UBC’s Rare Books and Special Collections library’s wish list just got a little bit shorter. With a recent acquisition, they can now cross out two unique items — a medieval devotional book known as a Book of Hours and a 13th century Bible. These books were acquired through a collaborative effort between head of Rare Books’ Katherine Kalsbeek and Dr. Siân Echard, a professor in the department of English.
Despite having only arrived at UBC in mid-January, both books have already been used in at least six different classes in English, history and art history. This specific bible is among numerous produced in the 13th century to keep up with the demand for books alongside the rise of universities.
The Book of Hours was produced in France around the time of Joan of Arc in the 15th century and is written in Latin. The devotional book contains prayers and full-page paintings also known as illuminations.
“It’s a really good copy — it’s a beautiful thing,” said Echard of the manuscript.
Getting these items was not an easy feat.
“The community is really key in this process,” said Kalsbeek.
In just one week’s time, they managed to put together a proposal along with the help of a team consisting of the departments of history, art history, English, French, Hispanic and Italian studies, including a letter of support from the English Students’ Association led by President Sara Dueck and help from a buying agent at Maggs Bros Ltd – one of the oldest book dealers in the world.
Among those who assisted with the purchases were generous donors like Dr. Kenneth Fung and the B.H. Breslauer Foundation. Both items were sold at an auction in London, England in December where those seeking to buy rare books also bid alongside the likes of much larger libraries such as the Bodleian at Oxford.
Kalsbeek was inspired to bring these resources to Vancouver after visiting libraries on the East Coast last fall.
“Having access to things like a Book of Hours is uncommon and with Siân [Echard], I was inspired to try to find a way to bring one Book of Hours to UBC,” she said, adding that it is important that students are readily given access to rare documents.
Through collaborations like these, Kalsbeek hopes to continue a longer strategy by a faculty advisory group to build a valuable teaching collection on the West Coast.
“We wanted the sorts of books that would be useful for teaching the courses that we teach,” said Echard.
In her English 419, “History of the Book” class — taught partially inside Rare Books — students interact directly with medieval documents. Through hands-on exposure, the aim is for students to use these historical manuscripts and documents to enhance what they learn in class.
“The manuscripts are there and we’re handling them, reading them, looking at them and exploring them,” said Echard of the value behind adding items like the Bible and Book of Hours to the resources at Rare Books. “There’s nothing like the look, the feel and the smell.”
As part of a final project in the course, the students are required to do in-depth research on a document of their choice from the collection. This in turn benefits the library to learn more about items in their own collection, informs others on what is available and further enhances the collaboration between different departments and the library.
Both Kalsbeek and Echard recently returned from the “Medieval Manuscripts in Canada” symposium at the University of Victoria to present on the recent acquisition and are now turning back to the wish list for what’s next.
“We’re really excited,” said Kalsbeek. “I personally look forward to building upon these acquisitions.”
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