Librarian
History of Books and Printing
Introduction
Dating back to the dawn of writing more than 5,000 years ago, the LSU Libraries’ rare book and manuscript collections contain a wide array of materials that can be used to teach and study the history of books and printing, as well as the role communications technology has played in shaping civilizations and historical eras around the world.
Special Collections librarians welcome opportunities to give presentations on this topic, and we are continually adding to the collection. A recent focus is "the global book," i.e., books and other examples of writing from non-Western cultures that provide material for class instruction and comparative studies.
The following checklist gives the best or most representative examples in each subject area. Many others can often be found. If you are looking for something specific that you do not find listed here, please feel free to contact us.
Clicking on the links will take you to full catalog records, from which you may request materials for viewing in the Special Collections Reading Room or for a class instruction session.
Compiled by Michael Taylor, 2013; updated by John Miles, 2018
Ancient World
The list below focuses on the book form. It includes both reproductions and original materials.
- Two cuneiform tablets (ca. 4,500 B.C.)In the "Pages from the Past" collection.
- Papyrus fragmentsOriginal fragments from the Egyptian Book of the Dead (ca. 1500-1100 B.C), a Greek manuscript (ca. 100 B.C.-100 A.D.), and a document in Arabic (800-900 A.D.). In "Pages from the Past."
- Modern papyrus sheetsTwo sheets of blank modern papyrus. Teaching aid.
- Three engravings of the Rosetta stone, in the Description de l'EgypteSee volume five of the "Antiquités" section.
- Mummy bandage sectionsWith inscriptions in Hieratic, Demotic, and Coptic writing.
- Scroll: Facsimile of the Peutinger TableA Roman road map. Facsimile.
- Joshua RollFacsimile of a 10th-century Greek scroll with illustrations of scenes from the Old Testament. Facsimile.
- The Esther ScrollExample of a Jewish scroll, with a wooden case. Facsimile.
- Scroll: Kokuho Kasuga Gongen-Ki emakiLarge Japanese picture scroll depicting a 14th-century epic.
- Roman wax tabula and stylusUsed for note taking up into the Middle Ages. Reproduction.
- Southeast Asian palm leaf manuscriptsBuddhist scriptures, probably written in Pali.
- Codex BarberiniAztec manuscript. Facsimile.
- Codex Dresdensis MayaMayan manuscript. Facsimile.
- Lord Kingsborough, Antiquities of MexicoContains reproductions of pre-Columbian paintings, inscriptions, and manuscripts, including the first complete reproduction of the Dresden Codex, the oldest known book written in the Americas.
Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts
- French Book of Hours, ca. 1450Original medieval manuscript.
- Medieval and Renaissance Manuscript FacsimilesChecklist of the library's collection of 125+ facsimiles.
- Original leaves from medieval manuscriptsSeveral examples in the "Pages from the Past" collection. One manuscript on paper (15th century).
- English legal documents, ca. 1500-1750 (Richard T. Ely Collection)About 400 examples of parchment and early English handwriting.
- Music manuscripts on vellumGregorian chant from sixteenth-century Mexico. Two leaves.
- Spanish manuscript on vellum1673. Bound volume pertaining to an aristocratic title. Mix of Roman and Gothic letterforms. Color of vellum varies throughout.
- Domesday BookSet of facsimiles with a binding "dummy" showing how medieval manuscripts were bound.
- Scribal copy: Cicero's Paradoxa, De Amicitia, De SenectuteManuscript copied from a printed book. After 1494.
- Scribal copy: Paul Felgenhauer, Jehi-OrManuscript copied from a printed book. 17th century. (Location: range 31: 26, vol. 46).
- Ptolemy, Geographia universalis1545. Medieval music manuscript used as binding waste.
- Philippi Melanthonis Elementorum rhetorices libri duo1570. Medieval manuscript used as binding waste.
- De universa ratione elocutionis rhetoricae1575. Medieval manuscript used as binding waste.
- The Familiar Epestles of Sir Anthony Gueuara, Preacher1575. Medieval manuscript used as binding waste.
- Syntaxis Graeca1580. Medieval manuscript used as binding waste.
- Exoticorvm libri decem: quibus animalium, pantarum, aromatum...1605. Medieval manuscript used as binding waste.
Birth of Printing
Below are some of the important works from the first century of printing, including both facsimile reproductions and original printed works.
Facsimiles of important early printed books
Faithful reproductions of famous printed works.
- The Antichrist and the Fifteen SignsFacsimile of a 15th-century German block book, with printed woodcut illustrations and handwritten text.
