Printed books and maps

University Parks

2007-07-22T16:29:00.001-07:00

This bench is dedicated to the memory of Tolkien and is located on the beautiful grounds of the University Parks. Seminar Director Dr. John King is joined by Drs. Terri Borus, Mark Rankin, Lee Piepho, and Pablo Alvarez.

At the Sign of the Red Pale

2007-07-22T16:09:00.000-07:00

Armed with a map from 1755 and information from books on William Caxton's printing press at Westminster Abbey, I walked around the Abbey in an effort to locate where the two sites of his shops might have been. The top photo is on the back side of the Abbey and is, as near as I can figure, close to the site of Caxton's later print shop, at the sign of the Red Pale. It is now a religious bookstore; I think Caxton would approve. The bottom photo is the site of Caxton's first press at the Abbey. It is tucked between the Abbey church and the Chapter house. I never quite understood how this would work as a location for a print shop, but this wedge of space between the two buildings forms a protected space.

Tolkien's Oxford

2007-07-22T15:57:00.000-07:00

Mark walked many miles to visit the many sites in Oxford associated with J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Here, Mark and Pablo are at the famed Eagle and Child Pub where Tolkien, Lewis and other members of the writing group, the Inklings, met to share their writing. The photo of Mark standing is in the room where the Inklings typically met.

Young Scholars

2007-07-22T15:35:00.000-07:00

I met this friendly group of scholars on Queens Lane. They kindly explained to me something that I had been wondering about since we came to Oxford: when did school let out for summer holidays? These young men were spending a week at the university before enjoying a six-week summer holiday. Thanks lads!

St. Edmund Hall

2007-07-19T06:11:00.001-07:00

At the Isis Tavern, along the Thames

2007-07-19T06:06:00.000-07:00

View of the "Camera" from Exeter College Gardens

2007-07-19T06:05:00.000-07:00

"Punting" on the Thames

2007-07-19T05:48:00.000-07:00

Brasenose College Foxe extravaganza

2007-07-19T05:46:00.000-07:00

Land of Arthur--the Cornish Sea

2007-07-12T16:04:00.000-07:00

Tintagel is the legendary site of Arthur's birth at the castle of the Duke of Cornwall. Merlin, of course, is said to have transformed Uther Pendragon to appear in the guise of the Duke so as to seduce the lovely Igraine. Merlin claimed the infant Arthur as the payment for his service to Uther.

We did not make it all the way down the coast to Tintagel but we did make it to the sea where the mysticism of the land really "struck" home. We walked along the sea in a light rain only to notice that our hair was standing on end!

Land of Arthur--Glastonbury Abbey

2007-07-12T16:02:00.000-07:00

The Abbot's kitchen is the only structure to remain standing.

Land of Arthur--Glastonbury Abbey

2007-07-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

Established in the 7th century, the great cathedral and cloister are in ruins, but the gardens evoke a sense of those earlier centuries.

land of Arthur--Glastonbury Abbey

2007-07-12T15:37:00.001-07:00

The magnificent Glastonbury Abbey was once the largest cathedral in the nation. The grounds are still beautiful with lavender, hollyhock and all manner of herbs. Ruins of the cathedral remain but what was once a flourishing center is now a shadow of its former self. Our favorite villain, Henry VIII, was the cause of the destruction of Glastonbury. We learned that not only was the Abbey sacked and the wealth of the Abbey transported to London, but that the local town and townspeople experienced great poverty as many of the townspeople depended on the economic engine of the Abbey for their livelihood. In 1536 there were 800 monasteries in England; in 1541 they had all been closed or dismantled.

For readers of the Arthurian legend, the grave of Arthur is said to be at Glastonbury Abbey. The grave is just to the right in this photo. There are remains of a king that were found on the Abbey grounds and transferred to this site. Malory gives us the great epitaph that is said to be on Arthur's grave stone: Rex Quondam, Rex Futurus--the once and future king. But as readers of Malory know, Malory writes that he is not saying this is so, but what others believe.

