Printed for Performance: Ceremonial and Interactive Aspects of Books from Europe’s First Presses

Abstract

“O Rare! Performance in Special Collections.” I will admit that when the theme for the 2013 RBMS preconference was announced, I assumed that all of the papers would come from colleagues who work directly with performing arts collections. Given that I work at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, it might have been more promising for me if, instead of beginning “O Rare,” the title had begun “Orare,” the Latin verb to pray. But then I considered the first words of the conference abstract: Libraries house performance. Although the focus of the library where I work is not . . .