Hortvlvs animæ by Jan van Keerberghen

Hortvlvs animæ , dat is, der sielen bogaert was written by Jan van Keerberghen, a Dutch author, and printed in 1596. The title is both in Latin and Frisian (a form of Dutch).  The libraries’ copy of this book has a large amount of decoration, along with two notable features which demonstrate various aspects of bookbinding.

The first thing that becomes apparent is that the cover and spine of the book are very different from one another. The cover has metal decorations on the four corners and directly in the middle, with a thin bar running along the edge near the spine. In contrast, the spine itself is very plain and a slightly different color. All of this is evidence that the current spine is not the original, and suggests that the book has been rebound. Another piece of evidence is the fact that the inside margins of the book are very slim, which is often the result of rebinding. Additionally, the endpapers in the front and back of the text are much newer paper than the central text block.

Another quickly apparent feature of this book is that it has two clasps. When placed on books with vellum covers or pages, clasps serve a practical purpose. Over time, vellum expands, or “breathes,” which can affect the way a book shuts. However, this particular book is bound in leather and has paper pages, which suggests that the clasps are merely ornamental since they do not serve a strictly necessary function.

Hortvlvs animæ is a highly decorated text. Each page of text is encompassed by an ornamental border. There are also several woodcut images found throughout the text. The title page in particular features a small yet elaborate woodblock print. The leather cover is covered with blind tooling—decorative stamping imprinted on the leather. On the top edge of the book there are two brass loops, which suggests that the book might have originally been located in a chained library.

We encourage anyone with an interest to drop by Special Collections and examine this book—or any other books!—in person.  Special Collections and Archives is open to the public 1:30–5 p.m. Monday through Friday and mornings by appointment.