- Gutenberg BibleFacsimile of the first book printed with movable type.
- Hypnerotomachia Poliphili1499. Facsimile of the most famous 15th-century illustrated book.
Incunables
An "incunable" (from the Latin "incunabulum" for "swaddling clothes" or "cradle") is a book published in the first half-century after the birth of printing in Europe. (Officially before 1501.) Below is a partial list of our library's holdings, which total eight separately bound works. Please contact the curator of books for a complete list and detailed descriptions.
- Incunable: Leonardo Bruni, Historio del popolo fiorentinoThe library's earliest printed book. 1476.
- Incunable: Sermones Meffreth alias Ortulus regine de temporePrinted book, ca. 1485, with two large illuminated initials.
- Incunable: Boethius, De consolatione philosophiae1486. Bound in wooden boards.
Other important early printed works
The Library has over two hundred books printed in the sixteenth century and over fifty from the first half of the century alone. The following publications by the printer Aldus Manutius from the beginning of the century are particularly notable for their quality as well as for their influence within the world of print. Works from this period are occasionally are called "post-incunables," or works printed between 1501 and 1520 (or 1540: experts vary as to the period's end date).
- Aldine edition: Poetae Christiani veteres1502. Printed by Aldus Manutius of Venice, the first major commercial publisher.
- Aldine edition: Martialis.1501. Good example of a "pocket" or "student" edition.
- Aldine edition: Oratores graeci1513. Example of Aldus's innovative Greek font.
- Aldine edition: Cato, Libri de re rustica1514. Compilation of ancient agricultural works.
- Aldine edition: Lucretius, De rerum natura1515. Second Aldine edition of Lucretius, with commentary by Andrea Navagero.
- Leaves from miscellaneous early printed booksIn the "Pages from the Past" collection.
Early Typography
Typographic theory:
- Albrecht Dürer, Institutiones geometricae1535. Important early work on the shaping of letters. Latin edition of the German original.
- Albrecht Dürer, Of the Just Shaping of LettersEnglish translation of the chapter on letterforms from the 1535 work above.
Gothic:
- Landrecht Policey1616. German Fraktur.
- Die alten jüdischen Heiligthümer1711. German Fraktur.
Roman:
- Abraham Ortelius, Theatrum orbis terrarum1579. Large Roman capitals used in dedication.
Italic:
- Martial, Libri de re rustica1501. Printed by Aldus Manutius.
Other:
- P. Vergilii Maronis Codex antiquissimus1741. Rare example of Roman rustic capitals.
- Oratores graeci1513. Example of the earliest Greek font, developed by Aldus Manutius.
- Les règles de la bienséance et de la civilité chretienne1797. Civilité, designed by Robert Granjon in the 1550s in imitation of French cursive.
- Johann Ulrich Krauss, Oratio Dominica1705. A sampler of polyglot printing, containing the Lord’s Prayer in more than 100 languages and various fonts.
- Claude Joseph Dorat, La déclamation théatrale1771. French Rococo fonts.
- [New Testament in Anglo-Saxon]1665. Unusual example of the specialized typefaces that were developed in the 17th century.
- Pierre Simon Fournier, Manuel typographique1764-66. Sections on 18th-century typefaces and fonts for exotic and/or historical languages.
Early Bindings (see Industrial Era for publishers' bindings)
- Sermones Meffreth alias Ortulus regine de temporeCa. 1485. In original medieval binding. Spine partly worn away showing cords. Parchment and paper binder's waste exposed. Early library number written on fore-edge, indicating the book was shelved flat.
- Boethius, De consolatione philosophiae1486. Tooled leather over wooden boards.
- Graduale parisiense1778. Protective metal bosses and studded corners. [Rare 783.23 C28g FLAT]
- Locutioni di Terentio1585. Vellum.
- Francis Willughby, Ornithologiae libri tres1676. Vellum.
- The Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley1895. Vellum. Example of an Arts and Crafts-era binding modeled on medieval bindings.
- The Purple Island1633. Full leather.
- Emile Bergerat, Enguerrande: poème dramatique1884. Half leather.
- Theophylaktou Archiepiskopou Boulgarias Ermineia eis ta tessara ev'aggelia1542. Blind-tooled white leather.
- The Workes of Sir Thomas More1557. Blind-tooled dark leather.
- Book of Common Prayer1717. Gilt-tooled leather.
- John Brown, Sermons on Various Subjects1764. Gilt-tooled leather.
- John Gay, Fables1793. Gilt-tooled vellum.
