>> WE ARE HERE TODAY IN THE THOMPSON GALLERY WITHIN THE THOMPSON LIBRARY AT THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY.

WITH ME IS ERIC JOHNSON THE CURATOR OF THE SPECIAL COLLECTION.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING US TODAY.

>> THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, THIS IS REALLY EXCITING FOR US TO SHOWCASE THIS EXHIBIT.

>> WONDERFUL, WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE COLLECTION?

SUCK THE EXHIBIT FOCUSES ON ONE OF THE COLLECTIONS WITHIN THE RARE BOOKS AND MANY SCRIPT LIBRARY WHICH IS MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPTS AND SPECIFICALLY FRAGMENT COLLECTION.

FRAGMENTS ARE AN INTERESTING THING, MOST PEOPLE WHEN THEY THINK ABOUT MEDIEVAL BOOKS THINK ABOUT COMPLETE THINGS BUT OHIO STATE HAS ONE OF THE LARGEST FRAGMENT COLLECTIONS IN NORTH AMERICA, WHICH HAS BEEN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR US IN TERMS OF THE PROVISION OF TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO PERFORM ORIGINAL RESEARCH ON THE PROJECTS THAT NO ONE ELSE HAS UNDERTAKEN BEFORE.

THIS EXHIBIT HIGHLIGHTS THE STATE OF OHIO'S CENTRAL ROLE AS THE LOCUST, THE ABSOLUTE CENTER OF AMERICAN MANUSCRIPT BREAKING IN THE 20 CENTURY, HUNDREDS OF MANUSCRIPT HAVE BEEN CUT APART IN THE STATE OF IOWA PAGES DISTRIBUTED NOT JUST ALL OVER AMERICA BUT ALL OVER THE WORLD.

>> THAT'S INCREDIBLE.

SO WITH THAT MUCH RICH HISTORY THERE MUST BE A LOT OF INCREDIBLE STORIES WITHIN THE BOOKS.

WHAT IS ONE THAT STANDS OUT?

>> THERE WAS A REALLY GREAT BOOK I WOULD LOVE TO SHOW YOU THAT IS NOT A FRAGMENT, IT IS A COMPLETE MANUSCRIPT BUT IT HAS AN INCREDIBLY RICH AND IMPORTANT HISTORY WITH THE STATE OF OHIO AND ALSO GOING BACK TO THE LATER 15th CENTURY.

>> FASCINATING, LET'S TAKE A LOOK.

OKAY.

MY EYE IS MEDIALLY DRAWN TO THIS TINY SHINY ONE.

IS THAT ONE WE WILL TALK ABOUT?

>> IN SOME WAYS THAT'S WHAT YOUR EYE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DRAWN TO, IT IS SILVER AND BRIGHT AND REFLECTS THE LIGHT BUT IT'S PROBABLY THE MOST COMMON MANUSCRIPT THAT IS HERE.

NOT A SILVER COVER OR PEWTER COVER, IT IS A MASHUP OF PAPIER- MACHE AND PLATING AND THINGS LIKE THAT, DELIBERATELY PUT ON, NOT A MEDIEVAL BINDING, PUT ON AT SOME POINT IN THE 19th CENTURY TO EVOKE THIS SENSE OF OPULENCE AND FENCING IS THAT THE BOOK THAT IT ENCLOSES DOESN'T REALLY HAVE.

THE THING THAT IS IN MY OPINION TRULY THE MOST SPECIAL ITEM IN THIS CASE IS THIS LITTLE FELLOW RIGHT HERE, A LATER 15th CENTURY BOOK OF HOURS, HOURS AS AN HOURS OF THE DAY, IT WAS A COMMON PRAYER BOOK FOR THE LADY TO USE, EVERYDAY PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO FOLLOW THE SAME PRACTICES THAT PROFESSIONAL RELIGIOUS PEOPLE LIKE PRIESTS, MONKS AND NUNS DID IN TERMS OF CELEBRATING THE DAILY CYCLE OF REGULAR PRAYER.

LOOKS LIKE THIS BECAME ASPIRATIONAL THINGS FOR ANYONE WHO COULD AFFORD AND LIMITED MANUSCRIPT AND THIS IS PARTICULARLY SPECIAL.

