George Catlin, ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE MANNERS, CUSTOMS AND CONDITION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANSLondon: Henry Bohn, 1850 First published in 1841, ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE MANNERS, CUSTOMS, AND CONDITION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS is George Catlin’s best-known work documenting the life and customs of numerous Indian tribes. Catlin’s illustrations and notes on Indian life provide […]

Thomas Hobbes, LEVIATHANLondon: Andrew Crook, 1676 The full title of this work—LEVIATHAN; OR THE MATTER, FORM, AND POWER OF A COMMONWEALTH, ECCLESIASTICAL AND CIVIL—gives an indication of its focus. First published in 1651, LEVIATHAN was from the first a controversial work in its insistence on the subordination of the individual to the State. The four […]

GOSPEL OF ST. MARKArmenia: c. 1655 The second book of the New Testament, Mark’s Gospel portrays the life and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth and dates from roughly 70 A.D. Throughout history, the Gospels have frequently been printed separately, often with elaborate artistic highlights. This copy of Mark’s Gospel is Armenian in origin and dates […]

THE GENEVA BIBLEChristopher Barker, 1584 First printed in Geneva in 1560 by the “Marian Exiles,” this version of the Holy Bible was never sanctioned by the Church of England; but in 1575 the so-called “Breeches Bible” was openly printed and remained the unofficial Bible for most of the congregation until the ascendancy of Oliver Cromwell. […]

THE KORANShiraz, Persia, 1687 THE KORAN is the official compilation of the teachings of Muhammad in the years 609-632 A. D. and is the central religious text of Islam. Although some verses of the KORAN were written down during Muhammad’s lifetime, the main body of text was compiled during the reign of the third successor […]

Ovid, METAMORPHOSISOxford: John Lichfield, 1632 Banished from Rome by the emperor Augustus and his work banned from public libraries after his erotic Ars amatoria, Ovid (43 BC-18 AD) apparently completed his best-known work, the narrative poem METAMORPHOSIS, before going into exile.A series of poetic tales from ancient mythology, METAMORPHOSIS is a supreme example of dactylic […]

Lucretius, DE RERUM NATURAOxford: Anthony Stephens, 1683 Called by critic David Furley “the most complete analysis of the atomic composition of matter prior to twentieth-century nuclear physics,” DE RERUM NATURA is a brilliant poetic rendering of the Epicurean philosophy of natural science and the moral responsibility of man. Written in hexameters with an emphasis on […]

The twenty-six books in this exhibit represent but a small sampling of Norman B. Smith’s library, a choice collection of the most significant and most influential books of many nations, dating originally from before the Classical Age through the twentieth century. Included are such well-known titles as The Wealth of Nations and Alice’s Adventures in […]