ONE OF THE GREATEST ATTRIBUTES of book is their portability. Not this one. "it weighs about 70 pounds," says Jay Satterfield of Rauner Library's Special Collections. He's referring to the liturgical wonder donated to Dartmouth's book collection in 2005. Hymn books such as this one- most likely of Spanish origin from the mid-16th century—were made to last forever. That's why it has an oak cover with brass facets and measures 5 feet high by 3 feet wide. The pages, made of cowhide, contain Latin songs from the Roman Catholic tradition as well as ornate pastel and goal flecked paintings. Happily, the book appears complete. "Bandits often cannibalized these books and sold the art for profit," explains music professor Bill Summers.
Michelle Stacy '77 of Ipswich, Massachusetts, gave the book to Dartmouth after keeping it covered and sealed in an air-conditioned closet in Boston for years She'd received it as a wedding gift in 1981 from her aunt, an avid art collector, but was how to care for it. "I thought this piece really belongs with Dartmouth, not in a private collection," she: says. The hymnal is used as a teaching tool in studies of medieval mask and ancient manuscripts.
