The Gutenberg Press

In this revealing documentary, Stephen Fry investigates the story of one of the most important machines ever invented - the Gutenberg Press.

The printing press was the world's first mass-production machine. Its invention in the 1450s changed the world as dramatically as splitting the atom or sending men into space, sparking a cultural revolution that shaped the modern age. It is the machine that made us who we are today.

Stephen's investigation combines historical detective work and a hands-on challenge. He travels to France and Germany on the trail of Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press and early media entrepreneur. Along the way he discovers the lengths Gutenberg went to keep his project secret, explores the role of avaricious investors and unscrupulous competitors, and discovers why printing mattered so much in medieval Europe.

But to really understand the man and his machine, Stephen gets his hands dirty - assembling a team of craftsmen and helping them build a working replica of Gutenberg's original press. He learns how to make paper the 15th-century way and works as an apprentice in a metal foundry in preparation for the experiment to put the replica press through its paces. Can Stephen's modern-day team match the achievement of Gutenberg's medieval craftsmen?



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Philadephia Rare Books & Manuscripts

I have heard and seen various mentions of the Philadelphia Rare Books and Manuscript Company. But I have never seen their website - until today. WOW. They have tons of old and rare books.


Samuel Johnson's Dictionary Published in 1773.










Introduction to the Dictionary as written by Samuel Johnson in 1773





Samuel Johnson's Dictionary - Published in 1786 - 8th edition










Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe - Published 1790










Not forgetting Leigh Hunt...
An author requested by Helene Hanff from 84 Charing Cross Road.
published 1801









Aristophanes Published in 1783

Vaulted Treasures of the University of Virginia

I found a whole website with LOTS and LOTS of pictures of old and rare MEDICAL books and title pages.
Vaulted Treasures.

Here are some of my favourites.


Galen, …De naturalibus facultatibus libri tres. 1537

Galen Page








Galen, In aphorismos Hippocratis commentarii septem… 1554











Liber canonis medicine. [Venetiis: In edibus Luce Antonii Junta, 1527.]

Avicenna Page








Hippocratis coi medicorum omnium longe principis, opera quae apud nos extant omnia. Lugduni: Apud Ant. Vincentium, 1555.

Hippocrates page

Life and Works of Confucius

VERY LARGE FILE
Life and Works of Confucius
by Prospero Intorcetta, 1687
Deism - Wikipedia
see The Discovery of Diversity Chapter

Codex Gigas or The Devil's Bible

Codex Gigas (PDF)

Codex Gigas (Wikipedia)

Mon Sep 24, 2007
CBC - Return of the Devils Bible to Prague draws crowds


PRAGUE, Czech Republic - Codex Gigas, also known as the Devil's Bible - a medieval manuscript said to have been written 800 years ago with the devil's help - has returned to Prague after an absence of 359 years. And Czechs were eager to see it, officials said.

The priceless piece, considered the biggest medieval book, was taken from the Prague Castle by Swedish troops at the end of the Thirty Years' War in 1648. It is in Prague on loan from Sweden's Royal Library in Stockholm. It was put on display last week under high security at the Czech National Library.



Its return to Prague for the exhibition, which runs through Jan. 6, was made possible after years of negotiations between Czech and Swedish diplomats, National Library spokeswoman Katerina Novakova said.

"We expected big interest from the public," Novakova said. "Now, we are 100 per cent full."

Only 60 people an hour can enter an air-conditioned room in the library's medieval complex for a 10-minute look at the manuscript, which is inside a specially designed, unbreakable case, she said.

According to myth, a Benedictine monk promised to write the book overnight to atone for his sins. When he realized the task was impossible, he asked the devil for help. The page with the illustration of the devil is the one visitors see.

The manuscript was likely written by one monk from the Benedictine monastery in Podlazice located some 100 kilometres east of Prague sometime at the beginning of the 13th century, said Zdenek Uhlir, a specialist on medieval manuscripts at the National Library.

It contains "a sum of the Benedictine order's knowledge" of the time, including the Old and New Testament, "The War of the Jews" by the first-century historian Josephus Flavius, a list of saints, or a guideline how to determine the date of Easter, Uhlir said.


"I would estimate it took him between 10 and 12 years to write," he said about the piece, which weighs 75 kilograms. Originally, it had 640 pages, of which 624 survived in relatively good condition, he said.

The book was transported to the Czech Republic in a military plane. Authorities would not give any details about security measures adopted at the library. It has previously been displayed in New York and Berlin.