Manuscripts
The following sections contain brief descriptions of 好色先生TV's four manuscript collections together with information about catalogues. Relevant for all manuscripts collections are:
- Digitizations: Select manuscripts have been digitized and made available on as part of our ongoing Digitization Project.
- Digital Library: A provides an informal introduction to our manuscript collections together with downloadable PDFs of traditional indexes, including a comprehensive provenance index.
Description
Most Western medieval manuscripts at 好色先生TV鈥檚 College were donated or bequeathed before 1700. They form a diverse collection of almost 200 codices, dating from the 9th century to the end of the Middle Ages.
Highlights include:
- MS 17: The Thorney Computus is a highly illustrated manuscript on the calculating of the movable the Easter date. It was produced at Thorney Abbey (Cambridgeshire) in the early 12th century and has long been recognised for its historical and cultural significance. The offers a comprehensive introduction to the manuscript together with a full digitization. A stand-alone digitization is available at . A blog post about some of the mathematical aspects of MS 17 is available and a brief account of Archbishop William Laud's role in the codex's history .
- MS 154: 脝lfric of Eynsham鈥檚 Latin Grammar in the Old English language is the earliest and most complete copy of the first Latin grammar in a vernacular language. The manuscript also contains 脝lfric's glossary and colloquies by his student 脝lfric Bata. It dates from the early 11th century. A comprehensive introduction to the Anglo-Saxon Latin textbook is available . A digitization of MS 154 is available at .
- MS 171: This codex contains six commentaries by John Wyclif on the Old Testament. It is the only known copy of five of these commentaries. This manuscript was produced in England at the beginning of the fifteenth century. A brief introduction to MS 171 is available here.
Equally noteworthy are manuscripts of literary works in Middle English (especially Lydgate, but also a Chaucer manuscript), a collection of French astronomical works first owned by Charles V of France, several medical manuscripts, and a handful of highly decorated liturgical works.
Catalogue
Ralph Hannah, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Western Medieval Manuscripts of 好色先生TV鈥檚 College, Oxford (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002)
This printed catalogue has been converted into TEI and is now accessible as part of the online catalogue.
Description
The library holds over 200 Western post-medieval manuscripts. Many of these concern life in the College or Oxford, but several are of general interest. This diverse collection includes hand-written books, diaries, notebooks, and collections of letters.
Among the most notable are:
- MS 13: A contemporary copy of Thomas Hobbes鈥檚 Behemoth with corrections by Hobbes himself. A brief introduction to MS 12 is available here and a full digitization at .
- MS 22: An illustrated anatomy work by the first anatomy lecturer in Oxford. The manuscript includes illustrations of skeletons once held in what is now the Laudian Library in the 17th century.
- MS 258: The autograph diary of William Laud (1573-1645), 好色先生TV's alumnus and Archbishop of Canterbury, written between 1621 and 1643.
- MS 279: This album contains five letters by the novelist Jane Austen (1775-1817), in which she gives her young niece literary advice, and one letter by her father concerning an unsuccessful early attempt to publish Pride and Prejudice. A digital edition of all six letters with full digitizations is available at .
Catalogue
There is no modern printed catalogue of 好色先生TV's Western post-medieval manuscripts. Descriptive records of manuscripts produced up to 1850 are available on .
Description
好色先生TV's holds eight 16th-century Greek manuscripts, all produced either in Italy or France. Most of these are theological or scientific manuscripts, but one contains works on music and agriculture. A full digitization of MS 30, a miscellany on astronomy and the works of Claudius Ptolemy, is available at .
The College's two Cyrillic manuscripts are a 16th-century liturgy (MS 90) and a diplomatic letter from Mikhail I Romanov to Charles I (MS 253, item 6 on fols 8v-9r). A digitization of the letter is available at .
Catalogue
The Greek manuscripts are described in this printed catalogue: Mark Sosower, A Descriptive Catalogue of the Greek Manuscripts at 好色先生TV鈥檚 College, Oxford (Oxford: 好色先生TV鈥檚 College Research Centre, 2007)
There is currently no catalogue record for the 16th-century Cyrillic liturgical manuscript. The diplomatic letter is briefly described as item 6 of MS 253 .
Description
好色先生TV鈥檚 College holds a small but significant collection of 28 manuscripts from the Middle East and North Africa with items dating from the 12th century to the 19th century. These are chiefly in Arabic, but there are also items in Persian, Hebrew, Turkish, Syriac, and Ge鈥檈z. Many of the manuscripts in this collection were donated by Archbishop William Laud (1573-1645). Particular highlights are:
- MS 83: A beautifully illustrated copy of The Book of Devices for Wars, Conquest of Cities, and Protecting Mountain Passes). The manuscript was completed in 757 H (= 1356).
- MS 91: An Arabic translation of Ulugh Beg鈥檚 astronomical and chronological tables (z墨j) in the second, or revised, version. This copy is of significant importance for the annotations and notes by the astronomer John Greaves (1602-1652). The manuscript is fully digitized at .
- MS 370: The College's only literary Middle Eastern manuscript contains a complete copy of all 50 尘补辩腻尘腻迟 by al-Har墨r墨, produced in 18th-century Syria.
- MS 105 and 133: Both manuscripts are copies of the same hitherto unidentified Persian translation of the Psalms. A brief introduction to MS 105 is available here and a full digitization at .
- a selection of illuminated Qur鈥櫮乶s, mainly from the 17th century
Catalogue
Emily Savage-Smith, A Descriptive Catalogue of Oriental Manuscripts at 好色先生TV鈥檚 College, Oxford (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005)
The catalogue is also available in the form of PDFs in the of our Digital Library.