- The Works of the Ingenious Mr. William Wycherley1713. Paneled leather.
- The Poetical Works of Hector Macneill1806. Marbled leather.
- Les bibliothéques françoises1772-73. Paper / cardboard.
- Gratulatio Academiae Cantabrigiensis1748. Marbled paper.
- Nouvelles observations1751. Marbled paper.
- Vite de' pittori, scultori ed architetti1772. Floral paper over boards.
- Neu-vermehrt und vollständiges Gesang-Buch1774. Painted "peasant" binding, made for export to the German settlements in colonial Pennsylvania.
- Paroissien romain1856? Ivory.
- Paroissien romain1869. Ivory.
- The Masonic Offering1854. Lacquer (?) and mother of pearl binding.
- Book of Common Prayer1693. Gilt-tooled morocco with engraved silver clasps and corners.
- Johann Zahn, Specula physico-mathemtico-historica notabilium ac mirabilium sciendorum1696. Tooled white leather with large metal clasps.
- Giovanni Battista Ramusio, Navigationi et viaggi1554. Gauffered edges.
- Legenda de Sancto Francesco1927. Gauffered edges.
- Remarks on the Two First Volumes of the Late Lives of the Popes1754. Unbound sheets.
- Domesday Book facsimileBinding dummy, with exposed spine, showing how the quires of early books were sewn and bound.
- Ptolemy, Geographia universalis1545. Example of a medieval manuscript (in this case, music) used as binder's waste.
- Mélanges de philologie romane1896. Embossed leather.
- Qur'an1599, facsimile. Islamic binding. Ornamental tooling.
- The Book of Felicity16th century, facsimile. Islamic flap binding.
- Nihon hyaku sho den isseki wa1857. Traditional Japanese / Chinese stab-sewn binding.
Endpapers
Marbled paper:
Britannia Antiqua Illustrata (1676). In 18th- or 19th-century binding. Large. (Rare flat, copy 2)
The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England (1702-04). Binding by John MacKinlay (ca. 1745-1821). Marbled paper with gilt-tooled leather border. (Vol. 3 best)
Atlas de Delisle et de Buache (1714-54)
Book of Common Prayer (1762), see copies 1 and 2.
José de Covarrubias, Maximas sobre recursos de fuerza y proteccion (1788).
The History of England (1816?). Large.
Le rime di Petrarca (1832).
Voyage pittoresque et archéologique, dans la partie la plus intéressante du Mexique (1836). Large.
Voyage dans l'intérieur de l'Amérique du Nord (1840-43). Large.
Les rues du vieux Paris (1881).
Emile Bergerat, Enguerrande (1884).
Karl Marx, Das Kapital (1890-94). Black and gold marbling.
J. Péladan, Le livre secret (1920). Unique binding by A. Bruel of Angers.
Maurice Maindron, Saint-Cendre (1924).
D. H. Lawrence, Lady Chatterley's Lover (1929).
William Spratling, Little Mexico (1932). Special "Edicion Mexicana" with marbled endpapers.
Gilt endpapers:
Gratulatio Academiæ Oxoniensis in nuptias auspicatissimas illustrissimorum principum Frederici Principis Walliæ et Augustæ Principissæ de Saxo-Gotha (1736). Yellow floral pattern.
Gratulatio Academiae Cantabrigiensis de reditu serenissimi regis Georgii II. post pacem & libertatem Europae feliciter restitutam anno M.DCC.XLVIII (1748). Gilt flowers on red paper.
Gratulatio solennis Universitatis Oxoniensis ob celsissimum Georgium Fred. Aug. Walliæ Principem Georgio III. et Charlottæ Reginæ auspicatissime natum (1762). Multi-color floral pattern.
Paste paper:
C. Suetonius Tranquillus (1738). Pulled paste paper.
Catecismo para uso de los párrocos (Mexico City, 1772). Printed.
Joseph de Ortega Moro letter (Mexico? After 1772). Printed.
Reisen durch das südliche Teutschland (1789-95). Printed. Four-volume set with three different endpapers.
La vie de Joseph II (1790). Printed.
Die deutsche Giftpflanzen (1793). Printed.
Printed endpapers:
The New-Orleans Book (1851). Gilt on white patterned paper.
Chiushingura, or The Loyal League: A Japanese Romance (1876). Abstract blue and white pattern.
George Washington Cable, Old Creole Days (1879), copy 4. Blue-green seashell pattern.
Catulle Mendès, Lila et Colette (1885). Gilt floral pattern on green paper. Original binding by Tout.
