Marks of Genius : masterpieces from the collections of the Bodleian Libraries.

Hebron, S.

ISBN 10: 185124266X / ISBN 13: 9781851242665

Edité par Bodleian Library Publishing, Oxford, first edition, [2014], 2014

Laminated illustrated wrappers with flaps, 4to, 29 cm, 360 pp, profusely illustrated, chiefly in colour. Published to accompany an exhibition held at the Morgan Library and Museum, New York, 6 June - 14 Sept. 2014, and the Bodleian Library, Oxford, 21 Mar. - 20 Sept. 2015. From the blurb:- "Genius is the mysterious pinnacle of human creativity, a gift that cannot be acquired through dedication and hard work. And while genius is difficult to define, we all recognize that elusive quality when we encounter it. This book, and the exhibition it accompanies, examines the various meanings of genius, from its ancient origins to its modern meaning. The Bodleian s unparalleled collection contains many manifestations of genius, whether the creative brilliance of Shakespeare or Mendelssohn, or the scientific innovation of Robert Hooke or Dorothy Hodgkin. Books and manuscripts which are works of art in their own right are a reminder that genius is not necessarily solitary and self-sufficient; it can equally be collaborative, and is always embedded in the tastes and traditions of its time. Marks of Genius also considers the relationship between genius and learning, and in particular explores ways in which the works of genius found in a university library can be acquired, collected and read. The re-founding of the University Library in Oxford by Sir Thomas Bodley in 1602 was itself an act of genius that had a profound effect on the world of scholarship. Four hundred years on, the Bodleian Library is an institution through which traces of genius run like a golden thread. If the various forms the character of genius has taken over the centuries have anything in common, it is that they celebrate the variety and creativity of human beings. From Euclid, Dante, Kafka and Handel to Einstein, Austen and Gandhi - and including such iconic pieces as Magna Carta and the Gutenberg Bible - Marks of Genius pays tribute to some of the most remarkable testimonies of genius in human history." Principal contents comprise: Preface, by Richard Ovenden; Foreword, by Toby Blackwell; Blackwell's and the Bodleian, by Reg Carr; The genius of Sir Thomas Bodley : the Bodleian LIbrary, by Richard Ovenden; The character of genius, by Stephen Hebron; Catalogue: Part 1. Marks of genius; What is genius?; Written in their own hands; The most ingenious books; Standing on the shoulders of giants; The child of patronage. Part 2. Genius and learning; Genius is from Heaven, learning from man; Gathering in books; Books of their owne stoare; For the use and ease of students; The gigantic genius of Shakespeare. Bibliography; Index, Concordance of shelfmarks. As new. N° de réf. du vendeur ABE-65863

Synopsis :

What sets Mary Shelley's Frankenstein apart from so many other famous works of fiction? What special combination of creativity and vision made possible the drafting of Magna Carta--a document both so unprecedented and so fundamental to the concept of basic human rights that its name can now be used to define the many declarations that came after it. When describing exceptional accomplishments like these--and the men and women behind them--we use the word "genius." And while genius is difficult to define, we all recognize that elusive, special quality when we encounter it.

Marks of Genius pays tribute to some of the most remarkable testaments to genius throughout human history, from ancient texts on papyrus and the extraordinary medieval manuscript The Douce Apocalypse to the renowned children's work The Wind in the Willows. Bringing together some of the rarest and most impressive treasures in the collections of the Bodleian Libraries, it tells the story of each work's creation and its journey through time, offering insight into the breadth and depth of its influence as well as and its power to fascinate.

Published to accompany an exhibition of the same name at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York, Marks of Genius celebrates with two hundred full-color illustrations works that constitute the pinnacle of human creativity and which we continue to restore and revisit--perhaps in the hopes that some of their remarkable brilliance will rub off.

À propos de l?auteur: Stephen Hebron is a curator working in the Department of Special Collections at the Bodleian Libraries.

Détails bibliographiques

Titre : Marks of Genius : masterpieces from the ...
Éditeur : Bodleian Library Publishing, Oxford, first edition, [2014]
Date d'édition : 2014
Reliure : Couverture souple
Edition : Edition originale