Welcome to the Friends of the Old Library Newsletter 2011 From Dr Gavin Alexander, Fellow Librarian
It’s been another busy year for the Old Library. Thanks to the Friends, the conservation programme has continued to improve access to the collections. The cataloguing project is also ongoing, improving awareness of Christ’s rich holdings. You can read about the highlights of both projects on pages 3 and 4. Two popular exhibitions of the collections this year have been on “The Measure of the Heavens and the Earth: Mathematical Sciences in the Early Modern Period” and “Christ’s at War: the College and its Members during the First World War”. The latter is the focus of the Autumn Friends event on Saturday 24 September and you can find out more about it on page 5. Library staff have worked hard to ensure that a wide variety of audiences have access to these exhibitions. The article on page 6 discusses the benefits. There will be new faces to meet at the Friends of the Old Library events this year. Amelie Roper will be joining us as Christ’s College Librarian, from the Royal College of Music. This is following the departure of Nazlin Bhimani who many of you met at last year’s events. Nazlin is taking up a position at the Institute of Education in London. The Library has also recruited a new Graduate Trainee, Thomas Guest, an English Literature Graduate from York University. Our Graduate Trainee 2010-11, Charlotte Byrne is remaining at Christ’s to take up the post of Library Assistant. I look forward to welcoming you to events in 2011-12 and, as always, I encourage Friends not to hesitate to visit the Old Library on other occasions too. Please do let the Library team know if you would like to visit or have any queries or suggestions about the Friends of the Old Library scheme. May I extend thanks on behalf of the Old Library and all those who benefit from it for your continued support in conserving its world-class collections.
Dates For Your Diary Saturday 24 September 2011 ‘A message from the trenches’ – Christ’s At War An exhibition and talk based around using archives to discover the stories of individuals and institutions during the First and Second World Wars. Saturday 10 March 2012 ‘Revolutionary College’ – The Thomas Hollis Collection in context A talk given by Professor Allen Reddick of the University of Zurich and accompanying exhibition about the remarkable political propagandist, Thomas Hollis (1720–1774). Thomas Hollis reprinted and sent works of literature from the seventeenth-century republican canon to libraries across Britain, Europe and, latterly, America, in order to keep the cause of parliamentary reform alive during a difficult period. Christ’s College was among the beneficiaries of Hollis’ generosity, inspired by the College’s link with Milton. Professor Reddick is currently working on a descriptive bibliography and analysis of Hollis’ gifts throughout the world.
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Derek Birch 1924 - 2011
How Barbara met Derek Many of you will have enjoyed meeting Barbara and Derek Birch at Friends of the Old Library events. Sadly, Derek recently passed away. He will be missed at future events. His wife Barbara kindly took the time to tell Naomi about how they met. It was a romance set in Christ’s College Library... Barbara and Derek Birch met back in the day when the College Library was joined to the Bursary. Derek was studying History at the College. Barbara worked in the Library and the Bursary. For Derek, it was love at first sight. When he saw Barbara, he later told her, he thought, “That’s the girl for me”. After that he was often in the Library chatting to her and at Christmas he even brought over some cake. Barbara told me about how the Library in the 1940s was different to the building I work in now. Arthur Peck was the Librarian. Even then the Library offered self-service but instead of signing books out on the computer as they do now, students would sign out the book on a paper slip and stick it on a spike. Then staff would transfer the information into the Library’s paper system. Barbara lived out in Linton so she had to get the bus early to get to work on time. She was always the first one in the Bursary, coming straight in through the side gate into First Court. She did not have time to have breakfast in the morning but a lady called Rosie, who worked in the kitchen, used to bring her a piece of buttered toast. Barbara and Derek finally ‘got together’ at a dance at The Dorothy Ballroom on Valentine’s Day 1947. Living out in Linton, Barbara had to find other girls with whom to share the expense of a taxi to get to the dance. She had not told Derek she was planning to go so he was very surprised to see her. He rushed up to her and said, “You didn’t tell me you were going to be here!”. After that dance they saw each other nearly every day. Finding love in Christ’s College Library was not such a rare occurrence. Muriel Sadler, working in the Library/Bursary met and married Christ’s student, John Benson. The Bursar complained that all his girls got married when they started to work at Christ’s. But Barbara and Derek might never have found love in the Library if it had not been for a History Master at Derek’s school in Leicestershire who took his talented pupils on holiday to the Broads and encouraged Derek, aged 11, to aim for Cambridge. Barbara and Derek got married in the Catholic Church on Hills Road on September 20 1950. They celebrated 60 years of marriage last year. I’d like to thank Barbara for telling me this story. It’s made me look at the Library in a new light.
