Rare Book Leaves collection

Collection — Communal Collections Box: 55, Placement: 2

Identifier: MSP 137

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Rare Book Leaves collection contains leaves from Buddhist scriptures, Golden Legend, Sidonia the Sorceress, Nuremberg Chronicle, Codex de Tortis, and an illustrated version of Wordsworth’s poem Daffodils. The collection demonstrates a variety of printing styles and paper. This particular collection is an excellent teaching tool for many classes in the humanities.

Dates

Creation: 1440 - late 19th/early 20th Century

Access Information

Collection is open for research.

Copyright and Use Information

Material in this collection is in the public domain. Consult with Purdue University Archives and Special Collections prior to reproduction of materials.

Historical Information

Rare book leaves were once part of a larger text. The leaves in this collection come from a variety of regions, languages, and time periods.

Extent

0.50 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Latin

Chinese

Additional Description

Acquisition Information

Most of the leaves were likely purchased by Purdue Libraries in the 1950s. The second leaf of Golden Legend was donated by the Griffiths family in 2024; it was part of the W. H. Winterrowd collection.

Related Materials

MSP 136, Medieval Manuscript Leaves collection, Purdue University Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries.

MSP 326, Collection of Tycho Brahe engravings, Purdue University Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries.

MSS 1, Palm Leaf Book, Purdue University Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries.

Original Leaves from Famous Books Eight Centuries, 1240 A.D.-1923 A.D.

“Liber Chronicarum”: A folio of the Nuremberg Chronicle, restored from an incomplete copy from the library of Lambton Castle, England: with biographical note.

Processing Information

All of the manuscript leaves have been housed in individual acid-free folders in an acid-free box, organized in chronological order.

Subjects

Genre / Form

Collecting Areas

- Special Collections. Purdue University Special Collections

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title: Rare Book Leaves collection
Status: In Progress
Author: Kristin Leaman and Adriana Harmeyer
Date: 2025-01-06
Description rules: Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description: English
Script of description: Latin
Edition statement: Second edition. Collection description was first completed 2013-01-11.