Notes in the Margins: The Story Behind the Story

March 8, 2017
Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Fortune of the Republic" is very rare. The UA's Special Collections contains a copy in its holdings.
In Emerson's "Fortune of the Republic," a reader/writer is taking issue with Emerson’s characterization of Webster’s analysis of the American civic fabric, said Jane Prescott-Smith, special assistant to the dean with University Libraries.
Andres de Escobar’s "Canones poenitentiales" was published in six editions before 1499. He was a Dominican, then Augustinian and finally Benedictine monk, theologian and bishop. The annotations on the opening pages highlight the paragraph breaks in the te
Gabriel Biel’s "Epithoma expositionis Canonis Misse" was published in 1499. Biel was a German philosopher and theologian, bridging the old world of the late Middle Ages and the new views of the Reformation, said Jane Prescott-Smith, special assistant to t
"Epithoma expositionis Canonis Misse" is about the canons of the Mass.
Gerardus J. De Vossius' "Baptism Disputations" was published in 1648. A Dutch scholar and theologian, he taught at Leiden, Oxford and Amsterdam, and wrote about baptism and other sacraments.
The cover of Gregor Reisch’s "Margarita philosophica," which was published in 1504. A German Carthusian, Reisch pursued efforts to amass encyclopedic works aimed at gathering together knowledge for students.
Gregor Reisch’s "Margarita philosophica," which roughly translates as "pearls of wisdom," contains 12 books on the arts and sciences. It served as a textbook.
This book is by Lactantius, an early Christian author known for his elegant rhetorical Latin. Opera was published in 1490. The pages have been trimmed.
Angelicus Bartholomaeus' "De proprietatibus rerum" was published in 1482. An Englishman and Franciscan, Bartholomaeus taught on the continent and compiled this enormously popular title of 19 books covering the works of ancient Greek, Arabian and Jewish wr
Whoever was reading "On the Nature of Things," in Angelicus Bartholomaeus' "De proprietatibus rerum," wrote copious notes, which may have been used as reference notes.
Inside "Margarita philosophica," the margin notes and underlining "look so much like student notes of recent years, before highlighters," said Jane Prescott-Smith, special assistant to the dean with University Libraries.
Galileo Galilei's "Sidereus nuncius magna" was published in 1610. Galileo rushed the production, which resulted in a few errors. UA's Special Collections holds one of the books carrying text corrections.
In Galileo's "Sidereus nuncius magna," notes describe the size of the moon. Galilei corrected "the diameter of the Earth" to "about half the diameter of the Earth" as a note.
Gabriel Biel wrote about social, religious and economic issues, and Special Collection staff believe the written text was produced by a previous owner of the book.

Marginalia — the act of producing comments, notes, scribbles, doodles and the like in the margins of books — is a centuries-old and common practice. At the University of Arizona, Special Collections maintains a number of historic and rare books and manuscripts with such scribbles in the margins.

Notes written by famed Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei and to American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson are among those found in books at Special Collections, which provides access to rare and unique materials for scholars and members of the public.

In some cases, centuries-old annotations provide important insights into the editing and review process of historic books, while others document the impressions of readers as they made their way through texts.

Special Collections is the holder of primary research materials largely related to literature, the sciences, and Arizona and Southwestern history. Included in its holdings are rare books, printed materials, manuscript collections, photographs and maps. To plan a visit to Special Collections, submit a request online.

Photography by Aengus Anderson/University Libraries