Manuscripts Meet the World:
Handwritten Books from Around the World
On view March 22 – July 8, 2018
Cowles Literary Commons, Open Book 2nd Floor
Free and open to the public
Writing by hand is an activity that all cultures share in common. From Europe to Asia to Africa, from the ancient Egyptians to the present, manuscripts have been a vital part of the chain linking us together as communities. The Hill Museum & Manuscript Library (HMML) works around the world to preserve these handwritten works photographically.
This exhibition at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts presents samples of manuscripts from HMML’s own collections. Included are books from the European Middle Ages, as well as from Ethiopia, the Middle East, and South Asia. Many languages are represented, as are different kinds of books, such as codices, scrolls, and a palm-leaf book, as well as fragments of manuscripts. Visitors are invited to learn about the centrality of handwriting to both human experience and creativity.
Image: Ethiopian Prayer scroll, Wenner Ms. 2, Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, Saint John’s University (Collegeville, MN)