January 12, 2010, Filed Under: Books + Manuscripts, Research + TeachingThe Curious Colophon: Some Observations of HRC 44 in the Ransom Center Micah Erwin is a student in the School of Information at The University of Texas at Austin specializing in rare books and special collections librarianship. He earned a masters degree in medieval studies, and his research interests include the preservation and cataloging of medieval manuscripts and early printed books. He… read more
December 3, 2009, Filed Under: Books + Manuscripts, Exhibitions + EventsFrom the Galleries: Tycho Brahe’s "Astronomiae instauratae mechanica" Before the telescope was invented, 16th-century Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe built his own instruments to measure star and planetary positions with accuracy up to one arcminute. Brahe described these home-made instruments in his 1602 book, Astronomiae instauratae mechanica, the first edition of which is on display in the Ransom Center’s… read more
November 19, 2009, Filed Under: Books + Manuscripts, Exhibitions + EventsCassini’s moon map Before “Where’s Waldo?” there was the “moon maiden,” a shadowy figure hiding in the Ransom Center’s current exhibition, Other Worlds: Rare Astronomical Works. One of the exhibition’s highlights is a first edition map of the moon rendered by Giovanni Domenico Cassini from 1679, the rarest edition of the first published… read more
