The Folger Shakespeare Library recently opened its inaugural exhibition in its new gallery. The exhibition title is Imprints in Time, items from the amazing collection of Stuart and Mimi Rose of Dayton, Ohio. They have a large and exceptional collection of books and related material, with this exhibition featuring some the most exceptional of all. There are 52 items on display and you know them all, though may never have seen most if any before. This is your chance.
The Folger has described the display as a “journey through time.” As such, the Roses' collection is not so much subject related. Rather, they have collected enormously important works in various fields through time. Six centuries are represented, as are fields from science to religion, literature, children's books, early printing, political, fiction, and poetry. The common thread is importance.
Imprints in Time now offers an extraordinary chance to see many dozens of exceptionally rare books together in one space without the constraints of topic or time period. These items from the collection of Stuart and Mimi Rose are shared exactly as they would be experienced in a private collection - all together, overlapping, recombined, and highlighting the features that make them unique, from author's inscriptions, rare dust jackets, and incredible book making. The quality of the pieces Stuart has collected over many years is breathtaking. A first edition Pride and Prejudice in its original boards as issued from the printer sits next to the original manuscript draft of Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne, in his hand - and that's just one single case. Throughout the exhibition great works in nearly singular condition offer visitors a chance to see literature, history, and religion through a variety of traditions.
Here are few more of the items you will see if you attend the exhibition at the Folger Library.
An Egyptian Book of the Dead used to accompany a woman named Ta-er-pet on her journey into the afterlife. Maybe she will stop by. From the first century BCE.
A Columbus Letter, an account of his journey to the New World in 1492 sent to monarchs and financiers on his return, relating what he saw.
De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium, a first edition from 1543. Nicolaus Copernicus proposes that the sun, not the Earth, is the center of the universe. Do you mean we aren't the center of the universe? That did not go over so well with many people.
Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, an 1859 first edition which explained how life on Earth had come about through evolution by natural selection. This claim was as controversial and unwelcome as Copernicus' claim was 300 years earlier.
The Apollo 11 flight plan flown to the moon. One small step. Annotated by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
A Bible printed by Fust and Schoeffer in 1462. One of the earliest printed books by partners who assisted Gutenberg in creating the first printed book.
Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye, printed by William Caxton in 1473. It is the first book printed in English.
An advance press copy of Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech.
A first edition of Isaac Newton's Principia, where he set down the laws of motion and gravity.
That just scratches the surface. There's lot more where these came from.
This exhibition takes place within the context of the Folger Shakespeare Library's new exhibition halls, where the range of rare books on display contains 82 copies of the 1623 First Folio of Shakespeare's works, playbills and prompt books from 400 years of Shakespearean performances, and printed works by Caxton, Moxon, and others. For the rare book collector or enthusiast, the Folger's current exhibition is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
If you can't make it to Washington for the exhibition, or you would like a preview before you go, there is an online view of the items on exhibit including information about each one. It's the next best thing to being there. Here is a link: www.folger.edu/explore/the-stuart-and-mimi-rose-collection
The exhibition runs from now through January 5, 2025.
