Dissecting Meaning from the Parts: the Anatomy of a Personal Collection

I asked Professor Gavitt if I could tag along, and fortunately he said yes. He was taking his students from St. Louis University on a tour of the Archives and Rare Books section of Becker Medical Library at Washington University. I was hoping to get a glimpse of the Paracelsus collection, but ended up seeing much more. Many of us taking the ARB tour, lead by its unfailingly friendly and helpful librarian, Lilla Vekerdy, had never touched a book from the nineteenth century, much less the sixteenth, and we marveled at the beauty, functionality, and sturdiness of the bound relics. A bit surprised that we were permitted to pick them up, we knocked on the leather and wood bindings, unhinged the clasps, and turned the pages. The ornate script adorning the volumes attracted our curious eyes and set us to looking for recognizable words. Ms. Vekerdy graciously agreed to show us Washington University’s edition of Andreas Vesalius’s De humani corporis fabrica, arguably the most important work on human anatomy ever published and a masterpiece of Renaissance art. I couldn’t resist asking Ms. Vekerdy how much the book is worth, but she assured us that the monetary value, which easily makes it the most expensive book owned by the university, is well beyond that of money. “Wow! ” was heard around the table in whispers as she then threw out an astonishing figure.