University of South Carolina Libraries
JCAMPUS Rare Books In Library By R. M. KENNEDY R. M. Kennedy, librarian, read be fore the Members of the Kosmos club at a meeting last Saturday night in the nuiscuni room of the library, a paper entitled "Some Rare Books in the Uni versity Library." The Ganiecotk will print for several weeks extracts taken from the paper. Starting with this week the intro duction and extracts concerned with "Incunabula," are given. "Some Rare Books in the University Library My greatest difficulty, perhaps, in preparing this paper has sprung from a super-abundance of material-an "embarrassment of riches." Out of a mass of almost equally fine things, what to select, what regretfully to re ject, for an hour's presentation of my subject, has been no easy matter. It would have been more satisfac tory, perhaps, had I confined myself to the discussion of our rare books on any one of several subjects, such as "Americana, or "Caroliniana," or his tory, or theology, or science, or lexico graphy, or art, and so on. In a dozeni such papers, the field might properly be covered. It seems best tonight, however, at the expense of thoroughness in any single department, to show you, in adequately of course, the wealth of this library as a whole. In seeking to discover which of our books are really rare, I have consulted the standard bibliographies. As a gen eral proposition, all first editions of im portant works are sought after, but I find that some later editions are, for one reason or another, better that the first and equally in demand. Then too, in my recent explora tions among the dusty tomes in our galleries, little used and only now be ing card-catalogued, I have discovered some remarkable examples of typogra phy. My invaluable guide in recogni zing these specimens of the art of the world's master-printers has been an authoriative work recently issued, Up (like's "Printing Types," 2 v. Holt, 1925. Of a few familiar outstanding publi cations I have thought you would be interested in knowing something of their makers and their making. CLO0 HATS SHC SWEATERS 7 EVENING DRE.5 HOTEL I James S.Monay SUITS o-'1Z FORTY.-Fl\ AND TAILORED FIPTH AVE,.?UE AT FEATURE Incunabula This bibliographical term applies to all books printed during the latter half of the 15th bentury when the art of printing with separate type was in its "cradle" or infancy, as the word im plies. This revolutionary invention, of movable type, was first perfected and put into use, as you know, about 1450, by Gutenberg, at Mainz. Before the year 1500, more than 200 cities of Europe had printing estab lishnents, turning out by the thous ands splendid editions of the classics by the new method. The number of incunabula has been estimated at more than 20,000. The "infant" was indeed a prodigy. 'The1 paper. the imk, the typography are of alost unequaled excellence and beauty; the binding, though not quite as enduring, were nearly as marvelous. As Dr. Snowden says, in his article entitled "Fiftenuth Century Treas tires," published in the University bulletin No. VII on "The library: "'They prove that the art of printing has made progress principally along the line of rapidity, and the art of mak ing paper and book binding has re progressed in the same degree." He Iiiight h.ve added to the arts that have decline i that of ink making. in the same bulletin is given bull bib liographical information, prepared h the then assistant-librarian, Miss Mar giLet I,eConte, with the assistance of Victor H-. Pallsits, of the Lenox ,i brary, New York, of the 13 specimens of Incunabula in this library. We agree with Dr. Snowden that few southern libraries have as large a col lection. The earliest of them, and the oldest book on our shelves, is the "De Pris corim verborum proprietate liber," ( Faniantis Maius, printed at Treviso by Bernardum de Colonia, in 1477. Xention will be made of several others under the treatment of famotis old printing house. It is scarcely desirable to describc all of them. Tihey include editions oi Ovid, Albertus Magnus, Aristotle, Pliny the Second and others. Several are illuminated, the most beautiful monkish handwork being found in the "De Proprietatibus Rerum," of Bartholomacus Anglicus, printed by * Anton Koberger at Nurem berg. in 1483. Those who may wish further details concerning our inctnabula are asked to consult the Bulletin or to examine the books themselves. ES CAPS IES HOSIERY S ACCESSORIES At EFFER SON March 26th Branch, Rep. ) TO'PCOATS 'E DOLLARS 'TO MfEASURE 'HE H LE FOrY ,v-ru STREET STORIES | Cotton Defined-Is It Correct or Not? Cotton is the overcoat of a seed that is planted and grown in the Southern states to keep the producer broke and the buyer crazy. The fiber varies in color and weight and, the man who can guess the nearest the length of a fiber is called i cotton man by the public, a fool by the farmers and a poor busincss mitan by his creditors. Ilie prico ,f cot:on is 6xed in New York and goes up when you have sOl aid down when you have bought. A buyer working for a group of milis was sent to New York to watch the cotton market and after a few day de libera ion wi-red his firm to the cffect --"sonic think it will go up. sonic think it will go) down. I do too. Whatev-r you do will he wrong. Act at once." Cotton is planted in the spri11g, mort gaged in summer and lef! in the field in N itter. There are more (lefinitions, but this seems to be the best. -USC "Who's the Speaker of the House"? roared the political science prof. during an oral exam. 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