Early Books at the Beinecke: From the Curator's Desk

Yale School of Music Asst. Prof. Stephen Gorbos used the Voynich Cipher Manuscript, held at the Beinecke, to inspire the text and music of an original piece. "Such Sphinxes as These Obey No One but Their Master" was performed on the Library's mezzanine to a capacity crowd.

The Beinecke Library has a beautifully illuminated fourteenth-century copy of the Vaticinia de summis pontificibus, a text that purports to foretell future popes and prophecies relating to them.

Professor Anthony Edwards, University of Kent, will be leading a master class in editing Middle English manuscripts. The class will take place May 13-17, 2013, immediately following the International Medieval Congress in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The class is open to all Yale graduate students and is free of charge. Space is lmited. Please apply at http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/programs-events/master-classes. 

An English pocket Bible in Latin arrived this past fall in the Beinecke's collections.  The Bible shows many signs of use, including numerous marginal notes and it contains a separate book to aid the reader, the Interpretation of Hebrew Names, a detail of which is shown here. Given its portability and scholarly use, it was likely owned by a Dominican or Franciscan preacher, but only further research with answer such questions.  This book has been in private hands and not available for academic study until now.