Archives West Finding Aid

Albertsons Library at Boise State University holds an original leaf from an illuminated manuscript book believed to date back to late 15th-century France. The printing press had already been invented, but the art of the handwritten book had not vanished. The book from which this leaf came was known as a book of hours, a devotional book of psalms and prayers. Its owner was probably quite wealthy, as only the rich could commission a book of such artistry. The text is in Latin. The size of the parchment leaf is 6.75 by 5 inches (17 x 12.5 cm). This manuscript was the gift of the estate of the late Ruth McBirney, head librarian at Boise Junior College and Boise State University from the 1950s through the 1970s. In a letter recounting her acquisition of the leaf in 1955, Miss McBirney lamented the loss of the book from which it came, but expressed satisfaction that at least a portion of it survived. Among the features of this manuscript worth noting is the application of gold to a number of the words. The miniature on the verso of the leaf depicts the stoning of St. Stephen in A.D. 36, even though the saint and his antagonist look more like medieval characters than men of the first century.