Author: Edgar J. Goodspeed

Publisher:

Published: 2015-07-20

Total Pages: 148

ISBN-13: 9781331893882

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Excerpt from A Descriptive Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Libraries of the University of Chicago This Catalogue is the result of the conviction that the possession of manuscripts of even a moderate antiquity carries with it the responsibility of publishing some account of them for the use of scholars. It has also been our belief that a descriptive catalogue will make the manuscripts now in the University's possession more useful to the departments to which they relate, and that the only way to build up a notable collection of manuscripts in the University is to make the most of what we have. Not all indeed that the University now possesses in the way of manuscripts is here included. The Greek papyri in Haskell Oriental Museum we have been obliged to reserve for separate treatment, although the inclusion of those texts from the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, some of them unpublished, would have enriched this volume. The East Indian and other valuable oriental manuscripts belonging to Haskell Museum we have left untouched. Since the completion of our work upon this Catalogue, too, new collections including valuable autograph letters have been given to the University by Mr. Edward B. Butler, Dr. Frank W. Gunsaulus, Mrs. Erskine M. Phelps, and Mrs. Emma B. Hodge. Such collections of letters and documents evidently call for a special catalogue. Further, the mass of manuscript fragments from bindings or still in bindings present a large field for the manuscript cataloguer. We have made a beginning with these, but such pieces are seldom of value, and while a few of the more significant ones are described in the present volume, we have not as yet felt justified in asking the University's permission to destroy dozens of fine old bindings of unquestioned interest in the history of book-making, in the effort to detach parchment fragments of doubtful value. Finally, it is more than probable that as the cataloguing of the University's printed books goes on, some manuscripts long since in its possession will come to hand; but while we covet these for our Catalogue, and have made such search for them as we could, it has seemed wiser to proceed with those we have than to wait for an end which will never come, since the University will never cease to acquire manuscripts. Of the manuscripts treated in this Catalogue, few have been secured through special purchase. Nearly all have come to the University with large collections of printed books. The libraries of Hengstenberg, acquired in 1869-70, George B. Ide (1873-74), the American Bible Union (1885-86), and the Old University of Chicago (1891) brought some manuscripts with them. But the great majesty of our manuscripts we owe to the purchase in 1891 of the Berlin Collection. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Download or read book A Descriptive Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Libraries of the University of Chicago (Classic Reprint) written by Edgar J. Goodspeed and published by . This book was released on 2015-07-20 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from A Descriptive Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Libraries of the University of Chicago This Catalogue is the result of the conviction that the possession of manuscripts of even a moderate antiquity carries with it the responsibility of publishing some account of them for the use of scholars. It has also been our belief that a descriptive catalogue will make the manuscripts now in the University's possession more useful to the departments to which they relate, and that the only way to build up a notable collection of manuscripts in the University is to make the most of what we have. Not all indeed that the University now possesses in the way of manuscripts is here included. The Greek papyri in Haskell Oriental Museum we have been obliged to reserve for separate treatment, although the inclusion of those texts from the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, some of them unpublished, would have enriched this volume. The East Indian and other valuable oriental manuscripts belonging to Haskell Museum we have left untouched. Since the completion of our work upon this Catalogue, too, new collections including valuable autograph letters have been given to the University by Mr. Edward B. Butler, Dr. Frank W. Gunsaulus, Mrs. Erskine M. Phelps, and Mrs. Emma B. Hodge. Such collections of letters and documents evidently call for a special catalogue. Further, the mass of manuscript fragments from bindings or still in bindings present a large field for the manuscript cataloguer. We have made a beginning with these, but such pieces are seldom of value, and while a few of the more significant ones are described in the present volume, we have not as yet felt justified in asking the University's permission to destroy dozens of fine old bindings of unquestioned interest in the history of book-making, in the effort to detach parchment fragments of doubtful value. Finally, it is more than probable that as the cataloguing of the University's printed books goes on, some manuscripts long since in its possession will come to hand; but while we covet these for our Catalogue, and have made such search for them as we could, it has seemed wiser to proceed with those we have than to wait for an end which will never come, since the University will never cease to acquire manuscripts. Of the manuscripts treated in this Catalogue, few have been secured through special purchase. Nearly all have come to the University with large collections of printed books. The libraries of Hengstenberg, acquired in 1869-70, George B. Ide (1873-74), the American Bible Union (1885-86), and the Old University of Chicago (1891) brought some manuscripts with them. But the great majesty of our manuscripts we owe to the purchase in 1891 of the Berlin Collection. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.