Access to the College Green area of campus will be restricted until further notice. Current students, faculty and staff with a valid Penn card may enter and exit Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center through the Rosengarten Undergraduate Study Center on the ground floor, and may enter and exit the Fisher Fine Arts Library through the 34th Street entrance to Meyerson Hall

During reading period, April 30 to May 14: Access to both Van Pelt and Fisher Fine Arts Library is limited. Find more information.

  • Lecture

The Card Index of Leo Olschki and the Trade in Medieval Manuscripts in the Early 20th Century

Federico Botana, Institute of English Studies University of London & 2022-2023 Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies Visiting Research Fellow

 

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December 9, 2022, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
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Virtual
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Open to the Public

Hosted by: Kislak Center

Card annotated with details of a Greek manuscript and its purchase.

Before the age of computers, the card index was a fundamental tool for booksellers. A rare survivor, the card index of Leo S. Olschki (1861-1940) contains a wealth of information about manuscripts sold by the firm in the period c. 1900-1945, including those that are now found in Pennsylvania. Cards can shed light on the movements of particular manuscripts, and also provide insights into the workings of the rare book trade. They contain descriptions, which were used to draft sale catalog entries, as well as commercial information, including accession numbers, sale prices, purchase prices in code, notes on provenance, dates, and names of buyers.

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