But if you’re looking for a tiny Bible which might actually be legible without mechanical intervention, Special Collections has several miniature books which contain the complete or partial text of the Bible. A book is considered to be miniature if it measures less than three inches in height or width. The miniature books pictured here include a 1965 edition of the Ten Commandments, a King James Bible published by David Bryce and Son In Glasgow in 1901, a pocket New Testament printed in 1892, and an edition of the Book of Ezekiel from 1835. These and other miniature books in the library’s collection can be found by searching the library catalog using the genre/form term “miniature books.”

Special Collections’ earliest example of a polyglot Bible is the “Genoa Psalter” of 1516.  This polyglot presents the text of the Psalms in Hebrew, Latin (Vulgate), Greek (Septuagint), Arabic, and Chaldee, with literal Latin translations of the Hebrew and Chaldee and a Latin commentary.  Besides its rarity (400 copies were printed, and the Genoa city council ordered them destroyed), the Genoa Psalter is also famous because the commentary for Psalm 19 contains a short biography of Christopher Columbus.

Special Collections owns over a dozen polyglot Bibles, including Henri Estienne’s polyglot of 1569, the eight-volume polyglot printed by Christopher Plantin in 1571-72, and the London polyglot issued by Brian Walton in 1657.  Polyglot Bibles in Special Collections, as well as modern editions in the circulating collection, can be found by searching the library catalog for the title “Bible polyglot.”

Along with early editions of the King James Bible, Special Collections acquires important editions of the Bible by fine presses.  The History of Printing and Fine Press collections contain the quarto and folio editions of the King James Version by printer and typographer John Baskerville in the 1760’s, and an array of fine printed King James Bibles from the 20th century. These include the Doves Press Bible (Vault Collection Quarto 220.53 B47 1903); the Pennyroyal Caxton Bible (Vault Collection Quarto 094.2 P386 1999 no.1); and the Oxford Lectern Bible (Vault Collection Folio 220.53 B47 1935).

What is the Wycliffite version of the Bible? It is a late 14th century translation of the New Testament from the Latin Vulgate into Middle English.  The translation was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe (c. 1320-1384), an Oxford University theologian, who believed that the Bible comes directly from God and provides inerrant truths which should guide religious and political government.  He and his followers, called “Lollards” by their contemporaries, pressed for ecclesiastical and social reforms throughout the late 14th century.  Wycliffe’s emphasis on the Bible’s unique authority naturally led to the Lollards’ assertion that the Bible should be available to all people in their own language – in the case of the peasants and middle class, English.

People of the Middle Ages knew the Bible text only in its Latin form. Those who could read used the Bible, or portions of the Bible, in Latin; illiterate individuals might memorize Latin texts like the Psalms through recitation in various worship services.  Scholars disagree as to whether Wycliffe actually participated in translating the Vulgate Bible, but the earliest versions of the Wycliffite, or Lollard, Bible certainly originate from Oxford in the 1380’s.

In the 14th century, English was one of three languages spoken in medieval England.  Latin was at the top of the linguistic hierarchy – it was the language of literacy and formal education across Europe.  Everyday speech was further stratified by class; the aristocracy spoke Anglo-Norman, a dialect of French, while commoners spoke Middle English.  Since the Wycliffite Bible was translated into common English during a period of social and political unrest, as well as religious dissent, English-language Bibles became symbols of heretical beliefs.  Wycliffe’s teachings were condemned in 1382.  In 1409, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Arundel, issued thirteen Constitutions which prohibited the translation of any biblical text into English as well as the public or private reading of such texts.  Violators were excommunicated and charged with heresy, which was punishable by death.  English-language Bible manuscripts were pushed underground throughout the next 130 years.  Over 250 Wycliffite Bibles have survived to the present.

Readers interested in the Wycliffite Bible had access to the text only in manuscript form until 1731, when a version translation first appeared in print.  Special Collections owns a copy of another important printed version, “Wycliffite Versions of the Holy Bible,”  edited by Josiah Forshall and Sir Frederic Madden and published by the Oxford University Press in 1850.  This four-volume set marks the complete edition of the Wycliffite translation of the Bible, with a side-by-side comparison of what scholars call the “earlier” and the “later” versions of the text.

To find these books and other copies of the Wycliffite New Testament in the HBLL, perform a title search in the library catalog for “Bible English Wycliffe.”

Portions of the Latin Bible were used in a variety of medieval liturgical books, such as psalters, breviaries, books of hours, lectionaries, and antiphoners.  These books would have been used in private devotion and public worship services.  Special Collections contains a wealth of facsimiles of these sorts of manuscripts, from different periods and geographic areas of medieval Europe.  Some of our most recent acquisitions include facsimiles of the Douce Apocalypse (an illustrated copy of the Book of Revelation), the Luttrell Psalter (an illuminated copy of the Book of Psalms), and the Book of Hours of Jeanne D’Evreux (a devotional manuscript created for a medieval princess).  To find these facsimiles and other manuscripts in the library catalog, perform a genre search for “manuscripts facsimiles” or specific types of manuscripts, such as “books of hours” or “psalters.”

Moralized Bibles do not contain the full text of the Bible; rather, they present  illustrated scenes depicting episodes from the Bible which are accompanied by illustrations and texts explicating their moral and allegorical meanings.  The interpretation of Biblical episodes sometimes differs between Bibles.

Moralized Bibles are important not only as examples of medieval artwork and illustration techniques, but as sources for the study of medieval theology, religious practice, and religious symbolism.  Students who wish to examine these facsimile Bibles may visit Special Collections and request them in our reading room, Monday-Friday before 5 p.m.  To find copies of moralized Bible facsimiles in the library catalog, search for the subject term “picture bibles.”

To supplement the exhibit, the World History & Culture blog will highlight individual Bibles from Special Collections’ holdings throughout Fall semester 2011.  Check back periodically to see lavish medieval manuscripts, works by famed artists and book designers, extremely big and small Bibles, and other interesting items from the collections.

The fun comes once the tooth is pulled and the tooth fairy comes. It is most common to put the tooth under the child’s pillow and then when they are asleep, the tooth fairy comes and leaves a small amount of money. (FA 14 2.1.2.3.3.1) However, one variant involves putting the tooth in a glass of water. Then, if the child has been good, the tooth fairy will leave money. (FA 14 2.1.2.3.4.1) This conditional leaving of the reward is similar to Santa leaving coal in Christmas stockings for bad children. Let us know if you have any other traditions surrounding the loosing of teeth.

Special Collections owns nearly three dozen facsimiles of early Mesoamerican texts, including the three surviving Mayan Codices and various Nahuatl (Aztec) and Mixtec manuscripts.  These facsimiles can be found in the library catalog by performing a genre search using the term “manuscripts, Mexican.”

To find guidebooks and travelogues in Special Collections, go to the library catalog and perform a subject search on a given location using the location name and the term “guidebooks” or “description and travel.”