Land of Arthur--Glastonbury Tor

2007-07-12T15:16:00.000-07:00

This night-time photo is not the best quality, but it captures our late night walk up to view the incredible Glastonbury Tor. The Tor is the fabled Isle of Avalon as the area around Glastonbury was once subject to flooding or perhaps even part of the shallow sea the comes in near the Severn River on the nearby west coast of England. The night was a sapphire blue and then as the dark settled, Jupiter aligned with Mars (and peace --perhaps for a moment--guided our planet). We walked up a dark, tree-shrouded narrow road and then came out at a clearing for a beautiful night view of the Tor.

Remains of a fifth century fort have been found on the Tor and much work has been done by local Arthurian historian, the venerable Geoffrey Ashe, to prove the historical basis of a 5th century Briton war leader. A chapel once stood at the top of the hill but was destroyed by earthquake and rebuilt only to crumble before that other earthquake of English culture: Henry VIII, whose dissolution of the monasteries brought about the ruin of this chapel as well. It is said that the abbot of Glastonbury Abbey was hanged up on this hill along with two other monks for his refusal to turn over the monastery to Henry.

The hills of the Tor are terraced and while there are all manner of speculation on some mystical reason for this, the likely answer is that the early monks farmed the hillside. It is a powerful site rich in history--Malory's great tale seemed to shimmer in the evening.

We interrupt this Arthurian quest for a bit of comic relief

2007-07-11T06:04:00.001-07:00

The parking lot of our "swanky" B and B. Note the mud ditches, the camper packed with debris, the motorcycles. Not shown in the picture is the freezer that marked the sink hole in the parking lot--a handy marker of a hazard to be avoided by those on a quest.

Stonehendge--continued

2007-07-11T06:02:00.000-07:00

Land of Arthur--Stonehenge

2007-07-11T06:00:00.001-07:00

Land of Arthur--The Round Table

2007-07-11T05:57:00.001-07:00

Winchester also holds great interest for Malory readers as a 14th century version of Arthur's Round Table resides in the Great Hall of Winchester Castle, a structure that dates back to the time of William the Conqueror (1066-1087). The famed green and beige table is a massive piece of wood joinery that now hangs on the wall of the Great Hall. The historical Arthur is said to have ruled around the 5th or 6th century BC but this table is dated to the 14th century and painted in its current color scheme by Henry the VIII in the early 16th century. In Malory' s great tale, the table is a wedding gift to Arthur from Guinevere's father, Leodegrance.

Land of Arthur--Winchester College

2007-07-11T05:55:00.000-07:00

The College is not a university-aged school, but a school for boys up through what we would call high school. Winchester College Library was the site of the spectacular discovery in 1934 of the scribally written manuscript--the only known copy--of Thomas Malory's Le Morte Darthur. It is not certain how the book came to be in the Winchester College library but one theory is that books from the Cathedral were taken to London for safe keeping during the reign of Henry VIII when he ransacked and closed the monasteries. Eventually, some of the books were returned to Winchester but went to the College rather than the Cathedral.

Land of Arthur--WInchester Cathedral

2007-07-11T05:44:00.000-07:00

While not related to Arthuriana, this stained glass window in the Cathedral is an amazingly beautiful work of art. But look closely: the stained glass was destroyed during the English Civil War; the legend is that Cromwell's soldiers destroyed the massive window. But parishioners picked up the shards of glass that formerly depicted saints and, during the restoration, restored the great window as a mosaic. It is startlingly modern looking--with an occasional partial figure of a saint. Now it is a beautiful abstract mosaic of glass and an incredible testament to the parishioners who literally "picked up the pieces" and made new art from the shards of the old.

Land of Arthur--Winchester Cathedral

2007-07-11T05:25:00.000-07:00

The city of Winchester is the site of the great Winchester Cathedral. The soaring Gothic cathedral also has a sizeable section from its earliest Roman-style structure, from around the year 1000. For readers of Malory, of course, Winchester was the site of Arthur's administrative capital and, in the Roman War account and in many other places in the text, it is to Winchester that Arthur goes to when he is to hold a holiday feast (such as Pentecost) and to consult his advisors. In fact, Winchester preceded London as the capital of England and the Bishop of Winchester was a very powerful figures. One such bishop was William of Wykham who founded Winchester College.

Judith's 50th birthday

2007-07-10T10:00:00.001-07:00

"Dutch" treat at the Angel and Greyhound. Many happy returns of the day Judith!

