An exhibition to delight the eye!

The 'Hebraica' case shows a very rich spectrum of manuscripts and printed books ranging in date from possibly the ninth century to the early twentieth. The earliest item is a fragment of the Mishnah written sometime from the ninth to the eleventh century. The manuscript has a tantalizing colophon which time has eaten away and so the date cannot be accurately deciphered. It could be one of the oldest extant Hebrew texts. The most recent item in this case is Shir ha-Shirim (Song of Solomon), printed in Berlin in 1922 or 1923, with illustrations by Rafaello Busoni (1900Ð1962). Other manuscripts shown include a complete Hebrew Bible copied in 1307, Sefer Mitsvot Gadol by Moses ben Jacob, of Coucy, written in Italy in the fourteenth century, and a fifteenth-century copy of the Zohar (Book of splendour), the most important work of Jewish mysticism. The Zohar has a fascinating story attached to it which will be elaborated upon in a future issue of Halcyon.

The Fisher Library owns some one hundred and thirty incunabula, or books from the 'cradle' of printing and dating from before 1501. The examples shown in the second exhibition case fall naturally into the Library's existing collections. Two are commentaries on Peter Lombard's Sententia, for which the Library has a twelfth-century manuscript, a number of early editions and many other commentaries. The authors are Thomas de Argentina and Franciscus de Mayronis. Both were Scholastics, as was Antonius Andreae, whose commentary on Aristotle's Metaphysica is an addition to the Aristotle Collection. To the third and fourth volumes of an edition of the Vulgate printed in Strassburg in 1492 already in the Library, a kind Friend has added volume two. Another Friend presented the Library with volumes three and four of the Summa Theologica by Saint Antoninus, Archbishop of Florence, printed in Nuremburg in 1486-1487. The last item in this case is Guido delle Colonne's Historia Destructionis Troiae (1486), which presents, as factual history, the story of the fall of Troy.

The Italian holdings of the Fisher Library were already outstanding, and now are being further enriched by the generosity of various Friends. The third case highlights the literary and scientific areas with, among others, editions of Petrarch (1563) and Dante (1757), and an account of scientific experiments made by the ten members of the Accademia del Cimento in Florence, printed in 1691. Trattato del Giuoco della Palla (1555), by Antonio Scaino, is the earliest book to describe and illustrate the game of tennis. A most interesting item is the certificate of sale for a theatre box in a new theatre under construction in Venice, later to be known as La Fenice. The certificate is dated Wednesday, 23 February, 1790, and is a printed document completed in manuscript, with an accompanying plan showing the location of the box.

The 'Arts of the Book' case illustrates all aspects of that subject field. Shown are: two sixteenth-century bindings on classical texts; a volume containing twenty-nine of the earliest known book auction catalogues from Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, 1745Ð1853, some with prices added in manuscript; and Pierre-Simon Fournier's two most important works on typography and printing, issued in the 1760s. The William Morris Collection, recently renamed in memory of Margery Pearson, the Bruce Rogers Collection and the A.J. Horne Collection of British Book Illustration, are all represented by one work respectively: George Cavendish's Life of Thomas Wolsey, printed at the Kelmscott Press in 1893; Stanley Morison's Fra Luca de Pacioli (1933) designed by Bruce Rogers; and Edward Bawden's delightful illustrations for Robert Herring's Adam and Evelyn at Kew (1930).

The history of science and medicine has always been a strength in the Fisher Library and the highlight of this case is an unsigned letter which is probably in Galileo's own hand. It was written in 1633 while he was awaiting trial on a charge of heresy. As the writer mentions Copernican theory there would have been good reason for him not to sign his letter. A work by Ambroise ParŽ (1634) is open to show two methods of treating a dislocated shoulder. Other scientific works displayed are John Parkinson's Theatrum Botanicum (1640) and Thomas Willis's De Anima Brutorum (1672). Louis Daguerre's History and Practice of Photogenic Drawing on the True Principles of the Daguerrotype (1839) is the first translation into English of his manual on the practical process of photography. Letters from Elizabeth Hughes to her parents (1922), and F.G. Banting to Ted Ryder (1938) make this case a very diverse one. Both Elizabeth Hughes and Ted Ryder were among the first to receive life-saving insulin.

