A printed book or manuscript often reflects the sensibility of its time. Its physical appearance and the manner in which it is organized and illustrated can signal cultural ideas and values. Whether it documents the past or the present, whether its temperament is real or ideal, the book captures the sentiment and preserves it as a moment of time. The two books shown here function in this manner, but do so in very different ways.

One captures a fascination with history, especially ancient history, to which europe looked for the roots of its civilization. Intellectuals of the time were also intrigued with cultures unlike their own--the exotic, the different, the "uncivilized." The desire to know this history and culture was complemented by the urge to collect it in the form of images, antiquities, artifacts, and even colonial territories. For those who could not travel to see historic locales, books brought information and pictures. Real or imaginary, they had the power to preserve time.

The other work displayed here reflects a notion of the past newly interpreted. Through it we can see not only how the medieval past was understood in the late nineteenth century, but how elements of it were absorbed to create a new presentation of the written word.