Fine Printed Books & Manuscripts, Including Americana

Folio. With 25 original manuscript and printed leaves, each hinged to uniform card window with printed slips; annotated index laid in; loose in orange cloth portfolio with ties as issued (one tie detached at laid in).

LIMITED EDITION, number 8 of 110 copies, WITH 25 LEAVES FROM FAMOUS BOOKS, including: a 1240 Vulgate Bible manuscript on vellum with rubricated initials and flourishes; Aristotle's 1365 Nichomachean Ethics manuscript on vellum; a Livy 1436 manuscript on vellum; Dante's 1491 Divine Comedy; Shakespeare's 1685 Fourth Folio; and others in various sizes. Complete list available upon request.

As a professor at the Cleveland Institute of Art and lecturer at Case Western Reserve University, Otto Ege developed a passion for fine printing and calligraphy. Over several decades, he systematically dismantled approximately 50 illuminated medieval manuscripts, creating 40 unique "Otto Ege Portfolios" containing individual pages. Ege justified his controversial practice by arguing that it allowed more people to experience and own pieces of medieval art and literary heritage. His actions, while profitable, have been both criticized and studied by scholars, leading to efforts to digitally reconstruct the dismantled books. In 2015, Ege's personal collection, including 50 unbroken manuscript books, was acquired by the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University. Chalmers, Disbound and Dispersed Checklist 21.