16th Century book used by Italian lawyers auctioned off to support Lexington libraries
A nearly 500-year-old book Italian Renaissance lawyers would have used to help write wills for their clients was recently donated to the Friends of Lexington Public Library — and it just sold at an online auction for a tidy sum.
The book, printed in 1582, was donated by Friends of the Library volunteer Margaret “Peg” Nethery and was a family heirloom. Transylvania University Professor John Svarlien, who teaches classical studies, translated the Latin tome, according to a university news release.
What makes the book significant is it was printed a little more than a century after the print date of the first Gutenberg Bible in 1455, which marked the beginning of the age of printed books in the West.
The development spread knowledge throughout Europe and helped kick off the Italian Renaissance. Where before books were made by monks working for months or even years in Medieval scriptoriums, now they could be mass produced much more efficiently and with fewer errors.
“Movable type revolutionized learning and the dissemination of learning as much as the internet does today,” Svarlien said, according to the release. “You could print 100 of these in far less time than it would take to copy one.”
After Nethery donated the book, it was listed on eBay with the proceeds going to support the Lexington Public Library. According to its eBay listing, the book sold for about $690 Wednesday at 6:18 a.m.
“This is the perfect gift for a Latin enthusiast or as a law office display!” a Friends of the Library Facebook post advertising the sale reads.
As mentioned, the book is a legal reference for writing last wills and testaments.
The deeply-researched work was written by Simon de Praetis of Pisa, Italy, and it was printed in Venice, which at the time was the capital of Europe’s publishing industry. The book’s cover, which depicts musical notes, indicates it was rebound at some point. How it made it from Italy to Lexington remains a mystery, according to the Transylvania University news release.
“It’s all lists of things,” Svarlien said of the work. “This is incredibly detailed. I was surprised that you could say so much about the language of wills and testaments, but if it pertains to money, people are very interested.”
According to Simon Boes with Friends of the Lexington Public Library, the next step after the purchase is safely shipping the artifact.
“The next step in this process involves a lengthy packaging session where the book will be surrounded by acid-free archival paper and then bubblewrap,” Boes wrote in an email to the Herald-Leader. “It will then be put in a box surrounded by a layer of bubblewrap and then an even larger box. This is to ensure that the book is snug and will remain undamaged as it continues on its journey. It’s a long way from its origins in Italy over 440 years ago.”
Boes also relayed a comment from Nethery, who donated the book.
“Wonderful, this really made my day. I’m glad my father’s book could help and such a significant amount,” Nethery said, according to Boes.
“The Friends will be donating this money to the Library,” Boes wrote. “The Friends of the Lexington Public Library has over 30,000 books, cds, and dvds to browse in the Lower Level of the Central Library at 140 East Main Street.”
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This story was originally published August 21, 2024 at 12:04 PM.