St. John's Library

2007-07-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

Completed in 1598, St. John's College library was the first college library to innovate with the placement of desks and pew-like seats in between the stacks of the books. The library ceiling harkens back to its Tudor origins. On display during our visit was the 2nd edition of Caxton's Canterbury Tales. This printed book is rare in that it is the only surviving copy with colored woodcuts from the second edition.

Behind the College is a lovely garden. We didn't let the constant rain keep us from a brief walk.

Queen's College Library

2007-07-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

The Queen's College library is one of the largest libraries of the Oxford colleges in terms of the number of volumes held in the library. Located on the second floor, the library design was influenced by the great English architect, Christopher Wren. Wren designed the famed library at Trinity College at the "other" English university, Cambridge. The college displays here a terrestrial and a celestial globe from the 17th century. Queen's College was one of the wealthier colleges and thus tore down the "old" medieval buildings and erected neo-classical buildings in the 18th century. In the quad of the college are our fearless leaders: Jim Bracken, John King, and Mark Rankin.

Teddy Hall Chefs

2007-07-10T09:29:00.000-07:00

Evensong at Christ Church

2007-07-04T02:05:00.000-07:00

The boys' choir of Christ Church and congregation sang this hymn by Jan Struther (1901 - 1953) set to a traditional Irish ballad tune.

Here is the last stanza, a favorite of my family's:

Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,

Whose voice is contentment, whose presence in balm,

Be there at our sleeping, and give us we pray,

Your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.

To hear the tune (missing the soaring voices of the boys' choir) click here.

Duke Humphrey's Library at the Bodleian Library

2007-07-03T04:00:00.000-07:00

Many of the seminar members spend a good part of our day in the justly famous Duke Humphrey's Library, the rare book and manuscript library of the Bodleian. Today I will be working with the 1527 edition of Caxton's Myrrour of the World as well as availing myself of the incredible number of catalogues of collections that are held in the reference section of the Duke Humphrey Library. As Dr. Vaisey, Director Emeritus of the Bodley, said on our tour, "Great libraries should collect things beyond the needs or understanding of current scholarship." Many of the manuscripts and books in Duke Humphrey's library are available to scholars because of this philosophy.

The Sculler's Travels

2007-07-02T15:17:00.000-07:00

It seems appropriate here to include a text I have been interested in for a while. A perfect confluence of interests: early printed books and rowing. The complete title: Taylors vvater-vvorke: or the scullers trauels, from Tiber to Thames: with his boat laden with a hotch-potch, or gallimawfrey of sonnets, satyres, and epigrams. With an inkhorne disputation betwixt a lawyer and a poet: and a quarterne of new catcht epigrames, caught the last fishing-tide: together with an addition of pastorall equiuocques, or the complaint of a shepheard.

An earlier edition was printed at London by Edward Allde with the announcement that copies "are to be solde [by Nathaniel Butter] at the Pide-bull neere St. Austins gate, 1612." This particular edition, at the Bodleian Library, was printed in 1614.

Rowing on the Thames

2007-07-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

Every rower's dream. Erica invited me along to her class with the Oxford Rowing Club. It was a great group of eight beginners; we experienced the classic British teaching technique of ironic humiliation laced with good humor at the end. The other rowers are local Oxfordians. A beautiful workout on the river.

Ron's blog

2007-06-30T15:49:00.000-07:00

For another perspective on our seminar, check out fellow participant Ron Patkus's blog.

Outside Oxford

2007-06-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

In need of a respite from books and busy sidewalks, I took an afternoon ride west of Oxford to Farmoor Reservoir and the village of Cumnor. As you leave the city, there is a pleasant walking and cycling path along the canal.

London

2007-06-30T14:52:00.001-07:00

Our trip to London was filled with close encounters with a wide variety of early printed books--at the British Library, at the University of London Sterling Library, and at Maggs Antiquarian Booksellers, each exhibit rich in exemplarity and singularity. We saw a variety of early printed Bibles, including a copy of Tyndale's Bible, the Coverdale Bible and the Geneva Bible. At the University of London there were several Caxton texts on display. Of course, no photos of any of these incredible books will appear on the blog as photos are strictly forbidden. From book haven to book haven, the seminarians walked the streets of London, sharing the burden of carrying a heavy laptop.

