Please Help Us Preserve Our Collection by Adopting a Book

Researchers from the Vassar community as well as visiting scholars come to the Special Collections Library regularly to examine items from our rich and diverse collection of rare books.  They gain insights about the books that can only be realized when they work with them in their original format.  Additionally, volumes from the collection are regularly used in the teaching of classes in disciplines ranging from Geography to Africana Studies to Education.  In order for others to continue to enjoy this same level of access, however, many books in the collection must be repaired and restored. 

The Adopt-a-Book Program is intended to encourage donor support as the Library endeavors to pursue conservation treatment for fragile and damaged items.  We hope that you will consider making a tax-deductible contribution that will enable us to preserve these volumes for Vassar's current and future scholars.  All donors will be recognized with special bookplates.  If you have questions about the program, feel free to contact the Associate Director of the Libraries for Special Collections Ronald Patkus at patkus@vassar.edu or 845-437-5798.

Subject Index:

All
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Art
Economics
Fashion
Fine Printing
Geography and Travel
History
Jewish Studies
Literature
Mathematics
Medieval Studies
Natural History
Religion
Women's History

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Hours of the Virgin. France, probably Paris, 1420-1443.  Adopted!

This early book of hours was written in Gothic script and includes a number of large and small miniatures. It features colorful borders that depict vines, flowers, and birds.

($850)

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Hours of the Virgin. France, for use of Amiens, circa 1500.

Written in Gothic script, this volume includes large and small miniatures, colored initials, and decorated borders.

($1,750)

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Martin Luther, Der achte Teil der Bücher des Ehrwirdigen Herrn D. Martini Lutheri. Vol. 8. Wittenberg: Hans Luft, 1556.  Adopted!

This is a set of the collected works of Martin Luther, the printing of which began during the reformer’s lifetime. Volume 8 features several of Luther’s biblical commentaries.

($3,800)

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The Bible, Translated According to the Ebrew and Greeke... London: C. Barker, 1582.

The “Geneva Bible” marked a mileston in Reformation printing. It was first printed in 1560 for English Protestants who had escaped to Switzerland to avoid persecution in their homeland. Hundreds of editions of the text were available; some, such as this one, were printed in London.

($850)

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John Foxe, Acts and Monuments of Matters Most Special and Memorable. Happening in the Church: With an Universal History of the Same… London, 1684. 3 vols.

More commonly known as Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, this is a chronicle of the persecution of Protestants, especially English Protestants. First published in 1563, the work went through many editions; this ninth edition is the first to appear in a Roman font.

($7,340)