Arts and Entertainment

Exhibition features ornate book covers, bindings

"The Smallest English Dictionary in the World" is one of the unique items from the Eberly Family Special Collections Library highlighted in this exhibit. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — “Catching Your Attention: Decorative Book Covers and Unique Bindings,” is on display through July 7 in the Sidewater Commons, 102 Pattee Library. William Minter, the Libraries’ senior book conservator, created the exhibition, which highlights a sampling of books and bindings primarily drawn from the Eberly Family Special Collections Library.

Through examples suggested by Sandra Stelts, curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts, this exhibit includes images of some unique bindings, both old and new, that are among the Libraries’ holdings.

Among the more intriguing books on display is the cloth-bound, exquisitely crafted “The New Day: A Poem in Song and Sonnets,” by Richard Watson Gilder; “The Anatomy of Melancholy,” by Robert Burton, published in 1624 — a book of such great value that it had to be chained to the bookcase; and “The Smallest English Dictionary in the World.”

The exhibit is open 7:45 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Monday to Thursday, 7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 1 to 9 p.m. on Sunday. The Libraries will be closed on July 3 and 4.

Penn State encourages qualified persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, contact Jenna Gill at jmk441@psu.edu or 814-865-9406, in advance of your visit.

Last Updated May 28, 2015

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