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A love of conservation Since the last newsletter, the Cambridge Conservation Consortium have continued their sterling work, facilitating access to many items in the collection that would otherwise have deteriorated badly when used. Among the many successfully conserved items this year, one stands out as a jewel in Christ’s collections – now that we can open it. The poet, Keshavadāsa (1555-1617) wrote the long work, Rasikapriyā for his patron’s son, Indrajit. He seemed also to have had in mind the entertainment of readers of amorous verse as Rasikapriyā is devoted to the various aspects, conditions and possibilities of love. The pictures (left and right) show an illustration from a hand written version of this poem in Christ’s special collections. The manuscript in Christ’s College is recorded in Browne’s catalogue as: 1397. Rashk-i-Pariyán (the “Envy of the Fairies”), “a Gentoo tale in the Hindustani language adorned with paintings,” and dated 15 Safar, 1077 / Aug. 17, 1666. Ff. 79 of 27 x 18.6 c. Presented by John Hutton. If the date is correct then it was created within a century of Keshavadāsa’s original. The manuscript is a fine example of delicate calligraphy and vibrant, detailed illuminations. Unfortunately, when an academic enquired to see the volume, we found that earlier, unsympathetic repair work made it difficult to open. The book was also in a fragile state; the sewing of the binding was broken and the pages were falling out. The picture on the right shows how the manuscript opened before conservation. The conservators took the binding off and removed the earlier paper repairs by gently humidifying them. For the new repairs, Japanese paper was toned to match the colour of the original pages and attached using purified Japanese wheat-starch paste. The picture on the left shows a piece of toned Japanese paper ready to be pasted into position on a damaged corner of one of the pages. The binding was repaired and resewn and a box was made to give the manuscript further protection. Thanks to the Christ’s membership of the Cambridge Conservation Consortium, the splendour of this early Indian text can be studied and enjoyed without fear of damaging its pages.
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References: Bahadur, K. P. Rasikapriyā of Keshavadāsa. Motilal Banarsidass : 1972. Browne, E. G. Supplementary hand-list of the Muhammadan manuscripts [...] preserved in the libraries of the University and colleges of Cambridge. Cambridge University Press : 1922.
The Old Library Cataloguing Project Having finished the Lesingham Smith Collection, Jane Gregory has moved on to the next part of the project. She describes a few of the treasures she has catalogued. At present I am working on the Old Library’s large collection of Bibles and Bible commentaries. An interesting volume which I have just catalogued is a first edition of the Book of Revelation in Syriac, printed in Leiden in 1627. Its ornate title page is printed in red and black, and the text is in parallel columns of Syriac and Hebrew, with a Latin translation and the Greek text below.
Another polyglot text is a version of Hosea printed in 1621, also in Leiden. The Hebrew text is accompanied by the Latin version of Sanctes Pagnini; the Aramaic paraphrase is printed from the 6th Biblia Rabbinica (revised by J. Buxtorf and printed at Basle in 1608-10), with the Latin version of this taken from the Antwerp Polyglot. It also includes the Rabbinic commentaries of Rashi, Ibn Ezra and Kimhi, with a Latin translation by Johannes Mercerus. The Masorah parva with a Latin version (from R. Stephanus’ edition) completes the selection. 4
Christ’s at War: The College and its members during the First World War Charlotte Byrne During my graduate trainee year I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to curate an exhibition in the Bodley library using some of its special collections. The idea came to me to put up an exhibition about Christ’s during the First World War whilst I was cataloguing the correspondence of W.H.D. Rouse, a Christ’s Fellow. Whilst he was headmaster at the Perse School, Rouse received many letters from old boys who were serving at the Front. These letters were both fascinating and moving and I wanted to find out more about their authors. I then started to wonder about how Christ’s College was affected by the War. My quest for information began by going through the College magazines for this period. They gave details about the number of students past and present who were fighting on the front as well information about College life in general. Trawling through the archives I found photographs, letters and artefacts that help illustrate the history of the College at this time. I hope people will find this forgotten period of the College’s history as fascinating as I do. During the Michaelmas term of 1914 half of Christ’s promising young men had enlisted in the army and the College’s numbers continued to diminish as the war went on. The College didn’t remain empty for long though as it soon started accommodating companies of training officers. Bugle call at 7:15 became a part of daily College life and there was a ban on outside lights in the College. Only a few electric lights were used in Hall and the High Table was lit by candles. The College made a special contribution to the War effort by funding a Y.M.C.A. Hut in Ypres. Arthur Shipley, Master of Christ’s at the time, raised £700 for the building which provided respite for