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Bibliographic notes on languages and religion
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Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6206
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
The unknown creator of this collection appears to have been a scholar interested in languages as well as religion. Although it appears that English was the creator's native language, he or she was clearly well-versed in French as well. The purpose of these bibliographic notes is unclear, but they may, in some way, be related to (or inspired by) A Bible of Every Land, which was published in London in 1851 by Samuel Bagster and Sons, and provides references to publications of the Bible and Christian stories in over 215 languages. Books published as late as 1868 are referenced in the notes within the collection.
This collection includes citations for books on catechism, the Book of Common Prayer, the Imitation of Christ, the history and origins of languages, introductions to and grammar of various languages, vocabulary of and comparative dictionaries on various languages, and the Bible and Christian texts in every language and dialect into which translations had been made by the late 1860s. Citations for books printed as early as 1507 and as late as 1868 are included in the collection.
Bibliographic notes are handwritten on 4.5 by 7 inch pieces of paper. In general, each sheet of paper includes the title of the book, the publisher, and the date of publishing. On some occasions, the English translation of title is also included. There are three folders containing bibliographic notes relating the the Christian texts published in more than 200 languages. These notes include the name of the language (often in French) of the text, usually at the top of the page. One folder includes bibliographic notes for books on the Catechism, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Imitation of Christ. A few of these notes have what appears to be handwritten title pages glued to the 4.5 x 7 inch papers. There are also three folders of bibliographic notes relating to books on the history and origin of languages, basic language skills, and dictionaries and/or vocabulary books.
Subject
- Publisher
- University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts
- Finding Aid Author
- Kelin Baldridge
- Finding Aid Date
- 2016 August 10
- Access Restrictions
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This collection is open for research use.
- Use Restrictions
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Copyright restrictions may exist. For most library holdings, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania do not hold copyright. It is the responsibility of the requester to seek permission from the holder of the copyright to reproduce material from the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts.