How and Why the Library Acquired the Gryphius Collection:

The Gryphius Collection in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division comprises nearly 150 books that are identifiable in the Library's online catalog with the collection name "Gryph Coll." The Division acquired this special collection in 1987 from the prominent antiquarian and rare book vendor Fred Schreiber, who specialized in collecting continental European books printed before 1700. The impetus for this acquisition was a desire to bolster the Library's collection of sixteenth-century imprints to complement the already extensive holdings of fifteenth-century imprints. In other words: this acquisition was undertaken to address a discrepancy in fifteenth-century materials versus those from the sixteenth century, and these books helped to satisfy this lacuna.

A Brief Overview of Sebastian Gryphius and the Books that He Printed:

Sebastian Gryphius (1492-1556) was a celebrated printer during the first half of the sixteenth century in Lyon. He apprenticed in Germany and Venice and came to Lyon when he was in his early twenties. For about 15 years, he was a printer under the auspices of a group of well-networked Lyonnaise businessmen who possessed their own printing equipment. It was not until 1528 that Gryphius had saved enough money to purchase his own printing press and type, which allowed him to open his own printing shop. Gryphius printed books under his own name until the year of his death in 1556. His shop became famous for printing the works of contemporary humanists, such as Erasmus of Rotterdmam, and for creating student editions of ancient Latin and Greek texts.

The first book printed in Gryphius' own shop was a feat of technical printing as well as linguistic prowess: Precationes aliquot celebriores è Sacris Bibliis desumptae ac in studiosorum gratia[m] lingua Hebraica, Graeca & Latina in enchiridii formulam redactae. This trilingual book of psalms was printed in Latin in both Roman and Italic fonts as well as in Greek and in Hebrew. Gryphius wrote a short preface at the beginning of this book (pictured at the right) warning his young readers about the dangers of being deceived on their paths to learning.

The following is an English translation of the preface:

Sebastian Gryphius sends his greeting to the studious youth.

Sometimes while we are busy helping with the greatest enthusiasm any learned persons by printing books in varied languages, it is utterly plainer than day that there will be distorted teachings, unless we are first and foremost cautious of this tender age. Although this age which is pliable to entirely everything and later in life harkens back to studies in morals, from nowhere else does it seem that assistance can be more venerably brought even to a blind man than in these trilingual prayers. Through these prayers, true erudition and spirit - the parent of piety - enter the mind at the same time. Make sure that you mature in this kind of favorable exercise. You will not be led astray by my work nor by the assistance of Christ. Farewell.

This preface, although written in a rhetorical style which may seem verbose and florid to modern readers, summarizes the intent of Gryphius for printing books and also provides some indication as to the types of books with which Gryphius would occupy the rest of his life printing.

An Assortment of Gryphius' Printer's Marks: