#volvelles

Iwahashi Zenbei – Scientist of the Day

Iwashashi Zenbei, sometimes known as Iwahashi Yoshitaka, a Japanese astronomer, died July 15, 1811 (Iwahashi is the surname).  

LJS 64 is a book of diagrams, many with moving parts, designed to accompany the work Theoricae novae planetarum by 15th-century Austrian Georg von Peurbach, who is considered one of the first modern astronomers. He was particularly interested in simplifying the Ptolemic system (which places the Earth in the center of the solar system). The diagrams in the book demonstrate increasingly complex planetary motion.

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LJS 64 was recently featured in #CoffeeWithACodex, you can watch the complete 30 minute video here:

Gag Master volvelle

This delightful relic from 1963 accompanied Glenn Bretthauer’s How To Make Money With Simple Gags: A Complete Course in Gag Writing!, the cover of which can be seen below. One spin, and you too could be riding that G-Nib of success to the big paycheck in the stars.

(PS. Do not try to google “gag master”)

Today we bid a fond farewell to Special Collections Project Cataloger, Jennifer Dunlap, as she embarks on a new adventure at the Houghton Library at Harvard University. We wish her well! Jennifer’s parting gift to us (and you!) is a highlight of some of her favorite items here at the UChicago Special Collections Research Center. 

Top to bottom:

1. Duns Scotus’ Ordinatio I. [Venice] : [Johannes Herbort, de Seligenstadt, for Johannes de Colonia, Nicolaus Jenson et Socii], [1481]. This volume contains the first part of Duns Scotus’ Ordinatio or Quaestiones in quattuor libros Sententiarum (commentary on the Sentences of Peter Lombard). This volume is perhaps the most interesting binding of all the SCRC incunabula featuring blind tooled pigskin over wooden boards with brass “furniture” (metal attachments on the cover, usually to protect the binding), catches, and clasps. (Incun 1481.D9 Rare c.1) 

2.  Boethius. Boetius De philosophico consolatu … [Strassburg] : [Johann Grüniger], [1501]. Aside from the wonderful hand-colored woodcut illustrations, SCRC’s copy is full of provenance information including annotations, manicules, former owner’s inscriptions, and a few manuscript poems. (alc B659.D2 1501 Rare)

3. Barentsz, Willem. Deliniatio cartae trium navigationum per Batavos, ad Septentrionaelm plagam, Norvegiae, Moscoviae, et Nova Semblae … [Amsterdam] : [Cornelius Nicolai], [1598]. This map was produced to highlight the three expeditions undertaken by Dutch explorer and cartographer Willem Barentsz (c.1550-1597) between 1594 and 1597 in search of a Northeast Passage. It depicts he Arctic regions including Greenland, Iceland, northern Scandinavia, and northern Russia, as well as the routes that Barentsz’ ships took, not to mention numerous map monsters. (alc ff G3270 1598.B3)

4. Tennyson, Alfred. The ode by Alfred Tennyson on the opening of the Exhibition, 1862. [Coventry] : [Charles Newsome], [1862]. Part of the Gerald N. Wachs Collection of Nineteenth-Century English Poetry, this silk souvenir ribbon from the 1862 International Exhibition features Tennyson’s Ode on the opening of the Exhibition and a woven image of the Crystal Palace, where the exhibition was held. Tennyson was asked to write a piece which would be set to music by composer William Sterndale Bennett and performed at the opening of the Exhibition. The ribbon was designed by Edwin Rollason and produced by ribbon manufacturer Charles Newsome of Coventry. Newsome’s intertwined monogram appears at the top of the design in gold and cream. (ff PR5568.O15 1862)

5. Apian, Peter. Astronomicum Caesareum. [Ingolstadt] : [Peter Apian], [May 1540]. Another beautiful hand-colored 16th century imprint, this edition includes 22 volvelles, several of which feature the striking dragon design seen on the title page. SCRC’s copy is inscribed by Tycho Brahe to mathematician and astronomer Paul Wittich. (alc ff QB41.A639 1540 Rare)

6. Gart der Gesundheit. [Augsburg] : [Johann Schönsperger], [5 June 1486]. This German herbal printed in 1486 includes a wonderful example of a printer’s error, that of fallen type, near the end of the text. Fallen type occurs when a piece of type gets snagged on the leather covering of the ink balls while one of the pressmen is inking the form, gets pulled out of its place in the form, and ends up getting imprinted long-wise onto the page. These errors are fairly infrequent as the error would typically be noticed when the paper was removed from the press and the printer would return the fallen type to its place in the form and continue on with the job. (Incun 1486.G17 RareCr)

Tydts offloops beschryving van son maen sterren planeet tot het jaer 30,000,  ca. 1832-1850.  A astronomical, chronological, geographical, mathematical, and astrological manuscript with tables showing phases of the moon, calculations for the date of Easter, methods for calculating moveable feasts from the year 1582 to 2358, tides at Dunkirk, a table of golden numbers to the year 5600, and the length of time taken for the principal stars to pass the meridian.

MS Dutch 23

Coffee With A Codex is an informal lunch or coffee time to meet virtually with Kislak curators and talk about one of the manuscripts from Penn's collections. Each week we'll feature a different manuscript and the expertise of one of our curators. Everyone is welcome to attend. Meetings are Thursdays at 12pm Noon EST / 5pm GMT.

At this week's #CoffeeWithACodex on February 15, Curator Dot Porter will bring out LJS 64, a collection of handmade diagrams, many with moving parts, designed to accompany the astronomical work Theoricae novae planetarum by 15th-century Austrian astronomer Georg von Peurbach. The diagrams demonstrate increasingly complex planetary motion.

Coffee With A Codex events are recorded and posted on our YouTube channel.

See the full schedule for Coffee with a Codex.