Our capable detail master

2007-06-30T14:48:00.000-07:00

Mark has a brief
announcement to make . . .

Thanks Mark!

Site of the Burning of Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley

2007-06-26T16:35:00.000-07:00

"Be of good cheer, Master Ridley, and play the man, for we shall this day light such a candle in England as I trust by God's grace shall never be put out."

Settling in to Oxford

2007-06-26T16:21:00.000-07:00

The past few days have presented a wealth of experiences--from the mundane (doing laundry communally--now there is a bonding experience!) to the sublime (requesting books in the Duke Humphrey Library). But far from settling in to a quiet academic life, there is a buzz about Oxford with the filming of the Philip Pullman novel, His Dark Materials. There are thick bundles of cables running through the lane from St. Edmund hall to the Bodleian Library, an instant Victorian scene created by pouring gravel onto the lane, and a strange dirigible light set-up that floats eerily in the night sky.

Yesterday, we all recited our pledge at the Bodleian not to remove, mark, deface or injure in any way the materials in the library and--most important--"not to bring into the Library or kindle therein any fire of flame, and not to smoke in the library." So far, at least as far as we know, all the members of the group have adhered to their solemn pledge. Erika even took the pledge in Latin!

Today we had a tour of Oxford University Press, heroic publishers of the quixotic and much beloved Oxford English Dictionary. James Murray took on this vast project in its initial stage. It is amazing that this icon of scholarship is based on thousands of slips of handwritten notes from hundreds of scholars. Murray's eleven children helped organize and alphabetize the entries! Though scholarship seems monumental, it is also so human and so ephemeral. Our fearless leaders, John and Jim, took a turn at the press.

Settling in to Oxford

2007-06-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the 50th anniversary of the establishment of St. Edmund as an independent college. There were gala events, complete with ball gowns and tuxedos. A new sculpture in honor of St. Edmund was unveiled in the college "garden," a quiet grassy area and cemetery in front of the library. Karl joins St. Edmund in his reading on the bench.

Teri Borus's new edition of Shakespeare's Hamlet is now in print and available at your local Blackwell's. The editor will sign copies upon request!

Finally, a very happy birthday to Michael who celebrated his birthday in both a youthful and adult way. Michael rented himself a red bike on the occasion of his birthday and topped off the day with a beer (or two) at a local pub. Many happy returns of the day, Michael.

Lastly, this blog is certainly an example of the shfting expectations of the author. I started the blog for my family, re-shaped it for colleagues, and now find that the audience has widened to include my fellow "seminarians" and their families and friends. Feel free to blur the authorial border by adding comments or sending me photos you'd like to add to the site.

St. Edmund Hall, Oxford

2007-06-24T05:33:00.000-07:00

We are staying in St. Edmund Hall, one of the colleges of Oxford University. We had an incredible tour of that shrine of libraries, the Bodleian Library of Oxford University. Dr. Vaisey, Director Emeritus, regaled us with stories of candles being lit (that reader was never allowed back!), of a manuscript being tipped off a conveyor belt onto a pool of oil on the floor, and of the initial funding of the library and the rich history of building and expansion of this library that serves the scholars of the world. The architectural style of this part of the library is English Perpendicular which allows for these lovely long windows to let in the light. Before electricity, the scholars had to work by natural light alone as no candles were allowed!

Brugge and Caxton

2007-06-24T05:19:00.001-07:00

Here in Brugges, William Caxton first learned the business and craft of printing. And here, too, he produced, in 1475, the first printed book in English (Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye). Brugge is a lovely small city that retained its cobblestone streets and medieval architecture. Canals threaad their way through the city.

I took this photo of a typical buidling in the city--perhaps Caxton lived in such a home?