I CANNOT SWEAR TO THIS, THERE ARE A FEW THINGS I CANNOT SAY WITH OUT RESCISSION THIS MIGHT BE THE MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPT THAT HAS BEEN IN THE STATE THE LONGEST POSSIBLY.

IT WAS DONATED TO BROWN COUNTY NORTH OF CINCINNATI IN 1870 SO THEY HELD IT UNTIL 1870 UNTIL IT CAME TO OHIO STATE IN EARLY 2017.

I LOVED THE OHIO CONNECTION.

I LOVE THE FACT THAT IT WAS DONATED TO THEM IN 1870, BUT AFTER WE GOT THE BOOK I SPENT SOME TIME WORKING ON IT AND WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE OUT A LOT ABOUT THE BOOK'S HISTORY.

VERY HANDILY THE BOOK PRESERVES A COAT OF ARMS TOWARD THE FRONT OF THE VOLUME WHICH ALLOWS ME TO IDENTIFY THE PERSON WHO COMMISSIONED THE BOOK AND HAD IT MADE AROUND 1470.

A MAN NAMED, WHO WAS A WAR PROFITEER IN FRANCE DURING THE HUNDRED YEAR WAR AND OTHERWISE A BUSINESSMAN.

HE WAS VERY WELL-CONNECTED, HIS FATHER WAS A WAR PROFITEER, IS WAS THE BISHOP OF THE CITY AND THIS LEADS TO A TANGENTIAL CONNECTION, BUT THOSE FIGURES HIS FATHER AND UNCLE WHERE THE CIVIC OFFICIALS WHO OPENED THE GATES TO THE JOAN OF ARC AND SHE WAS CAMPAIGNING DURING THE HUNDRED YEARS WAR.

REALLY REALLY COOL CONNECTION THERE.

ANOTHER GREAT THING ABOUT THIS BOOK IS WE KNOW THAT IT WAS COMMISSIONED BY, IT SEEMS LIKELY HE DID NOT COMMISSION IT FOR HIS OWN USE, BUT LIKELY FOR THE USE OF HIS WIFE AND THE REASON WE KNOW THIS IS EVERY BOOK OF HOURS AS A SET OF PRAYERS DEDICATED TO THE VIRGIN MARY AND TYPICALLY WHEN THEY ARE IN LATIN, LATIN IS A GENDERED LANGUAGE.

SO YOU CAN LOOK AT THE PRAYERS AND BASED ON MASCULINE OR FEMININE ENDINGS TO PARTICULAR WORDS YOU CAN DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS MADE FOR MALE USE, ANYONE'S USE OR SPECIFICALLY A WOMAN'S.

SO, IF IT HAS THE MASCULINE ENDING IT COULD BE FOR ANYONE, BUT IF IT HAS THE FEMININE ENDINGS IT IS SPECIFICALLY MADE FOR A WOMAN.

IN ADDITION TO THE FEMININE ENDINGS WE ALSO HAVE OLD FRENCH PRAYERS, NOT LATIN BUT OLD FRENCH TOWARD THE END THAT ARE TRADITIONALLY ASSOCIATED WITH PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH SO WE HAVE FEMALE USE WHICH MAKES THE BOOK MORE INTERESTING AND ONE THING I ABSOLUTELY LOVE ABOUT EVERY MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPT IS THAT IF THEY SURVIVE TODAY HAVE A LONG HISTORY OF ALL SORTS OF STORIES, STORIES OF PERSISTENT USE, RE-TASKING, REUSE AND RECYCLING AND THIS BOOK, AS I MENTIONED, IT WAS GIVEN TO THE NUNS IN 1870, THE MAN WHO GAVE IT TO THEM WAS A GUY WHO IS THE BISHOP OF MOBILE, ALABAMA.

HE HAD COME TO CINCINNATI FROM IRELAND AS A TEENAGER, TRAINED TO BECOME A PRIEST, BECAME THE BISHOP IN MOBILE AND I CANNOT SWEAR TO THIS, BUT I'VE BEEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE HISTORY OF HIS INVOLVEMENT WITH THIS MANUSCRIPT.

