South SFV Today

Among the extensive collection at Stanford's Special Collections, a 15th-century manuscript of Virgil's works has captured the interest of Benjamin Albritton, the university’s rare books curator. The manuscript includes "Bucolics," "Georgics," and "The Aeneid" by Roman poet Virgil. Albritton is tracing its 600-year journey from Italy to Stanford, revealing its historical significance and value beyond monetary worth.

Albritton notes that while the manuscript may not be visually impressive, it holds an important story. “It tells a story,” he says. “We like things that are scruffy, that have been used.” The artifact exemplifies the purpose of Special Collections in preserving history through use.

The recent history of this manuscript begins with Joseph Jarnick, a nontraditional student at Stanford in 1903. Jarnick purchased the manuscript from Germany while working as a classics teacher after earning his degrees in Latin at Stanford. In correspondence with his professor Henry Rushton Fairclough, Jarnick expressed his acquisition: “I was able to purchase from Germany a Virgil M.S. [manuscript] of the fifteenth century.”

Jarnick owned the book for three years before dying from a ruptured appendix in 1906. On his deathbed, he requested that Fairclough receive the manuscript. Fairclough cherished it as one of his most prized possessions due to its connection to Virgil’s literary legacy.

“Virgil is one of the most important authors of antiquity,” says Robert Pogue Harrison, emeritus professor at Stanford. He highlights how such manuscripts can attract students' interest by their rich backstories.

After Fairclough's death in 1938, the book was donated to Stanford Libraries where it became part of their medieval collection. Despite lacking an original copy by Virgil himself, Albritton emphasizes its historical research value: “All we’re doing is looking at copies over and over again.”

Stanford Libraries aim to preserve artifacts without restoring them to their original state entirely. Richenda Brim oversees preservation efforts ensuring items withstand handling while maintaining historical evidence like doodles or stains.

In digitizing efforts led by Albritton since joining Stanford in 2019, analysis revealed hidden writing on vellum pages originally used as court documents in Ferrara, Italy—providing further insight into its provenance.

Albritton acknowledges Fairclough’s rebinding might have erased some evidence but believes capturing history within these artifacts establishes Stanford as a future research hub: “History is being captured here,” he says.