technology available that enable us to study and appreciate the ancient world of the Greeks and Romans and remind ourselves of some of our cultural roots.
From Homer’s Odyssey and the nascent secular intellectualism of the early Greek philosophers, to the recipe for concrete and the perfection of archway construction, the Classical World has left a legacy which we now take for granted. The exhibition features works by, among others, Ovid, Apollonius, Archimedes, Xenophon and Marcus Aurelius – names not necessarily familiar to all but ones which have definitely shaped the past and are still very important today. Please enjoy yourself as you view volumes from Special Collections and take time to discover how the ancient world has impacted on yours.
*Every effort has been made to contact copyright owners of the images displayed in this online exhibition. If any issues arise from their display, please contact Special Collections, University of Otago, special.collections@otago.ac.nz
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Various collectors
Dublin Core
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Abstract
A summary of the resource.
Homer’s (c. 800 BC) <em>Iliad</em> and the <em>Odyssey</em> are considered by some to be the foundation works ‘from which all European literature derives’ (Watson). Composed in hexameter verse in about the 8th century BC, the narratives of these two epic poems have had a wide-ranging influence on western literature of all genres. Shakespeare was inspired by the <em>Iliad</em> for his play <em>Troilus and Cressida</em>; James Joyce took inspiration from Homer’s <em>Odyssey</em> for his <em>Ulysses</em>; and how can we forget Brad Pitt’s semi-naked portrayal of Achilles in<em> Troy</em> (2004), a movie loosely based on the events described in the <em>Iliad</em>. Displayed here is John Buckland Wright’s interpretation of Odysseus’s escape from the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus.
Creator
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Homer
Publisher
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London: Folio Society
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1948
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Special Collections PA4025 A75 LX43
Title
A name given to the resource
The Odyssey
Homer
John Buckland Wright
Odyssey
-
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Title
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From Pigskin to Paper: The Art and Craft of Bookbinding. Online exhibition
Contributor
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Various collectors
Abstract
A summary of the resource.
The book that has the earliest English binding in New Zealand was printed in Venice in July 1481. Its binding is dark-brown calfskin over wooden boards. The spine has four raised bands, with a late 19th century red label attached. There are remnants of two catches and clasps. The end-leaves are vellum and paper. Within a central block design the blind stamped punches of birds, animals, and floral designs are arranged singly in horizontal rows. There are blind-stamped fillets. Somehow, this book ended up in Oxford, England, where about 1482 it gained its covers from a 15th century bookbinder called the Rood and Hunt Binder. Not only does the text (a Commentary on the Bible) carry the earliest English binding in New Zealand, but it carries within its pages fragments of indulgences printed by William Caxton, England’s first printer, c1480.
Wooden boards, raised bands, end-leaves, vellum, blind-stamped, and fillets are all part of the language of the bookbinder. An exhibition entitled From Pigskin to Paper: The Art and Craft of Bookbinding will begin at Special Collections, University of Otago Library on 20 December 2012. The exhibition aims to decode the jargon used by bookbinders, and showcase the creative ‘art and craft’ skills evident in all aspects of the binding process, from forwarding (construction) to finishing (decoration). To highlight the processes, a wide cross-section of binding styles will be exhibited, from the 1481 Rood and Hunt binding and 16th century European samples, to publisher’s case-bindings and those styled art nouveau. Books bound by local Dunedin binders will also feature. The exhibition runs to 22 March 2013.
There is an increasing amount of scholarly work done on the binders who create the outer garments that contain (and protect) the text-block. There is also more intensive work done examining the structural components of bindings, especially by conservators. Whether they are hand-bound calfskin, pigskin, or vellum examples from the hand-press period (and thereby unique objects), or machine-made mass-produced ones from the early 19th century, bindings do provide information on the book trade, how books were sold, how they were to be used, what were the prevailing fashions, what tools the binder owned, and in cases, the owner’s taste and standing. Indeed, as book historian David Pearson claims: ‘all historic bindings are potentially interesting, however fine (or not) they look’.
Each major library in New Zealand has its fair share of decorative, fine bindings, with the name of the binder often stamped inside: Zaehnsdorf; Sangorski & Sutcliffe; Cockerell. There are also those books known to be bound by famous binders such as Samuel Mearne, Roger Payne, or Charles Lewis. Of course, the vast majority of bindings are simple, plain, and functional, and carry no signature or famous name. If not a recognisable publisher’s house-style, most of them remain anonymous representatives, silent witnesses to the past.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Typee
Abstract
A summary of the resource.
John Buckland Wright was a Dunedin-born artist who moved to Europe and became one of the best engravers of the 1930s, 40s and 50s. He occasionally applied his skills to book cover designs. This post-war Folio Society edition of Herman Melville’s<em> Typee</em> has thin board covers with printed cloth carrying tropical fruit and ferns; a delicate JBW design. Rather than use a binder’s label, the binding details are found on the verso of the title-page: ‘Binding executed by Henry Stevenson & Co’, who were brothers Robert and Henry Stevenson, who established their own binding firm about 1868.
Creator
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Herman Melville
Publisher
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London: Folio Society
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950
Identifier
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Special Collections PS2384 T8 1950
Bindings
John Buckland Wright
Special Collections