NEH Summer Seminar (Reformation of the Book) Participants in front of the Erasmus House

2007-06-24T05:15:00.001-07:00

Brussels, Belgium

2007-06-24T04:59:00.000-07:00

What a magnificent central plaza in Brussels! Our main reason for visiting Brussels was to go to the Erasmus House Museum, a home where Erasmus spent a pleasant half year and which holds many of his volumes. There is also a beautiful and refreshing Philosophical Garden and a Medicinal Garden with herbs that attend to the illnesses that Erasmus mentioned in his letters. Erasmus lived in the late medieval period and is considered one of the foremost Humanists. He is probably best known for his work, In Praise of Folly. It is interesting to note that his life span (1469-1536) exactly coincides with what I have been calling the Ptolemaic age in Europe, the time in which Ptolemaic maps completely re-orient European worldview, just prior to the publication of the work of Copernicus, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres), published in 1543 and printed in Nuremberg (where Behaim's globe was produced in 1493). A shaky 360 view of the plaza: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyN92sYiaxo.

Plantin-Moretus Printing Museum

2007-06-24T04:53:00.000-07:00

Today we spent almost the whole day in the Plantin-Moretus printing museum. Christoffel Plantin (1520-1589) began his work as a protestant printer but became an arch-printer for the Catholic bishop after Antwerp came under Spanish Catholic control. The museum is a perfectly preserved printing press from the mid-sixteenth century. The presses, type and a wealth of early books are maintained as well as the family’s private rooms. We saw an incredible polyglot bible, a parallel-text Bible with Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. They also displayed atlases and maps by Gerardus Mercator—very beautiful. Of particular interest to me was a 1580 pocket size edition of Mercator’s Teatrum Orbis Terrarum. Each opening of the book had text on the left and an engraving of a country or region on the right. It was amazing that such a pocket-sized edition existed so early on.

In the evening, we had a candlelight dinner at long tables down in the basement of a building where once cloth and paper and books were warehoused before being shipped to England. Our host Guido Latre speculates that Tyndale’s bible had clusters of pages slipped into the folds of the cloth for smuggling back into England.

Jet lag is not bad but I sleep at odd hours of the night. There seems to be a nice nightlife in Antwerp: I walk in the evening past many outdoor cafes filled with people enjoying drinks and music.

Monday in Antwerp

2007-06-24T04:47:00.000-07:00

Our seminar began today and we had a chance to meet everyone. The seminar is directed by Dr. John King and Dr. Jim Bracken, both of the Ohio State University. Dr. Guido Latre of the Catholics University of Leeuwen (and Louvain) gave a wonderful introduction to Antwerp, the dual languages of Flemish and French, and the history of protestant John Tyndale’s time in Antwerp. Tyndale had fled England under fear of persecution and come to Antwerp for protection. Here he was able to continue his work on the Bible but was eventually captured and ultimately strangled and burnt at the stake. What a horrible history between Catholicism and Protestantism. Professor Latre took us on a delightful walking tour of the city where, among other sites, he pointed out the religious history of the city as reflected in the architecture—the clean gothic lines of the Protestant cathedral with the baroque alter of the Spanish Catholics who overtook Antwerp. As Antwerp lost the wool trade to England, they developed into a printing center (in 1500).

In the afternoon, I went to the grocery store to buy some fruit and came across a huge wall of packaged deli meat! Each morning for breakfast we have about four to six choices of salami, ham, bologna etc. Cherries and asparagus are also in season, but the restaurant where we ate dinner (stroganoff) was out of the famed white asparagus of Belgium.

Sunday in Antwerp

2007-06-24T04:45:00.000-07:00

It is Sunday and the day has such a different feel here (of course, that could be jet lag!). Almost all the shops are closed except an open air flower market, a tourist trinket shop and an edgy shoe store. As a result there is this wonderful sense of relaxation. Lots of Antwerpians (?) are strolling about the city but the pace is relaxed. The cafes in the plazas are full, with people sitting, “eten and drinken,” and enjoying some leisurely people-watching. I learned (and should have known) that Belgians speak Flemish, a dialect of Dutch and, in the south, of course, French. I met one of the other participants, Terry, and she and I enjoyed ambling around the historic part of Antwerp. We had a beer in the plaza by the Cathedral and heard a lively cross between a high school pep band and New Orleans jazz. The guy on the cymbals really knows how to have fun! (Apologies on the poor video technique!) A long and cramped transatlantic flight and a glass of Belgian beer are having their effect after 24 hours without sleep . . .