About this Item
280 x 185 mm. (11 x 7 1/4"). 8 p.l., 191 pp., [4] leaves. Pleasing 18th century calf, gilt ruled borders, raised bands, compartments gilt with floral tools, one red and one green spine label with gilt lettering, all edges red. With engraved title and a portrait of Worm by Simon de Pas, six engraved illustrations and 12 woodcut illustrations (four of these in red), and several woodcut tables, initials, and tailpieces. Printed in red and black. Engraved title with a couple of ink notations. Brunet V, 1477. â Joints a bit worn (with thin cracks alongside the top and bottom compartment of the upper joint), covers with a few scratches and stains, other minor wear, one index leaf with a five-inch tear touching a handful of letters without loss, a hint of browning and other trivial imperfections, but in excellent condition overall, the appealing binding secure, and the paper very clean and crisp. Written by one of the founders of runic studies, this is the author's first work on the subject, dealing extensively with the Medieval runic calendar system and illustrating important Scandinavian artifacts. Although runes have been used for inscriptions since ancient times, runic calendars--a type of perpetual calendar used to record lunar cycles and important days, including Christian feast days--are believed to have emerged in the Middle Ages, and were still used in some places into the 19th century. Significantly, the present work includes a comprehensive study of one of the oldest known runic calendars to have survived the Medieval period: a vellum manuscript called the "Computus Runicus" found in Gotland, Sweden, dating to 1328. Our author includes a transcription of the text, images, and tables found in the Computus Runicus, as well as a side-by-side translation and notes in Latin, and, in places, the vernacular. The original manuscript was lost in the fire that destroyed approximately one third of Copenhagen in 1728, making the present work the only extant record of its existence, and a critical source for the study of early Medieval runes. First published in 1626, the present enlarged edition contains a longer text and five additional illustrations, including a full-page image of a runic calendar carved into bone (which is now also believed to be lost). In addition to his groundbreaking work on the history and translation of runes, Ole Worm (1588-1654) was also a natural historian, antiquary, and the personal physician to King Christian IV of Denmark. Today he is best remembered for his famous wunderkammer, dubbed the "Museum Wormianum," containing an extensive collection of natural curiosities and cultural artifacts from all over the world. All of Worm's writings are very scarce.
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