Exploration and travel is exemplified by a 1598 edition of Ptolemy's Geografia, printed in Venice in 1598. It includes 'Descrittione della Geografia Universale' by the editor, Giuseppe Rosaccio, with forty-two maps that purport to be more modern but perpetuate Ptolemy's incorrect positioning of Asia. Travels to Senegal, India and Egypt are described in four books by Michel Adanson (1759), Thomas Pennant (1798), Vivant Denon (1803) and Charles Ramus Forrest (1824) respectively. The final item is the very interesting manuscript, Log of HMS 'Caesar', kept by Robert Jukes Hughes on crossings between Malta and Beirut between 1859 and 1862.

The English and American Literature case ranges from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries, beginning with George Sandys's translation of Ovid's Metamorphosis Englished, printed in Oxford in 1632. The second item shown is a collection of forty-one poems bound together. Although there is a handwritten list of the contents, there is no indication as to who was responsible for collecting and binding them in this way. All were printed in London, the first being dated 1688, another dating from 1727 and the remainder from 1733 or 1734. A fine set of the six volumes of the first edition of Henry Fielding's Tom Jones (1749), and the second and third editions of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (1813 and 1817) are also shown. Two issues of the first edition of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland (1865-1866) provide a foretaste of a forthcoming exhibition. Other notable authors featured are Henry James, Ernest Hemingway and Lawrence Durrell.

Canadiana is well represented in this exhibition, examples being shown in the eighth case and in the Maclean-Hunter Reading Room. Highlights are a small stitched pamphlet printed by Montreal's first printer, Fleury Mesplet, in 1777; a proof copy of Robert Service's Songs of a Sourdough (1907); the first impression of the first edition of L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables (1908); and a volume presented to Vincent Massey by the Arts & Letters Club of Toronto in 1927, amusingly illustrated by J.E.H. MacDonald. Items from many Canadian literary manuscript collections are also shown, including those of Gwendolyn MacEwen, Rosemary Sullivan, Barry Callaghan, Eldon Garnet, Robert Finch, Earle Birney, Elspeth Cameron, William Keith, David Young, Karen Mulhallen, and Beverley Slopen. Charles Pachter's drawings and designs for Margaret Atwood's The Journals of Susanna Moodie are also displayed. First conceived as a collaborative effort with Margaret Atwood in 1969, the work was not published until 1980, although the text appeared in 1970 with Margaret Atwood's own illustrations.

Material from other recently donated manuscript collections include papers by the Jamaican poet, Lorna Goodison, and typescript translations by the Canadian Paul Wilson for works in Czech by Josef Skvorecky and Vaclav Havel. Posters, photographs and other memorabilia from the Moses Znaimer Collection are among the works featured on the reading room walls. An unexpected aspect of Lawrence Durrell is shown by two works of art, signed by his nom-de-peinture, Oscar Epfs. Five delightfully witty drawings by Canadian poet and artist, Joe Rosenblatt, are also hung on the walls of the reading room.

A link down the centuries is provided by a treasured atlas belonging to the Mathews family. The earliest owner was Daniel Mathew [sic], whose signature is dated 1750. Bookplates of other family members include Thomas George Mathews, the publisher, Elkin Mathews, and C.K. Mathews, whose daughter, Elizabeth, donated the work. This composite atlas, or atlas compendarius, is made up of maps produced by different cartographers and publishers and bound together in one large volume. It includes forty-three hand-coloured maps, mostly depicting Europe, and dating mainly from the 1740s. Many are illustrated with vignettes and views.

This exhibition is an expression of gratitude to all donors, including those whose gifts could not be shown for lack of space. As Richard Landon says in the introduction to the catalogue, 'Floreat Bibliophilia'.

Elisabeth Anne Jocz
Katharine Martyn
Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library