Dei Donum
celebrating 500 years of printing in Scotland and learning in Dundee
An exhibition being held in Dundee Central Library, The Wellgate, Dundee, DD1 1DB
31st March to 26th April, 2008
Dundee has one of the oldest public library services in the western world. A fine collection of classical and theological works, originally maintained for their use by the monks of Lindores, was transferred to the Town Council as early as 1442. All but a few of the works were destroyed by fire in 1841, the devastating effects of which were largely overcome with the assistance of Victorian benefactors. The rich collections within Dundee Central Library bear eloquent testimony to their generosity, and Dundee thereby regained a literary collection befitting its status as a leading Scottish city.
The exhibition will feature priceless works such as the "Good and Godly Ballads" [1567?], Biblia Sacra (1476), and the illuminated Antiphon [c. 1550]. Dundee City Archives will contribute the "Buke of the Howlat" (fragment from the press of Chepman and Myllar), plus a number of pre-reformation liturgical works and archival material from local printers.