Tadamasa Hayashi, Dessins, estampes, livres illustrés du Japon (1902). Plant-themed pattern.
Eugène Rambert, Die Vögel und ihre Welt (1916?). Bird-themed pattern.
Helen Pitkin Schertz, Legends of Louisiana (1922). Printed endpapers, but resembling marbled papers.
Printed endpapers (pictorial):
Koronatsionnyi sbornik [Coronation Collection] (1899). Gold and silver decorative endpapers depicting Russian crown and insignia.
Leopold Wolfgang Rochowanski, Der Formwille der Zeit in der angewandten Kunst (1922). Symbolist.
Edgar Saltus, Victor Hugo and Golgotha (1925). Erotic endpapers.
Edgar Allen Poe, Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1935). Illustrated by Arthur Rackham. Skeletons.
A Mediaeval Dream Book (1963). The cosmos.
G. O. G. 666 (1954). Sci-fi. Endpapers depict a laboratory.
The Cometeers (1950). Space ship and outer space scene.
Pictorial (Louisiana / Mississippi):
James McLoughlin, The Jack Lafaience Book (1928). Crayfish and sugar cane.
Edward Larocque Tinker, Toucoutou (1930). New Orleans street scene.
Frances Tinker, Old New Orleans (1931). 4 vols., each with endpapers depicting a different scene.
Myrtle Jamison Trachsel, Sally Sue Visits Old Natchez (1939). Historic houses.
The Gumbo (LSU yearbook), 1927, 1928, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1940.
John Besh, Besh Big Easy: 101 Home Cooked New Orleans Recipes (2015). Crawfish, crabs, okra, etc.
Leaves from other books recycled as endpapers:
Sermones Meffreth alias Ortulus regine de tempore (ca. 1485). Manuscript endpapers.
Christophori Clavii ... In Sphæram Ioannis de Sacro Bosco, commentarivs (1608). Printed endpapers.
Miscellaneous:
Luise Mühlbach, Henry VIII and his Court, or Catherine Parr (1865). Book printed in Mobile, Alabama, during the Civil War. Wallpaper endpapers.
George Sinclair, Hortus gramineus Woburnensis (1825). Leather pastedowns and flyleaves, dated 1899.
The Industrial Era
"Triple-decker" novels:
Serialized novels issued in parts:
- Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit1855-57. Twenty parts.
- William Makepeace Thackeray, The Virginians1858-59. Twenty-four parts.
Publishers' Bindings:
- James Kirke Pauldiing, John Bull in America1825. Plain cloth.
- The Anti-Slavery Record1835. Patterned cloth.
- John Ruskin, The Seven Lamps of Architecture1848. Patterned cloth.
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Courtship of Miles Standish1858. Ticknor and Fields brown patterned cloth.
- Histoire de l'empereur Charles-Quint1848. Gilt embossed paper.
- Lettres sur l’Italie en 17851845. Gilt embossed paper.
- Novels by G. A. HentyCa. 1880-1900. Pictorial cloth bindings. 50+ titles.
- George Catlin, Rambles among the Indians of the Rocky Mountains and the Andes1877? Pictorial cloth.
- Hezekiah Butterworth, A Zigzag Journey in the Sunny South1887. Pictorial cloth.
- Thomas Day, The History of Sandford and MertonCa. 1890. Pictorial cloth.
- Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles.1902. Stamped cloth.
- Emmanuel Jonquet, Montmartre autrefois et aujourd hui1891. Pictorial cloth. French.
- Victor Duruy, Histoire des Romains1879-85. Pictorial cloth. French.
- Paul Gaffarel, L'Algerie1883. Pictorial cloth, with Islamic design.
- Jeems Kaye: His Adventures and Opinions1886. Illustrated paper covers.
Publishers' Bindings (Louisiana):
- Henry Clay Lewis, Odd Leaves from the Life of a Louisiana "Swamp Doctor"1850. Pictorial paper wrappers.
- Marah Ellis Ryann, A Flower of France: A Story of Old Louisiana1894. Pictorial cloth.
- Kate Chopin, The Awakening1899. Pictorial cloth.
- Josephine Hamilton Nicholls, Bayou Triste1902. Pictorial cloth.
- George Washington Cable, "Posson Jone'" and Père Raphaël1909. Pictorial cloth.
- Margeret Henshaw Johnston, In Acadia: the Acadians in Story and SongNew Orleans, 1893. Copies 1, 3, and 4 bound in Acadian homespun cloth.
- Alfred Mercier, L'habitation Saint-Ybars; ou, Maitres et esclaves en LouisianeNew Orleans, 1881. Paper wrappers.
