Evening star., 1940-04-07
Library Exhibit
To Honor Memory
Of Gutenberg
Valuable Collection Of
Books Goes on Display
At FoIqer Tomorrow
BY JAMES WALDO FAWCETT.

AS a tribute to the memory of
Johannes Gutenberg, the Folger
Shakespeare Library. beginning to-
morrow, will display in its exhibition
hall a selected number OF beautiful
and valuable books illustrating the
first 500 years of printing with NOV
able metal type.
The first item shown is a hand
comely illuminated vellum. Book
of Hours" of English workmanship,
representing the slow and laborious
methods employed in ancient times,
when expert scribes copied manu-
scripts with quill pens and deco
rated them with brilliantly colored
miniatures, capital letters and mar
ginal embellishments-with the re-
suit that the ownership of books
was limited to few individuals of
power and wealth.
Side by side with this precious
volume is a. leaf from the 42-line
Bible of 145O-1452. usually known as
the Gutenberg Bible. Perhaps the
most celebrated book ever printed,
it exemplif1es the typographer's art
in perfection. The type is cut to
simulate the letters of the manu-
script books of the period ending at
the middle of the 18th century.
First Printing of Canterbury Tales
Next in order in the exhibition is
copy of the first printing of
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales" and
six other productions of the press
set up by William Caxton at West
Minister about 1475. Then follow
nine books published by Cations
assistant and successor, Wynkyn de
Worde, including a volume by Bar
tholomaeus Anglicus Q494 sup
posed to be the first book ever
printed on paper manufactured in
England
Six liturgical books. in black and
red, also are displayed. One of the
number is an early example of Tudor
church music. printed on a four
line staff; another is the beautifully
Illuminated Breviary, presented to
Henry VIII by his fourth wife, Anne
of Cleves, and inscribed to him in
her handwriting.
The first English book to contain
roman type-Sebastian Brant's
ship of Fools" 0509)-likewise is
exhibited. An adjacent volume is
Ariosto's Orlando Furioso" (1544),
an early example Of printing on COL
ored paper.
OF books relating to America
there are many displayed. The list
includes Hariot's Report of the
New Found Land of Virginia" (l590),
with illustrations of animals and
birds, fruits and vegetables as we'll
as human inhabitants of the ter
ritory; King James own COPY of
Capt. John Smiths General His
tory of Virginia" 062O, opened to
map OF the Potomac-C Chesapeake
Bay region; Lerius' History of the
Navigation in Brazil" Q586), con-
tanning picture of life on an Isle
OF Devils; and "The Discovery and
Conquest Of Peru" Q58D, with q
sketch OF the rich gold mines of
Potosi.
Examples Of Bindings.
AAA q oSPdA dCC CdSC III Ck1c nail
there are examples of early Eng
lish bindings, with books from the
libraries Of Katharine of Aragon,
first wife of Henry VIII; Edward
vi. the boy King: Queen Elizabeth.
King James, Robert Dudley, Earl
of Leicester; William Cecil, Lord
Burghley and many other cele-
brated persons of long ago.
The exhibition contains as a main
feature case of Shakespeariana.
In the center are two copies of the
First Folio 1929, which Henry
Clay Folger, founder of the library,
regarded as "the most precious book.
In the world" The first of these
two volumes is opened to the title
page, with the first printed portrait
OF the poet in the first or proof
state of the engraving. Only four
copies are known to be extant. The
second Folio is opened to the first
page Of King Lear"
At the left and the right of the
Folio volumes copies OF the first
authorized quartos of Romeo and
Juliet" d59g and Hamlet" (16O4)
are shown.
The exhibition will continue until
further notice, and the public is
invited to inspect 1t daily, except
Sunday, from 10 am. to 4 pm.