soldiers coming off the front line. The exhibition also features the story of the Christ’s undergraduate who was the inspiration for the much-loved War Memorial that stands on Hills Road in Cambridge, and letters written from the front line to W.H.D. Rouse (m. 1881) by his old pupils at the Perse School. Visitors to the exhibition have said: Very interesting – Congratulations on a lot of work (Professor David Reynolds) Thanks for this fascinating exhibit on the cost of this terrible war (New York) Wonderful exhibition; a well-chosen, varied collection, brilliantly displayed – it’s hard to beat the hut! (Cambridge) An online version of the exhibition can be viewed at: http://christsatwar.wordpress.com Charlotte is staying with Christ’s College Library in the post of Library Assistant. At the same time, she plans to study for a Master’s degree in Library and Information Studies. Above Left: Front cover of a commemorative magazine made by officers stationed at Christ’s in 1917 Right: An honest Tommy, (Mark Fearn, Christ’s College Buildings Superintendent) relaxes in the replica Y.M.C.A. Hut
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Teaching old books new tricks: getting the most out of our collections Cambridge College libraries, including Christ’s, have amazing collections but for whom do we keep them? Christ’s special collections are used for a wide variety of academic research on a regular basis; this year the Bodley Library received visiting readers looking at topics as diverse as Renaissance ideas on the souls of animals, the readership of Montaigne in early modern England, and G. F. Bodley’s library architecture. But potentially there are even wider applications and audiences. The rare items held by the College should work to its benefit. This seems to be an obvious statement but what are the benefits and how are they gained? The accumulation of early scholarly texts, Fellows’ working papers and gentlemen collectors’ libraries are an essential part of the College’s academic identity and stand testament to the College’s history as a place of thought and study as much as does the fabric of the College’s ancient buildings. They give current scholars and students a rich inheritance to draw upon. The special collections can act as a focus for meetings of the College’s academic communities - the Bodley Library has recently hosted the Evelyn Downs event (an opportunity for Professorial Fellows and Post-graduates to come together), MCR pre-dinner talks (where Post-graduates socialise and relate their research to the collections) and exhibition openings (inviting staff, students and Fellows). At such events the objects displayed spark discussion. Recently, the Master found himself engaged in discussion over the first printing of Fermat’s last theorem each time he visited the Library’s exhibition on early mathematical books. The collections also have the potential to be used in teaching the Tripos. Early books and manuscripts are primary sources for subjects such as History, Literature, Classics, and HPS (History and Philosophy of Science), and bring to life the background to others such as Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Given appropriate interpretation, access to the collections holds huge benefits for non-academic audiences including schools and further education colleges, adult education groups, special interest clubs, community support centres, and the local public. The public’s appreciation is evident in comments from last year’s Open Cambridge event: How wonderful that you’ve let the public look at these treasures (Cambridge) So glad we found this. A gem (Surrey) Fascinating, especially the hand-written journals (Luton) Interested to see the Previous examination on Paley’s Evidence, which my father had to take in 1912 (Seattle, USA) I wish to come back! Fantastic heritage! (Jiujiang/Chongqing, China) The rewards of facilitating wider access come back to the College. Among other advantages, the College gains the good will and understanding of the surrounding community. Working with these different and appreciative audiences motivates staff and advances knowledge of the collections. The College’s educational aims are furthered and its status is improved by the good publicity. So what is Christ’s Library currently doing to encourage access? The current exhibition ‘Christ’s at War’, which you can read more about on page 5, has been used as inspiration for school liaison sessions. Charlotte Byrne, who curated the exhibition, worked with 20 Year 10 students interested in the arts and humanities. She helped them to interpret letters from the exhibition written by Perse School old boys during WWI, and share their feelings about the content. The session was followed by a tour of the Bodley Library and exhibition. Charlotte writes: The students seemed particularly impressed by the grandeur of the Library and made comparisons to the library in the Harry Potter films! All in all I think the session went very well, the students engaged 6