- Sidonie de la Houssaye, Les quarteronnes de la Nouvelle-OrléansBonnet Carré, Louisiana, 1895. Paper wrappers.
Nineteenth-Century Periodicals:
- Harper's Weekly1857-1916. American illustrated periodical.
- The Illustrated London News1842-1900. The world's first illustrated weekly newspaper.
- Punch1841-1920. Comic news magazine, British.
- All the Year Round1859-71. Features serialized fiction by Charles Dickens and others.
- The Strand Magazine1891-1911. Best known for carrying many of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories.
- The Philistine1895-1915. American Arts and Crafts periodical.
- The Yellow Book1894-97. Associated with Aubrey Beardsley and other Aesthetic / Decadent writers.
- The Savoy1896. Literary journal associated with Aubrey Beardsley and Oscar Wilde.
- Ver Sacrum1898-99. Magazine of the Vienna Secession movement.
Miscellaneous:
- Braille typescripts in the Turnbull-Allain Family PapersCa. 1890-1900. Written or owned by Helene Allain of Louisiana.
- In memoriam. The Rev. W. Leeves, author of The air of Auld Robin Gray.1873. Includes of map of Britain for the blind.
Illustration Techniques
General:
- Matthew Pilkington, The Gentleman's and Connoisseur's Dictionary of Painters (1798)The library's copy of this book is a unique gallery of historical illustration techniques. Originally published in one volume without illustrations, it was expanded by a collector to twenty volumes and contains rare prints by many of the artists Pilkington mentions.
Woodblock printing:
- The Antichrist and the Fifteen SignsFacsimile of a 15th-century German block book, with printed woodcut illustrations and handwritten text.
- Pseudo-Methodius, Apokalypsis1504. The library's earliest original illustrated book.
- Opera Virgiliana1529. Includes nearly 200 woodcut illustrations of the works of Virgil.
- Imagines mortis1555. Dance of Death woodcuts by Hans Holbein.
- Conrad Gessner, Historiae animalium1551. Woodcuts of animals.
- Ulisse Aldrovandi, Monstrorum Historia1642. More than 100 woodcuts depicting monsters and deformities.
- Albrecht Dürer, Apocalypse1498, facsimile. The most famous example of Renaissance woodblock printing.
- M. Duhamel du Monceau, Traité des arbres et arbustes1755. Printed from blocks used for the 1562 edition of Pietro Andrea Mattioli’s commentary on Dioscurides.
- Mattioli woodblocks1562-65. Two original woodblocks used for printing 16th- and 17-century editions of Mattioli’s works.
- The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer [Kelmscott Chaucer]1896. Designed by William Morris. Best example of the rebirth of woodblock printing in the Arts and Crafts era.
Copperplate Engraving:
- Hans Vredeman de Vries, Perspective1604. On the art of drawing in perspective.
- Philippe de Belleville, Theatre d'histoire1613. An illustrated chivalric romance.
- Martin Zeiler, Topographia Galliae1660-63. Panoramic and bird's-eye views of French cities.
- Curtis's Botanical Magazine1787-present. Hand-colored engravings in early volumes.
- John James Audubon, The Birds of America1827-38. Perhaps the finest example of engraving. Hand-colored plates. To view, inquire with staff. Loose plates also available.
- Description de l'Égypte1809-28. One of the largest engraved books ever produced.
Etching:
- Works of Juvenal and Persius1761. Extra-illustrated with 17th-century etchings by Wenceslaus Hollar.
- Ferdinand Kobell, RadirungenArtificial collection of 178 eighteenth-century etchings.
- Facsimiles of relief etchings by William BlakeTrianon Press facsimiles.
Mezzotint:
- John Milton, Paradise Lost1827. Twenty-four mezzotints by John Martin.
Wood Engraving:
- Thomas Bewick, History of British Birds1797-1804. Early example by the inventor of the technique.
- James MacPherson, The Poems of OssianNew York, 1810. With illustrations by the first American wood engraver, Alexander Anderson.
- Samuel Dickinson, The Pirates Own Book1844. Early American wood engravings.
- Gustave Doré, BibleCa. 1866. One of the masterpieces of nineteenth-century wood engraving.
- The Illustrated London News1842-1900. The world's first illustrated weekly newspaper.
Aquatint:
- Humphry Repton, Observations on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening1805. Hand-colored aquatints, with movable parts showing before-and-after landscapes.
- William Combe, Tour of Dr. Syntax in Search of the Picturesque1815. Hand-colored aquatints.
