Blogs

By Jason Paul Bourgeois, Ph.D., Librarian-Theologian, Marian Library

The Marian Library has recently acquired a rare book entitled De Laudibus Beate Marie Virginis, published in Strasbourg in 1493. It was originally thought to be the work of St. Albert the Great, but is now attributed to Richard of St. Laurent. The book consists of 12 chapters that provide an encyclopedic overview of theological reflection on the Blessed Virgin Mary. The text is printed using Latin manuscript type, with the initial letters (capitals) printed in red. The book is folio sized, bound in leather with subtle decorative stamping on the covers and spine, and is fitted with brass clamps to hold the book closed when not in use. Previously it had been owned by a Carmelite monastery in Frankfurt.

This book is one of over 6,000 volumes that make up the Brother William Fackovec, S.M. Rare Book Collection in the Marian Library at the University of Dayton. It is one of a handful of incunabula in the collection, making it especially rare. 

The Marian Library is recognized nationally and internationally as a center for scholarship on the Blessed Virgin Mary. It serves the research needs of faculty and students of the International Marian Research Institute, the broader University of Dayton community, and visitors throughout the world.  If interested in learning more about the collection materials of the Marian Library, please e-mail mlimri@udayton.edu.

See the photo gallery for beautiful and detailed photographs of De Laudibus Beate Marie Virginis.