Pitts’ Head of Cataloging and Rare Book Cataloger, Armin Siedlecki, has seen thousands of books pass through his office and into the collection. What in particular has grabbed his attention this summer? The first winner is The Dawn of Everything: a New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow (Penguin Books 2022). Published…
Posts Tagged: Rare Books
Pitts Reveals 4,000th Addition to Kessler Collection
Over the past few weeks, speculation has been abound regarding the identity of Pitts 4,000th addition to the Richard C. Kessler Collection, following the overwhelming success of Kessler in 4K fundraising campaign. Pitts is thrilled to reveal that the wait is over; the 4,000th item has arrived from a partner in Germany, and it is…
New Acquisition: Staffelsteiner’s 1536 Interpretation of the 22nd Psalm
Pitts Richard C. Kessler Reformation Collection recently acquired a tract by Paul (or Paulus) Staffelsteiner on the interpretation of Psalm 22 (“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). Published in Nuremberg in 1536, it is the only printing of this work and is held by only 5 other libraries in North America. Paulus…
Enhancing Engravings: Coloring in the 16th Century
Did you know that 16th century engravings allowed for creative license? Colors were often added after book production by their owners to enhance images, like this engraving of Jesus’ baptism by Jan Wierix, located in two different copies of the Plantin Polyglot Bible (1569 BIBL). Click on the image above to move between versions and choose…
Illustrated Bible Donated to Pitts as a Memorial
In a year marked by loss, whether due to COVID-19 or any other number of tragedies, finding a way to honor love ones who have passed has been painfully difficult for many. One way that Karen Kasan chose to commemorate the life of her beloved brother, Kenneth Andrew Kasan, was to give. Among Kenneth’s personal…
The Pilgrimage of a Pamphlet
I am ready to fly. I am ready to check a bag, cram my carry-on someplace inconvenient, squeeze into an Economy Minus™ seat, sleep through a movie, and reach my destination with a heart full of anticipation and mild anxiety. While that is not a possibility for me nor for most of the world these…
Deciphering a 444 year-old Image in the Collection
This past week, Pitts librarians embarked on a research blitz to explain an image found in one of our rare books. Pitts owns a first edition of a 1577 history of the Italian city of Turin, written by Emanuele Filiberto Pingone (1525-1582). The book is richly illustrated with images depicting the history of the city…
New Acquisition: 15th Century ‘Glossa Ordinaria’
Pitts Theology Library recently acquired a copy of the earliest printed Glossa Ordinaria, the Latin text of the Vulgate Bible with marginal and interlinear “glosses” or commentary, largely written by figures in the early church. Compilation of the Glossa was traditionally attributed to a 9th century Benedictine monk, but is now believed to have been…
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