AND I HAVE READ SOME RECORDS IN THE DIOCESE AND ARCHIVES IN MOBILE, ALABAMA THAT TALKS ABOUT HIM IN THE CIVIL WAR, THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR ROAMING DATA FIELDS IN THE SOUTH, MINISTERING SOLDIERS WITH A PRAYER BOOK AND IT MAY HAVE BEEN THIS FELLOW RIGHT HERE.

WE CANNOT PROVE THAT BUT IT IS A GOOD CHANCE THIS IS IT.

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE ITEMS BEING ABSOLUTELY CENTRAL TO THE HISTORY OF MANUSCRIPTS AT OHIO AND THEN ALSO HAVING A DEMONSTRABLE HISTORY WE CAN TRACE BACK TO THE 1470S, THE MAN WHO CREATED THIS, THE WOMAN IT WOULD BE USED BY ALL THE WAY UP THROUGH THIS, I WOULD NOT SAY REUSE BECAUSE BOOKS WERE MADE FOR PRAYER, BUT A DIFFERENT KIND OF CONTEXT ON AMERICAN CIVIL WAR BATTLEFIELDS.

>> THAT IS FASCINATING.

YOU HAVE THIS PIECE OF HISTORY AND YOU HAVE DONE THIS RESEARCH TO BRING IT TO LIFE.

LET'S SAY SOMEONE LIKE ME WANTS TO COME SEE THIS IS THAT POSSIBLE TO COME IN AND LOOK AT THESE?

>> WE HAVE A PUBLIC FACING LAND- GRANT MISSION, EVERY THING WE HAVE IN THE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AT OHIO STATE IS HERE FOR PEOPLE TO USE, NOT JUST FOR STUDENTS AND FACULTY OF OHIO STATE OR INTERNATIONAL RESEARCHERS, THIS IS FOR SCHOOL GROUPS, FOR THE PUBLIC AND WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH US.

SET UP APPOINTMENTS AND WE MAKE EVERYTHING AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC USE AND IN PERSON PAGE TURNING IN THE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS READING ROOM.

>> CAN I TAKE A LOOK AT THAT?

>> WE CAN DEFINITELY HAVE A LOOK AT THAT.

>> LET'S DO IT.

>> OKAY THIS IS THE READING ROOM.

>> THIS IS WHERE THE PUBLIC INTERFACE HAPPENS, THIS IS WHERE STUDENTS, TEACHERS, THE GENERAL PUBLIC, WHERE THEY WOULD COME TO HAVE INDIVIDUAL INTERACTIONS WITH ANY OF THE STUFF IN OUR CARE.

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE ITEMS IN THE ENTIRE COLLECTION.

THIS IS THE NOT THE OLDER THING IN OUR COLLECTION, THE OLDEST STUFF GOES BACK TO ANCIENT BABYLON, BUT IN TERMS OF WHAT WE THINK OF AS A BOOK TODAY, THIS IS OUR OLDEST COMPLETE INTACT NOTHING ON IT THAT'S NEW BOOK.

A COLLECTION OF SAINTS LIVES WRITTEN LIKELY IN PRAGUE AROUND 1370 OR 1380 AND THE REASON THIS IS MY FAVORITE ITEM, THERE ARE A HANDFUL OF REASONS, IT IS A GREAT TEACHING OBJECT FULL OF DAMAGED PATTERNS THAT SHOW THE LIFE OF THE ANIMAL OR ANIMALS THAT CONSTITUTE THE PAGES.

WE LOOK AT THE PAGES, THEY ARE NOT PAPER, THIS IS ANIMAL SKIN.

>> IT ON TO WEAR GLOVES OR ANYTHING?

>> THAT IS A COMMON WITH THAT HOLLYWOOD HAS PERPETUATED.

BASICALLY WITH OLD BOOKS, THE KEY IS YOU NEED TO HAVE CLEAN HANDS.

IF YOU WEAR GLOVES WHAT I TELL MY STUDENTS, GO HOME AND PUT ON YOUR FAVORITE PAIR OF WINTER GLOVES AND TRY TO TURN PAGES IN YOUR BOOK, YOU WILL TEAR THE PAGES AND DAMAGE IT.

