Visiting the Rare Book exhibit was super interesting. The exhibit is a display of the college’s rare book collection; some going as far back as the 16th century. It is a portrayal of a 500 year history of bookbinding. The refinement of the process in bookbinding was conceivable from display case to display case.
The intricacy of the covers were so mesmerizing and very beautiful. They were all unique with varying designs, tools, and colors. I had no idea that there was a specific stamp-like tool in order to engrave a design onto the cover and spine. In addition, the spine binding method progressed to have more structure and more stability. Everything evolved. The material of the cover, the material of the pages, and the method of binding said pages together all developed when moving from panel to panel.
I was impressed with the sheer size of the collection. And the fact that what was on display was only a small portion of the collection’s entirety is unimaginable. It is crazy that Muhlenberg has a personal, miniature museum.
