A facsimile is an exact copy of a book, manuscript, or other item of historical value that has been produced to appear as true to the original source as possible. Facsimiles are often accompanied by a volume of commentary which could provide information about the digitization process, an interpretation of illustrations and illuminations. Many facsimiles in the collection are produced in limited editions and range from partial facsimiles to high-quality reproductions that exhibit corresponding holes from the original, gold leafing, gilded edges, sewing structures and materials true to the original. Facsimiles attempt to replicate the source material as accurately as possible in terms of scale, color, condition, and existing pages from the original source.
SCAD Libraries actively collects reproductions of important historical manuscripts and print material to facilitate students’ hands-on experiences with key cultural artifacts and historical art and design practices. The facsimile collection includes true facsimiles, reproductions, and collected ephemera facsimiles.
Use these documents to explore over nearly 100 facsimiles and reproductions in the holdings of Jen Library Archives and Special Collections. When available, a link to a digital facsimile is provided as a preview and teaching tool.
FACULTY: Click Here for the most up-to-date listing of facsimiles by country, date, and language, as well as FAQs and sample pull lists for class sessions.
Recent acquisitions:
Genji monogatari emaki (Tale of Genji Illustrated Scrolls)
The Egyptian book of the dead : Papyrus of AniDid you know there are also facsimiles you can check out from the library? A number of facsimiles can be found in the general collection---just look for items here marked "available." If they say "lib use only," make an appointment to see the facsimile in special collections.
Some facsimiles available in the general collection include:
Touch Me Not
A full-color facsimile of an 18th-century black-magic compendium Touch Me Not is an Austrian manuscript compendium of the black magical arts, completed c. 1795. Unique and otherworldly, it evokes a realm of visceral dark magic. As the co-editor of this volume Hereward Tilton notes, the manuscript "appears at first sight to be a 'grimoire' or magician's manual intended for noviciates of black magic. Psychedelic drug use, animal sacrifice, sigillary body art, masturbation fantasy and the necromantic manipulation of gallows-corpses count among the transgressive procedures it depicts. With their aid hidden treasures are wrested from guardian spirits, and the black magician's highest ambition--an infernal transfiguration and union with the Devil--can be fulfilled." Hidden for decades within the Wellcome Library collection, Touch Me Not is published here as a full-color facsimile. The German and Latin texts have been translated by Hereward Tilton and Merlin Cox, scholars who have explored the sources for the various elements and provided copious references. Tilton provides an introduction that lays out the context for the survival of this extraordinary manuscript."
The Godfather Notebook
THE PUBLISHING SENSATION OF THE YEAR FOR EVERY FILM FAN The never-before-published edition of Francis Ford Coppola's notes and annotations on The Godfather novel by Mario Puzo reveals the story behind one of the world's most iconic films. The most important unpublished work on one of the greatest films of all time, The Godfather, written before filming, by the man who wrote and directed it--Francis Ford Coppola, then only thirty-two years old--reveals the intense creative process that went into making this seminal film. With his meticulous notes and impressions of Mario Puzo's novel, the notebook was referred to by Coppola daily on set while he directed the movie. The Godfather Notebook pulls back the curtain on the legendary filmmaker and the film that launched his illustrious career. Complete with an introduction by Francis Ford Coppola and exclusive photographs from on and off the set, this is a unique, beautiful, and faithful reproduction of Coppola's original notebook. This publication will change the way the world views the iconic film--and the process of filmmaking at large. A must-have book of the season. Nothing like it has ever been published before.
The Voynich Manuscript
The first authorized copy of this mysterious, much-speculated-upon, one-of-a-kind, centuries-old puzzle "For the first time, a complete reproduction [of] The Voynich Manuscript, has been published, featuring essays exploring what is known about the book and extra-wide margins so readers can record their responses to its beguiling, beautiful strangeness."--Nina Maclaughlin, Boston Globe "For people who like a good historical mystery, this . . . fifteenth- or sixteenth-century Voynich Manuscript will fascinate."--Rebecca Onion, Slate Many call the fifteenth-century codex, commonly known as the "Voynich Manuscript," the world's most mysterious book. Written in an unknown script by an unknown author, the manuscript has no clearer purpose now than when it was rediscovered in 1912 by rare books dealer Wilfrid Voynich. The manuscript appears and disappears throughout history, from the library of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II to a secret sale of books in 1903 by the Society of Jesus in Rome. The book's language has eluded decipherment, and its elaborate illustrations remain as baffling as they are beautiful. For the first time, this facsimile, complete with elaborate folding sections, allows readers to explore this enigma in all its stunning detail, from its one-of-a-kind "Voynichese" text to its illustrations of otherworldly plants, unfamiliar constellations, and naked women swimming though fantastical tubes and green baths. The essays that accompany the manuscript explain what we have learned about this work--from alchemical, cryptographic, forensic, and historical perspectives--but they provide few definitive answers. Instead, as New York Times best-selling author Deborah Harkness says in her introduction, the book "invites the reader to join us at the heart of the mystery."
The First American Cookbook
This facsimile of the first American-written cookbook published in the United States is not only a first in cookbook literature, but a historic document. It reveals the rich variety of food Colonial Americans enjoyed, their tastes, cooking and eating habits, even their colorful language. Author Amelia Simmons worked as a domestic in Colonial America and gathered her cookery expertise from firsthand experience. Her book points out the best ways of judging the quality of meats, poultry, fish, vegetables, etc., and presents the best methods of preparing and cooking them. In choosing fish, poultry, and other meats, the author wisely advises, "their smell denotes their goodness." Her sound suggestions for choosing the freshest and most tender onions, potatoes, parsnips, carrots, asparagus, lettuce, cabbage, beans, and other vegetables are as timely today as they were nearly 200 years ago. Here are the first uniquely American recipes using corn meal -- Indian pudding, "Johnny cake," and Indian slapjacks -- as well as the first recipes for pumpkin pudding, winter squash pudding, and for brewing spruce beer. The words "cookie" and "slaw" made their first published appearance in this book. You'll also find the first recommended use of pearlash (the forerunner of baking powder) to lighten dough, as well as recommendations for seasoning stuffing and roasting beef, mutton, veal, and lamb -- even how to dress a turtle. Along with authentic recipes for colonial favorites, a Glossary includes definitions of antiquated cooking terms: pannikin, wallop, frumenty, emptins, and more. And Mary Tolford Wilson's informative Introductory Essay provides the culinary historical background needed to appreciate this important book fully. Anyone who uses and collects cookbooks will want to have The First American Cookbook. Cultural historians, Americana buffs, and gourmets will find this rare edition filled with interesting recipes and rich in early American flavor.
The Codex Nuttall
The only value-priced, full-color edition of the pre-Columbian Mexican (Mixtec) book. Features 88 color plates of kings, gods, heroes, temples, sacrifices, and more. New introduction.
For access to digitized manuscripts, explore the links below. These digital resources provide further examples of manuscript production representing a wide range of cultures and context.