- Pierce Egan, Life in London; or, The Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn, Esq.,1821. Hand-colored aquatints.
Lithography:
- Edward Lear, Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots1832. Hand-colored lithographs.
- Richard Bowdler Sharpe, Birds of Paradise1891-98. Hand-colored lithographs.
- Hermann Schlegel, De Toerako's1860. Illustrated bird book with colored and uncolored versions of each lithograph.
- Alois Senefelder, A Complete Course in Lithography1819. English translation of the first book on lithography, published in Vienna by its inventor, Senefelder, in 1818.
- Charles Joseph Hullmandel, The Art of Drawing on Stone1824. One of the first English manuals on lithography.
- Elizabeth Washington Wirt, Flora's Dictionary1837. Very early example of American color lithography.
Steel Engraving:
- Original steel plate and print by Hablot Knight BrowneUsed to print a 19th-century edition of David Copperfield. Part of the Nonesuch Dickens set (1937).
- Famous English Beauties19th century. Three volumes of plates.
- Editions of works by J. J. Grandville19th century.
Chromolithography:
- Ferdinando Ongania, La basilica di San Marco in Venezia1880-93. One of the most lavish chromolithographic books ever produced.
- Illustrated London News, Jubilee Number, 1897Special deluxe edition for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.
- Clarence John Laughlin Scrapbooks, 1880-1920Collection of Victorian holiday and trade cards.
- F. Schuyler Mathews, The Golden Flower Chrysanthemum1890. Printed by Louis Prang, the best-known American chromolithographer.
- Thomas Meehan, The Native Flowers and Ferns of the United States1878. Illustrated with chromolithography by Louis Prang.
- Lydia L. A. Very, Red Riding Hood1863? Toy book illustrated with chromolithography by Louis Prang.
Nature Printing:
- Thomas Moore, The Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland1855. The printing plates were made by direct impression from plants.
- William Grosart Johnstone, The Nature-Printed British Seaweeds1859-60. The printing plates were made by direct impression from plants.
- Sherman F. Denton, As Nature Shows Them: Moths and Butterflies of the United States, East of the Rocky Mountains1900. Printed by pressing butterfly wings into the paper.
Book Production Crafts
- Joseph Moxon, Moxon's Mechanick ExercisesReprint of 1677-80 edition.
- Joseph Moxon, The Art of Cutting, Casting, and Preparing of Letter for PrintingReprint of 1683 edition.
- Denis Diderot, Encyclopédie. [Text volumes.]1751-65. See the sections on “Imprimerie” (printing), "Papetterie" (papermaking), "Parcheminier" (parchment making), and "Relieur" (bookbinding).
- Denis Diderot, Encyclopédie. [Plate volumes.]1762-72. See the sections on “Imprimerie” (printing), "Papetterie" (papermaking), "Parcheminier" (parchment making), and "Relieur" (bookbinding).
- Paper mouldMould for making wove paper. With watermark and deckle.
Fine Press Printing
- Publii Virgilii Maronis Bucolica, Georgica et Æneis1757. One of the earliest fine press books, designed by John Baskerville.
- John Milton, Paradise Lost1758. Early fine press book by John Baskerville.
- The Holy Bible1772. John Baskerville's masterpiece. One of the most influential fine press books in history.
- Oeuvres completes de Voltaire1785-89. Not a fine press book per se, but printed with Baskerville's type.
- Torquato Tasso, Aminta1789. Printed by Giambattista Bodoni.
- The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer1896. Also known as the Kelmscott Chaucer. Designed by William Morris.
- Kelmscott Press titles in the Book Arts CollectionAbout 20 titles designed by William Morris.
- Doves Press Bible1903. Designed and printed by T. J. Cobden Sanderson and Emery Walker.
- Ashendene Press titles in the Book Arts CollectionEarly 20th-century English fine press founded by St. John Hornby.
- Essex House titles in the Book Arts CollectionEnglish Arts & Crafts era press founded by C. R. Ashbee.
- David Butcher, Pages from Presses (2006)Includes original leaves from all the major English fine presses of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
- The Four Gospels1931. Designed by Eric Gill.
- Bruce Rogers CollectionEarly 20th-century American book designer. For a list of holdings, search the catalog using "Bruce Rogers" as a subject term and limit your search to the Rare Book Collection.
- Janus Press in the Book Arts Collection100+ titles.
- Arion Press in the Book Arts Collection60+ titles.
- Cummington Press in the Book Arts Collection80+ titles. Work of Harry Duncan, father of the post-World War II American private-press movement.
