Author Archives: stephenb stephenb

Gerard of Cremona: Pioneering the Latin Translation of Hippocrates

Gerard of Cremona: Pioneering the Latin Translation of Hippocrates Stephen Butler Rare Books & Manuscripts

Intro The translation of ancient texts has long been a pivotal process in the transmission of knowledge from one culture to another, often serving as a bridge that allows for the exchange of scientific, philosophical, and medical insights. Among these, the works of Hippocrates, the legendary Greek physician, have held a special place. His contributions […]

Aldus Manutius, a recent reassessment by Oren Margolis

Aldus Manutius, a recent reassessment by Oren Margolis Stephen Butler Rare Books & Manuscripts

A recent biography of Aldus Manutius by Oren Margolis was written to co-oincide with the 500th anniversary of Aldus’ death.  Aldus Manutius: The Invention of the Publisher  by  Oren Margolis. Reaktion, 206 pp., £13.85, October 2023, 978 1 78914 779 7 To order a copy from Amazon use this link https://amzn.to/3Tf6BHG Aldus revolutionised printing during the Renaissance, and between 1495 […]

Carolingian Minuscule: The Key to Medieval Literacy

Carolingian Minuscule: The Key to Medieval Literacy Stephen Butler Rare Books & Manuscripts

Carolingian minuscule, also known as Caroline minuscule, emerged in medieval Europe as a standardised script to ensure easy recognition of Latin texts, particularly Jerome’s Vulgate Bible, across different regions. Originating around 778 in the scriptorium of Benedictine monks at Corbie Abbey, and later refined by Alcuin of York during the Carolingian Renaissance, this script revolutionised […]

1577 Geneva Bible contemporary binding and annotations

1577 Geneva Bible contemporary binding and annotations Stephen Butler Rare Books & Manuscripts

Next week our latest Catalogue Devotion, is published, keep a look out for it. One of the star attractions is a completely original 1577 Geneva Bible with a fully blind-stamped Elizabethan binding including all of the metal furniture. There are many pages of contemporary marginal annotations as well as 2 full page fold-outs, one of […]

Summer 2023 Catalogue of new acquisitions

Summer 2023 Catalogue of new acquisitions Stephen Butler Rare Books & Manuscripts

Download our latest Catalogue of recent acquisitions, now available on our website. Featuring: A selection of Oxythynchus fragments from c.250AD with excellent Provenance ‘Die Cronica’ – a chronicle of Cologne published in 1499 and with some of the earliest accounts of Guntenberg and early printing. An Aldine owned by Tsar Nicholas II and with an […]