FACSIMILE GUTENBERG BIBLE ON DISPLAY

Rarely does one get a chance to lay eyes on the first book in the Western world printed in moveable type. On display now until Christmas just outside UVic Special Collections in the McPherson Library is the next best thing—a painstakingly accurate facsimile edition of the 1456, 42-line Bible printed by Johannes Gutenberg, the most influential person of the millennium. According to hundreds of journalists, scholars and political leaders polled by the Arts and Entertainment network "Biography" program, Gutenberg is the person in the last 1,000 years who has done the most to shape our world today. The facsimile Bible, published in three volumes by Brussel & Brussel, N.Y., in 1968, was donated to UVic in 1994 by university benefactors Dr. Bruce and Dorothy Brown.

The Gutenberg Bible facsimile is available for public viewing Mondays through Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fridays 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Also on permanent display in UVic Special Collections is a selection of other items donated by the Browns, including: an ancient cuneiform tablet, an Egyptian hieroglyph, a rare map of Edinburgh, a Tudor document, a medal commemorating one of Lord Nelson's military victories, and a document signed by Abraham Lincoln. Special Collections is open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. The internet site is http://uviclib.uvic.ca/spcoll/sc.html.

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