While books aren’t the only things you find in libraries today, they still define us. Much goes into the production of a book, from the author’s hand written, drawn, or typed manuscript to the printed book itself. Come see examples of codices, manuscripts and facsimiles of earliest to more contemporary books in the Alkek Library collections.
We have put examples of our large collection of Mesoamerican codices on one side, along with traditional Mesoamerican textiles. Most are facsimile volumes of the glyphs and art and a volume explaining what is being said. In one case we have an exact facsimile of the Codex Murúa, reproduced on velum. On another side we have a true facsimile of Leonardo da Vinci’s notebook, now called the Codex Leicester. Included in the exhibit are two real and rare 17 th and 18th century printed books, part of a larger collection of theological work gifted to the Alkek Library.
