Forward & Acknowledgements
Forward
March 21, 2003
This catalog was a long time in the making. Originally the dream and work of one man, its eventual completion ultimately required the labor and commitment of many people. Henry Koch first envisioned a catalog of MSU’s veterinary history collection almost 20 years ago. Koch, who served over several decades as the MSU Libraries’ chief bibliographer, helped to build many great collections, but he was most proud of his bibliographic contributions to the veterinary history collection housed in Special Collections. Considered to be one of the finest rare book collections of its kind in the world, Koch hoped to compile a catalog of its holdings to bring wider access and attention to the collection. He began his work alone, after retirement, but with failing health he called upon a number of assistants to help complete the task. Soon after Koch was forced to leave the project entirely due to health concerns, a draft was completed which then had to be modified, checked, and rechecked for accuracy and consistency before release. This laborious work, which took several years, fell to a number of individuals who are thanked and credited in the acknowledgements. Nevertheless, despite the many hands that ultimately helped to make this catalog a reality, it is and will always with affection be referred to as, “Henry’s catalog.”
The Veterinary Medicine History Collection holds some 1,400 manuscripts and books covering the arts and practices of the veterinary profession from as early as the fifteenth century. Material is from all over the world in many different languages. The collecting focus is primarily on early works published before 1850 in any language. Although a good number of the titles concern the care of the horse, the most important domestic animal of this early period, the MSU collection has works on other animals, as well as relevant items in comparative anatomy and animal husbandry. The collection features thirty manuscripts, one incunable, over forty books from the sixteenth century, and many of the rarest titles in the field. Among the rarities is a fifteenth century Italian manuscript of a veterinary treatise by Giordano Ruffo (MS29), stable master at the court of Frederick II, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. First written in 1250, it is considered the starting point for the regeneration of western veterinary practice. Important printed works include Vegetii Renati Artis veterinairae, sive Mvlomedicinae libri quatuor…(1304), believed to be the first printed veterinary work in 1528, which was followed by the important 1574 (1303) edition; the only known copy of the first edition of the veterinary manual Libro de Albeyteria, (1056), by Francisco de la Reyna, who postulated the circulation of blood eighty years before Harvey’s discovery; Von der Gestuterey (490) by Marcus Fugger, the first illustrated edition of the first German work on the breeding and management of horses; a copy of Veterinariae Medicinae Libri II, (637) the so-called “Collectio Veterinaria,” a collection of extracts from longer works, now lost, compiled at the beginning of the 10th century; Carlo Ruini’s Dell’ Anatomia (1091) and, De Canibus Britannicis (213) by John Caius, the first English printed book on dogs.
Over the years collecting multiple editions of the same title has been emphasized successfully. For example, there are multiple editions of Federico Grisone’s Ordini di Cavalcare, (577-582), including a 1560 manuscript translation in German (MS12) and, of course, several editions of Markham’s Maister-peece (834-836) by the peripatetic Gervase Markham. Several editions of Conrad Heresbach’s Foure Books of Husbandry (621-623) are here as well. Other authors for who the collection holds multiple editions of important titles are Henry Bracken, Bracy Clark, Francis Clater, Thomas de Grey, William Gibson, Richard Lawrence, Richard Mason, J.S. Rarey, William Taplin, and William Youatt.
As Koch wrote in his introduction, the catalog is in alphabetical order and chronological order of publication for exact titles under the same author. A listing of the manuscripts begins the catalog followed appropriately by all the printed works. Cataloging is based on the Anglo-American cataloging rules, second edition, 1988 revision (AACR2), except for some typographical conventions. Descriptions of the works follow the practices as outlined in Pauline Dingley’s Historic Books on Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry. The manuscripts were described more fully given their uniqueness. There has been an attempt to provide pictures for many of the title pages, as well as some of the fine woodcuts, anatomical drawings, and a few curiosities. More will be added as time and resources permit. Newly added works to the collection acquired since 2000 will also be added periodically to this catalog as addendums.
Peter Berg [Librarian Emeritus]
[Former] Head of Special Collections
Michigan State University Libraries
Acknowledgements
In his introduction, Henry Koch thanked a number of people for helping him begin the work of this catalog. After he was forced to leave the project for health reasons, a number of people pitched in to help complete the catalog. Clifford Haka, director of the MSU Libraries, and Richard Chapin, longtime friend of Henry Koch and director emeritus of the MSU Libraries, provided resources and support to continue the work. The major portion of this work fell to Keith Widder, an editor at the MSU Press, who was charged with reformatting the entire catalog for accuracy and consistency. He in turn was helped by Randall W. Scott, Arthur Sherbo, Michael Seadle, and Peter Berg who read through the entire document making corrections and suggesting changes. The work to make the catalog into an electronic resource available for all Internet users was contributed by Michael Seadle and Ruth Ann Jones of the Digital Media Center at Michigan State University Libraries. They were assisted by Andrea McVittie, Elizabeth Bollinger and Stephanie Bour. Theresa Moore and Jeanne Drewes contributed to the layout and design of the print version.