- Circle Press in the Book Arts Collection70+ titles.
- Tragara Press in the Book Arts Collection140+ titles. Scottish fine press.
- Works by Barry Moser20+ works, including the Pennyroyal Caxton Bible.
Early Maps and Atlases
- Peutinger TableA Roman road map, in scroll form. Facsimile.
- Ptolemy, Geographia1541 edition of the most important ancient work on geography.
- Ptolemy, Geography1545 edition.
- Abraham Ortelius, Theatrum orbis terrarum1579. The first modern atlas.
- Benedetto Bordone, Isolario1547. Illustrated guide for sailors.
- Lucas Janszoon Waghenaer, Spieghel der ZeevaerdtA book of nautical charts with a moveable paper star compass. Facsimile of 1584 edition
Music
- Medieval and Renaissance Manuscript FacsimilesChecklist of titles in Special Collections. See the section on music for 15+ facsimiles.
- Jean-Baptiste Lully, Idylle sur la paix1685. Example of music printed with movable type.
- Athanasius Kircher, Mursurgia Universalis1650. A work on music theory, containing music printed with movable type.
- George Frideric Handel, Samson1743. Example of engraved music.
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Concert pour le pianoforteCa. 1800. Later example of music printed with movable type.
- George Frideric Handel, The Messiah1816? Another late example of music printed with movable type.
- The Western Lyre1831. Shape-note hymnal.
- Isaac Watts, The Psalms of David1818. A cut hymn book.
- Music collection of New Orleans imprints, 1830-1940Eight boxes of popular sheet music published in New Orleans. Many illustrated covers.
Handwriting / Calligraphy
- Medieval and Renaissance Manuscript FacsimilesChecklist of the library’s collection of 125+ facsimiles, with examples of various hands.
- Richard T. Ely Memorial CollectionEnglish legal documents, ca. 1500-1750. Examples of parchment and historical handwriting styles.
- English Manuscript CollectionMostly legal documents, late 17th to 19th century. Examples of parchment and historical handwriting styles.
- Leonhard Wagner, Proba centum scripturarumFacsimile of a manuscript book of 100 sample scripts, ca. 1507-17.
- Giovanni Battista Palatino, The Instruments of Writing1953 translation of a manual published in Rome in 1540, with a partial translation of Ludovico degli Arrighi’s The Method of Cutting a Pen, 1523.
- John Seddon, The Pen-Mans ParadisModern edition of an English penman’s copybook, ca. 1695.
- Manuel de Andrade de Figueiredo, Nova escola para aprender a ler, escrever, e contar1722. Book of calligraphic designs, including alphabets, by a Portuguese writing master.
- C. P. Zaner, Lessons in Ornamental Penmanship1933. American penmanship manual.
- Our Calligraphic Heritage1979. Examples of historical hands.
- English Travel JournalExample of 18th-century copperplate handwriting. In the English Manuscript Collection, Mss. 3786 (Range 32, shelf 101, vol. 4).
- Denis Diderot, Encyclopédie. [Text volumes.]1751-65. See the section on “Art d’Ecrire” for text related to writing instruments and calligraphy.
- Denis Diderot, Encyclopédie. [Plate volumes.]1762-72. See the section on “Art d’Ecrire” for illustrations related to writing instruments and calligraphy.
Fore-Edge Paintings
The Holy Bible. 1817.
Fore-edge painting: Orford Church, Suffolk.
Lord Byron, The Works of the Right Honourable Lord Byron. 1819.
Fore-edge painting: New York
Lord Byron, Hours of Idleness. 1820.
Fore-edge painting: Bruges
Lord Byron, Don Juan. 1821.
Fore-edge painting: Brussels
William Coxe, A Picture of Monmouthshire. 1802.
Double fore-edge paintings of Pencoed Castle and Abergavenny Castle in Wales.
Oliver Goldsmith, The History of Rome. 1820.
Double fore-edge paintings. Vol. 1: Philadelphia and Albany. Vol. 2: Boston and Baltimore.
Probably the work of the "American City View Painter" (see Jeff Weber, Annotated Dictionary of Fore-Edge Painting Artists and Binders.)
Horace, Opera. 1824.
Double fore-edge painting: Lake Como and the Bay of Naples
Samuel Johnson, Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets. 1821.
Double fore-edge paintings. Vol. 1: Queens College, Oxford, with inset portraits of Joseph Addison and John Dryden; Portraits of Edmund Waller, Samuel Butler, and Abraham Cowley. Vol. 2: St. Peters College, Cambridge, with inset portrait of Thomas Gray; Dublin from Phoenix Park, with inset portrait of Jonathan Swift. From the library of Arthur G. Soames (sold around 1953).
