Cornell’s Medieval Books

Medieval books were among the Cornell Library’s earliest acquisitions. The University’s first president, Andrew Dickson White, and his librarian, George Lincoln Burr, personally selected many of the manuscripts in this exhibition during frequent buying trips to Europe.

White’s interest in Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts was shaped by his teaching experience, and a belief that instruction in history depended heavily on the use of original sources. He bought manuscripts for their instructional value, and his collection contains illustrative examples of most periods and styles. By 1900, White had amassed a collection of more than one hundred medieval manuscripts, many of them illuminated.

• Andrew Dickson White
• George Lincoln Burr
• University Library Accession Log, 1886
• Psalterium Glossatum

continue to Credits

Copyright © 2002 Division of Rare & Manuscript Collections
2B Carl A. Kroch Library, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853
Phone Number: (607) 255-3530. Fax Number: (607) 255-9524

For reference questions, send mail to: rareref@cornell.edu
If you have questions or comments about the site, send mail to: webmaster.