A Gentleman's Library : The Classic Book Collection of Norman B. Smith

George Catlin, ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE MANNERS, CUSTOMS AND CONDITION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS
London: Henry Bohn, 1850

First published in 1841, ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE MANNERS, CUSTOMS, AND CONDITION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS is George Catlin's best-known work documenting the life and customs of numerous Indian tribes. Catlin's illustrations and notes on Indian life provide an incomparable record of what was even in 1841 a rapidly vanishing culture.

Fascinated from boyhood with Indian life and lore, Catlin began his journeys among Indians in 1830 when he accompanied General William Clark up the Mississippi into Indian territory. He eventually visited sixty-eight tribes, sketching and taking notes on all aspects of Indian life and culture. Catlin ultimately amassed some 600 paintings and a huge assortment of artifacts, which became his famous Indian Gallery.



This early text contained over 300 line-drawings based on Catlin's pictures; his later North American Indian Portfolio (1844) added additional sketches. Two later related volumes were Last Rambles Among the Indians of the Rocky Mountains and the Andes and My Life Among the Indians. Catlin's superb Indian Gallery was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1879.

- William K. Finley

A Gentleman's Library : The Classic Book Collection of Norman B. Smith

Thomas Hobbes, LEVIATHAN
London: Andrew Crook, 1676

The full title of this work—LEVIATHAN; OR THE MATTER, FORM, AND POWER OF A COMMONWEALTH, ECCLESIASTICAL AND CIVIL—gives an indication of its focus. First published in 1651, LEVIATHAN was from the first a controversial work in its insistence on the subordination of the individual to the State.

The four parts of this work are titled "Of Man," "Of Commonwealth", "Of a Christian Commonwealth," and "Of the Kingdom of Darkness." The last two chapters discuss Scripture at some length and make a pointed attack on what Hobbes saw as attempts by papists and Presbyterians to challenge and curb the rights and power of the king.

In LEVIATHAN, Hobbes analyzes conditions he felt were necessary for the peace and security of the State, then provides a program for organizing an ideal state.

Although the title page of this edition gives the publication date as 1651, a handwritten correction states that this printing is actually 1676. The handsome later binding is treated calfskin with an interesting blind-stamp design.

Detail of binding

- William K. Finley

Collector's Talk and Reception
October 19th, 2010
4 -6 PM

A Gentleman's Library : The Classic Book Collection of Norman B. Smith

GOSPEL OF ST. MARK
Armenia: c. 1655

The second book of the New Testament, Mark's Gospel portrays the life and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth and dates from roughly 70 A.D. Throughout history, the Gospels have frequently been printed separately, often with elaborate artistic highlights.



This copy of Mark's Gospel is Armenian in origin and dates from around 1650. Little is known about this particular production, though the small book is a gem, with its exquisite miniature paintings and intriguing marginal designs on numerous pages.

- William K. Finley

Collector's Talk and Reception
October 19th, 2010
4 -6 PM

A Gentleman's Library : The Classic Book Collection of Norman B. Smith

THE GENEVA BIBLE
Christopher Barker, 1584

First printed in Geneva in 1560 by the "Marian Exiles," this version of the Holy Bible was never sanctioned by the Church of England; but in 1575 the so-called "Breeches Bible" was openly printed and remained the unofficial Bible for most of the congregation until the ascendancy of Oliver Cromwell. The Scottish Church adopted the Geneva Bible as its official version in 1579.

The Geneva Bible was the first English Bible printed in Roman type and the first English text divided clearly into verses.

Detail of binding

The leather and intricate brass-trimmed binding on this copy is a striking example of the late sixteenth-century bookbinders' art.

- William K. Finley

Collector's Talk and Reception
October 19th, 2010
4 -6 PM

A Gentlemain's Library : The Classic Book Collection of Norman B. Smith

THE KORAN
Shiraz, Persia, 1687

THE KORAN is the official compilation of the teachings of Muhammad in the years 609-632 A. D. and is the central religious text of Islam.

Although some verses of the KORAN were written down during Muhammad's lifetime, the main body of text was compiled during the reign of the third successor (caliph) to Muhammad.

Detail of binding

The KORAN consists of 114 chapters of varying lengths and on various themes. The chapters are arranged according to length (long to short) rather than chronologically. The earlier chapters emphasize a call to religious dedication and obedience, while the later chapters give directions for a proper moral life as dictated by God. Throughout, the KORAN pictures God as the only creator and sustainer of a well-ordered universe. The doctrine states unequivocally that humanity is wholly responsible for its actions.