John Keats, The Poetical Works of John Keats. 1853.
Double fore-edge painting of erotic scenes copied from drawings by Mihály Zichy (1827-1906), first printed in 1911. For further information on Zichy drawings, see: The Erotic Drawings of Mihály Zichy, held in library's Laughlin Collection.
Thomas Moore, Lalla Rookh, an Oriental Romance. 1818.
Double fore-edge paintings: View of a cotton shute and the steamboat Magnolia on the Alabama River; view of another steamboat being loaded.
Thomas Moore, Lalla Rookh, an Oriental Romance.1854.
Double fore-edge painting of an Indian burial ground and a market garden on the Mississippi River.
Thomas Moore, Songs, Ballads, and Sacred Songs. 1855.
Double fore-edge painting of the southwest pass of the Mississippi River delta and moss gatherers in a swamp.
Petrarch. Le rime del Petrarca. 1832.
Fore-edge paintings. Vol. 1: St. Peter’s Basilica. Vol. 2: Naples. Marbling on reverse of both images.
William Makepeace Thackeray, The Newcomes. 1854-55.
Double fore-edge paintings. Vol. 1: Windsor Castle and Eton College. Vol. 2: Hampton Court and a river scene.
William Makepeace Thackeray, The Virginians. 1858-59.
Double fore-edge paintings. Vol. 1: Tower of London and Westminster Abbey. Vol. 2: St. Paul’s Cathedral and London Bridge.
Thomas Stanley, Poems by Thomas Stanley. 1814.
Fore-edge painting: Men playing cricket.
Walter Scott, The Vision of Don Roderick, and Other Poems. 1811.
Double fore-edge paintings of New Orleans in the nineteenth century and a crevasse in a levee along the Mississippi River. Identified by Jeff Weber as the work of the "American City View Painter."
Walter Scott, The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott. 1848.
Twelve volumes, each with a double fore-edge painting of an American scene. Vol. 1: New York City and Long Island. Vol. 2: Washington, D.C., and the White House. Vol. 3: Providence, Rhode Island and Salem, Massachusetts. Vol. 4. The Narrows from Ft. Hamilton and the Brooklyn Ferry. Vol. 5: Northumberland [Pennsylvania?] and Newport, Rhode Island. Vol. 6. West Point, New York and Liverpool, Pennsylvania. Vol. 7: Jeffersonville, Kentucky and New Albany, Indiana. Vol. 8: Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina. Vol. 9: New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut. Vol. 10: St. Louis, Missouri and New Plymouth [Ohio?]. Vol. 11. Parkersburg, West Virginia and Portland, Maine. Vol. 12. Yonkers, New York and Brattleboro, Vermont. Probably the work of the "American City View Painter" (see Jeff Weber, Annotated Dictionary of Fore-Edge Painting Artists and Binders).
Isaac Watts, Church Psalmody. 1844.
Fore-edge painting: A girl and two dogs.
Miscellaneous
Hornbook (18th century, replica). Used to teach children to read.
Quranic writing tablet (North Africa, 19th century?). Used in Muslim schools to teach and memorize verses from the Quran.
Chapbooks: The Good Farmer: or, the Entertaining History of Thomas Wiseman (1820), Anecdotes for Good Children (1830), Short Stories, or Treasures of Truth (1830).
Sammelband of English almanacs for the year 1754 (Rare Book Collection, AY751 .R4).
Scribal copies (manuscripts copied from printed books): Cicero, Paradoxa, De Amicitia, De Senectute (after 1494); Paul Felgenhauer, Jehi-Or (17th century), De Forest Collection [Location: range 31: 26, vol. 46]; John Row, The History of the Kirk of Scotland (ca. 1726); Joseph de Ortega Moro letter (ca. 1776); Sebastian de Ocampo manuscript (1800).
Reference Works / Histories
The LSU Libraries have an extensive collection of “books about books.” Most of it is shelved in the “Z” section on the second floor of LSU Library. Materials in Special Collections (Hill Memorial Library) focus on the history of books and printing, book collecting, and the antiquarian book trade. Key titles include:
- The Book: A Global History byE-book. Concise edition of the Oxford Companion to the Book.
- Cambridge Histories OnlineOnline access to the series. Includes the History of the Book in Britain and History of Libraries in Britain and Ireland. LSU logon required.
- A History of the Book in America5 vols., Cambridge University Press.