in the activity and seemed genuinely interested in the exhibition and the history of the College as a whole. We also opened the exhibition to members of the public on 9 and 10 September as part of Open Cambridge, a weekend event designed to open up the treasures of Cambridge to its residents. We had a total of 418 enthusiastic visitors over the two days. For those who want to know more or cannot visit the Library in person, the current exhibition with additions has been mounted online (http://christsatwar.wordpress.com). And, of course, we are excited about welcoming the Friends of the Old Library to another enjoyable event. Before joining Christ’s College, Naomi worked with schools and community groups in St John’s College’s special collections. Her dissertation on community engagement in special collections in Cambridge University colleges is online at http://rarelysited.wordpress.com/paper/ Below: The College’s academic community gathered in the Bodley Library at Christmas 2010 to look at an exhibition of early printed books on mathematics and astronomy. The celebrations included mince pies, mulled wine and a festive performance by the Fellow Librarian
Primary Sources for Cambridge Platonism in Christ’s College Library Marilyn Lewis has recently completed a PhD on the educational influence of Cambridge Platonism using Christ’s College as a model. She shares how the special collections helped her complete her study. During the second half of the seventeenth century, Christ’s College was a vibrant centre of the philosophical-theological movement now known as Cambridge Platonism. Turning away from both Puritan orthodox Calvinism – with its emphasis on double predestination – and Laudian High Churchmanship – with its emphasis on episcopacy and formal liturgy – the Cambridge Platonists advocated the pursuit of deiformity (Godlikeness) which would prepare human beings for the eternal divine fellowship of heaven. As Platonists, they stressed the immortality of the soul; as Christians they required only the smallest essential doctrinal belief as a foundation for personal holiness. Two major thinkers and writers of the movement – Henry More who became a fellow in 1641 and Ralph Cudworth who became master in 1654 – created a strong Cambridge Platonist ethos within the college, which outlasted their deaths in 1687 and 1688, respectively. Earlier this year, I completed a University of London PhD thesis, under the supervision of Professor Michael Hunter of Birkbeck College, entitled ‘The Educational Influence of Cambridge Platonism: Tutorial Relationships and Student Networks at Christ’s College, Cambridge, 1641-1688’. My thesis is
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now available in the Christ’s College library. Using the very full material assembled by John Peile in his Biographical Register of Christ’s College, 1505-1905, I was able to construct a group biography of thirty-one Christ’s students and their tutors, with the aim of determining the extent to which they accepted, modified, rejected or ignored Cambridge Platonist ideas in their published writings. Quite a few of my subjects demonstrated some degree of sympathy with Cambridge Platonism, and my post-doctoral research is now focused on those who emerged as minor, but neglected, members of the movement. I am currently finishing journal articles on the physician Henry Atherton and the Dissenting minister Thomas Wadsworth. My major project over the next few years will be a biography of Henry Hallywell, which will feature the six manuscript letters from Hallywell to Henry More held in the Old Library and draw on the wider correspondence of More and his circle in Christ’s College MS 21. On my latest visit to the Old Library, I consulted A Sermon Preached at the Funeral of the Lady Lumley at Great Bardfield in the County of Essex, April the 20th 1704 [shelfmark I.15.4 (3)] by Henry Cooke, who was educated at Christ’s between 1694 and 1701 and held a college fellowship from 1701 to 1704. My interest in Cooke lay in the fact that he was tutor to Thomas Atherton (the son of Henry Atherton), a fellow of the Christ’s from 1710 to 1733 and an administrative assistant to John Covel, who succeeded Cudworth as master in 1688. Employing the model for ‘educational influence’ developed in my thesis, I noticed that Cooke was ‘descended’ from the tutorial group of Ralph Widdrington, a bitter opponent of Cudworth and More. Widdrington was tutor to Daniel Duckfield, who went up to Christ’s from the important Cambridge Platonist feeder school at Bishop’s Stortford. Duckfield, in turn, was tutor to Cooke, whose schoolmaster Posthumous Wharton at Sedbergh School, Yorkshire, was a graduate of St John’s but left no record of his ideas. Despite his somewhat mixed tutorial ‘descent’ and the sixteen years which separated his sermon from More and Cudworth’s deaths, Cooke employs some of the favourite themes of Cambridge Platonist discourse. For Cooke, to ‘die in the Lord’ requires a right knowledge of God’s pure, good and holy nature. By practising obedience in this life, we prepare ourselves for freedom from ‘the heavy Incumbrances of Flesh and Blood’, so that after death our freed intellects can ‘have a clearer View, distincter Apprehension, and quicker Perception of all Christ’s Excellencies and Perfections, and shall contemplate Him with infinite and unspeakable Delight and Satisfaction’. Our ‘enlarged Understanding’ will then be entirely agreeable to the ‘Dictates of Right Reason’. Cooke celebrates a Platonic vision of intellectual bliss within the Christian context of the hope of heaven. Although Henry Atherton had been dead for two years when his son Thomas went up to Christ’s, he would surely have approved of the continuing Platonist bent of his son’s tutor Henry Cooke.
OLD LIBRARY OPENING TIMES Friends of the Old Library are welcome to visit outside of events. To arrange for a visit please contact the College Librarian. Please Contact: library@christs.cam.ac.uk 01223 334 905
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