Leather paste-down

Detail

The beautiful pages of this 1687 Persian printing are striking, with their gilt embellishments and ornamental marginal descriptions. Striking also are the handsome "medallion" covers and paste-downs.

- William K. Finley

Collector's Talk and Reception
October 19th, 2010
4 -6 PM

A Gentleman's Library : The Classic Book Collection of Norman B. Smith

Ovid, METAMORPHOSIS
Oxford: John Lichfield, 1632

Banished from Rome by the emperor Augustus and his work banned from public libraries after his erotic Ars amatoria, Ovid (43 BC-18 AD) apparently completed his best-known work, the narrative poem METAMORPHOSIS, before going into exile.
A series of poetic tales from ancient mythology, METAMORPHOSIS is a supreme example of dactylic hexameter verse sustained over fifteen books (totaling some 250 tales in 12,000 verses), each tale concerned with a change in shape, as the book's title indicates. All of the tales have literary antecedents. The arrangement is essentially chronological, from the creation of the world to the emperorship of Julius Caesar.

Book I opens with an account of the creation of the universe and the growth of civilization. Book II examines the relationship between the gods and mortal man. Book V narrates the varied mythical adventures of Perseus. Most of the subsequent books recount further tales of mythical heroes such as Jason and Medea, Aeneas, Hercules, Ulysses, Theseus, and Orpheus.

A brilliant epigrammatist and wit, Ovid created in METAMORPHOSIS an enduring entertainment and inspiration.



The full title of this 1632 edition as it appears on the title page is Ovid's Metamorphosis Englished, Mythologiz'd and Represented in Figures by G. S. [George Sandys].

- William K. Finley

Collector's Talk and Reception
October 19th, 2010
4 -6 PM

A Gentleman's Library : The Classic Book Collection of Norman B. Smith

Lucretius, DE RERUM NATURA
Oxford: Anthony Stephens, 1683

Called by critic David Furley "the most complete analysis of the atomic composition of matter prior to twentieth-century nuclear physics," DE RERUM NATURA is a brilliant poetic rendering of the Epicurean philosophy of natural science and the moral responsibility of man.

Written in hexameters with an emphasis on alliteration and assonance, DE RERUM NATURA was published in an unfinished state shortly after Lucretius' death (c. 55 BC).

In DE RERUM NATURA, Lucretius attempts to show (as did Epicurus) the path to an ideal life. The only way to attain the ideal life is to understand the true nature of things. A basic assumption of Lucretius is that all things are attributable to
natural causes.

Early in the poem Lucretius expounds the Epicurean system of "primordia rerum," the "first things"; i.e., atoms. Divided into ten books, DE RERUM NATURA denies supernatural control of man's life and speaks out against organized religion, which
Lucretius saw as instilling unrealistic fear in man's mind. Books I and II deal essentially with the basic nature of matter—atoms. Book III considers the nature of man's soul. Book IV concerns experience through the senses, while Books V and VI deal with the formation of the world and the universe, the origin of life, and such natural, explainable phenomena as thunder and earthquakes.

This 1683 Oxford printing is the second edition in English.


- William K. Finley

Collector's Talk and Reception
October 19th, 2010
4 -6 PM

A Gentleman's Library : The Classic Book Collection of Norman B. Smith

The twenty-six books in this exhibit represent but a small sampling of Norman B. Smith's library, a choice collection of the most significant and most influential books of many nations, dating originally from before the Classical Age through the twentieth century.

Included are such well-known titles as The Wealth of Nations and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Also included are lesser known but highly influential works such as James Harrington's Oceana and Juliana Berners' Treatyse of Fysshynge. Important religious texts include the Geneva Bible, The Koran, a 1435 Book of Hours, and an Armenian Gospel of St. Mark from the seventeenth century. Important political texts include a 1556 printing of the Magna Charta, Hobbes' Leviathan, and Rousseau's Social Contract.

Choosing representative titles from among so many gems was a difficult task. The only guiding principle behind the choices for this exhibit was to show the wide spectrum of Norman Smith's library, representing the best thoughts of the best thinkers and writers through the ages.

- William K. Finley

Collector's Talk and Reception
October 19th, 2010
4 -6 PM