CLEAN HANDS AND IN A BOOK LIKE THIS IF YOU STICK TO THE MARGINS YOU'RE NOT TOUCHING IT.

>> THAT MAKES SENSE.

>> THERE ARE THINGS ON YOUTUBE THAT EXPLAIN THIS.

MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPTS LIKE THIS, THEY DID MAKE THEM ON PAPER.

VERY VERY OFTEN.

YOU WILL FIND THEM ON ANIMAL SKIN.

THIS IS ANIMAL SKIN.

PLEASE DO.

>> WEIRDLY SOFT.

>> THE SOFTNESS YOU ARE FEELING IS ACTUALLY WHAT WOULD'VE BEEN THE INSIDE OF THE ANIMAL.

>> NOW YOU TELL ME AFTER I TOUCH IT.

>> WE USE THIS A LOT IN TEACHING BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE EVIDENCE OF THE LIFE OF THE ANIMAL SO THIS IS A PIECE OF SCAR TISSUE THAT SPLIT DURING THE PROCESS OF STRETCHING AND DRYING.

>> THAT IS GROSS AND FASCINATING.

>> ALONGSIDE THESE LITTLE HOLES ARE SEWING HOMES WHERE THE CRAFTSMAN MAKING THE PARCHMENT TRYING TO MAKE SURE HE DID NOT SPLIT AND RIB ANY FURTHER.

THE REAL REASON THIS IS MY FAVORITE OR ONE OF MY FAVORITE MANUSCRIPTS IS BECAUSE OF THIS VERY INTERESTING FELLOW RIGHT HERE.

THIS IS AN ORIGINAL MEDIEVAL BOOKMARK.

>> YOUR KIDDING.

IT SO SIMPLE.

>> SIMPLE BUT COMPLEX.

THIS IS MEDIEVAL HYPERTEXT AT ITS BEST, THIS BOOKMARK, WHAT IT MEANS, IT IS A SPINNING COMPONENT.

YOU CAN SEE HERE THAT IT SPINS AND ON ONE SIDE WE HAVE A COLORED ILLUSTRATION OF A SAINT, WE DON'T KNOW WHO THIS IS.

IT IS A NICE LITTLE DECORATIVE PIECE.

SO MUCH LIKE ANY BOUND BOOKMARK AND A MULTIPAGE OPENING.

IF YOU FLIP OVER YOU WILL SEE THE WRITING AND THESE ARE ABBREVIATED LATIN WORDS FOR FIRST, SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH.

SO YOU CAN SPIN AND IF WE SPIN IT AND MARK, THIS TELLS US THE PAGE OPENING WITH THE SECOND COLUMN.

AND THEN, I'M NOT GOING TO DO THIS BECAUSE LONG AGO IT CEASED FUNCTIONING, BUT THIS LITTLE PIECE RIGHT HERE THAT FUSED TOGETHER A NOOSE OF SORTS THAT WOULD HAVE ALLOWED YOU TO MOVE UP AND DOWN THE LINE TO MARK YOUR LINE NUMBER.

SO IT IS VERY INGENIOUS WAY OF HELPING READERS TO NAVIGATE A COMPLEX TEXT.

>> A BOOK THIS NEED YOU WILL NEED THAT.

SO SIMPLE BUT SO INTRICATE.

>> EXACTLY IN THE OTHER THING I LIKE ABOUT THE OPENING YOU GET TO SEE THAT.

SO THIS IS JUST A LOVELY LITTLE PIECE IN THE COLLECTION THAT WE GET A LOT OF USE OF.

>> THAT IS AN INCREDIBLE PIECE.

THIS IS FASCINATING, I FEEL LIKE I HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH, THANK YOU FOR LETTING US COME IN AND CHECK OUT THE COLLECTION.

>> NO PROBLEM, THINK OF A COMING AND I WOULD LIKE TO ENCOURAGE THE GENERAL PUBLIC, STUDENTS, ANYONE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT BOOKS AT THE MANUSCRIPT LIBRARY, ALL OF OUR HOLDINGS PLEASE GET IN TOUCH, THIS IS HERE FOR EVERYONE TO USE.

>> THANK YOU AGAIN.

>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.