Dates

• Majority of material found within 1500 - 2000

Extent

4 folios Linear Feet (The “Pages from the Past: Original leaves from Rare Books and Manuscripts” (1964) were proprietorial folios that Alfred W. Stites assembled, individually signed, and marketed to academic libraries in the 1960s. In 1966, Stites was president of Stites Associates in Washington, DC, and he amassed several thousand leaves that were removed from rare books and manuscripts and collected by earlier bibliophiles. The original intent of the creation of these folio collections was to address “the concern of rare book collectors today, that the price of a book only a few centuries old had become too costly.” The folios created an affordable way for academic libraries to purchase many examples of artifacts, rare books, and manuscripts. Please note that although these folios have educational and research potential for those interested in the history of the written word and European printing presses, the IUP Special Collections and University Archives does not condone the unnecessary separation of leaves from any rare book or manuscript. Stites created 122 portfolio sets of leaves removed from rare books and manuscripts that were sold to academic libraries (including the IUP Libraries). For a brief history about the “Pages from the Past: Original Leaves from Rare Books and Manuscripts” (1964) folios and Alfred W. Stites, go to Foliophiles Publishing. The folios contain individual leaves removed from identified rare books and manuscripts dating from mostly the 12th century to the 20th century, but the folios also contain earlier examples of the written word dating back to perhaps 2112 BC. The numbered sets contained selected individual leaves (single or double-sided pages) of the written and printed word from ancient times to the 20th century. This collection contains examples of the following artifacts a Cuneiform Tablet, a Babylonian Cylinder Seal, and an Egyptian Scarab Beetle. Each artifact, or leaf from a rare book or manuscript was identified with typed labels that are copyrighted between 1961 and 1964 with the initials T.F.I. The IUP Special Collections and University Archives has a similar 4-volume folio collection of the “Pages from the Past: Original leaves from Rare Books and Manuscripts” (1964) that are available at the Miami University Special Collections (Call Number: Z4 .P33 1964). These folios were assembled and marketed to academic libraries. The 4-volume folio collection is available for research in the IUP Special Collections and University Archives, and it includes seven sets or series: Set 1 The History of the Written Word; Set 2 Western Literature; Set 3 Bibles; Set 4 Woodcuts and Engravings; Set 5 Famous Presses and Set 6: Religions of the World; Set 7 Writing over the Ages. All original set numbering system in ( ) are the original hand-lettered numbers assigned to each set folio page, and each of the seven sets are complete.)

Language of Materials

English