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OPEN BOOK

~ News from the Rare Books Department of Special Collections at the J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah

OPEN BOOK

Monthly Archives: September 2015

You are invited! — Read Banned Books!

29 Tuesday Sep 2015

Posted by rarebooks in Events, Physical Exhibitions

≈ 2 Comments

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Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, banned books, Catcher in the Rye, dialogo, Galileo, J. D. Salinger, J. Willard Marriott Library, Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), Leviathan, Mark Twain, Marriott Library, rare books, Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), Travels

Exercise your right to read! Read from your favorite banned book.
Banned books open reading:

BannedBooks

Wednesday, September 30
11AM to 1PM
Library Plaza
J. Willard Marriott Library

Someone doesn’t want you to read, but we do!

Visit “SHHHHH!” on level 4

SHHHHH-UBN

Rare Books presents books, pamphlets, newspapers, and magazines that were banned, forbidden, censored, redacted, expurgated, published anonymously and otherwise attempted to be kept from public consumption. From religious and political writings to science, philosophy and poetry, these pieces of paper were deemed by some too dangerous to exist. On display are first editions of Galileo’s Dialogo (1632), Hobbes’ Leviathan (1651), Swift’s Travels (1726), Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye (1951) and others, too hot to handle hot off the press.

 

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Book of the Week – Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World

28 Monday Sep 2015

Posted by rarebooks in Book of the Week

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Benjamin Motte, Dublin, eighteenth century, English, engraving, Enlightenment, Irish, John Sturt, Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), Lemuel Gulliver, London, portrait, Robert Steensma, seventeenth century, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Teerlink AA, Teerlink B, The University of Utah, travel, William Sheppard


Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World
Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)
London: B. Motte, 1726
First edition
PR3724 G7 1726

When Travels by “Lemuel Gulliver” was first published, only a few close friends knew that the real author was Jonathan Swift, the Dean of the Anglican St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. Swift, a native Dubliner, was involved in several political controversies during his lifetime, particularly in relation to the treatment of the Irish by the English.

Travels was a none-too-subtle, bitter satire of English royalty, politicians, scientists, and historians. Styled after popular travel and exploration narratives of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the imaginative storytelling lambastes the much-lauded human reason of the Enlightenment. In Travels, Swift suggests that no change in governmental form would ever effect any lasting change in political behavior. Mankind, never noble for long under any circumstances, would always face the same unequivocal self: full of greed, excess, corruption, exploitation, violence, and decadence.

Benjamin Motte, a London printer, received an anonymous letter requesting that “Captain Gulliver’s” memoirs be published. A manuscript, probably copied in a hand other than Swift’s, was delivered, and one short month later, the book went on sale, after the publisher negotiated the softening of several passages. The book’s first printing sold out in a week. The combination of deadpan reporting, exotic experiences, and jaundiced backward glances at English society made the book an immediate success. Thus, the successful publication of a book politically loaded in a time before freedom of the press was but a gleam in a few revolutionary’s eyes.

The frontispiece is a fine example of eighteenth-century English book illustration. The engraved portrait of Swift is by John Sturt and William Sheppard (II?). University of Utah copy (“Teerlink B” edition) gift from Robert Steensma, second University of Utah copy (“Teerlink AA” edition) gift of Anonymous.

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Rare Books acquisition made possible with help from Latin American Studies

24 Thursday Sep 2015

Posted by rarebooks in Uncategorized

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accordion, Aesop, Alabama, Alan Sundberg, Allesandro Zanella, American, American Institute of Graphic Arts, Anthony O'Hara, Antonio Frasconi, Argentina, Art Students League in New York City, ASU School of Art, avante-garde, Biennale, broadside, Buenos Aries, Caldecott Medal, California, Carlos Oquendo de Amat (1905-1936), Cartiere Enrico Magnani, Catholic, Center for Latin American Studies, Cesar Vallejo (1892-1938), Charles Baudelaire, children, Chile, Christmas, Claribel Alegria (b. 1924), Communist Party, Cottondale, Craig Jensen, Cuba, David M. Guss, Distinguished Teaching Professor of Visual Arts, Ernesto Cardenal (b. 1924), European, fables, Gabriel Mistral (1889-1957), Gabriel Rummonds, George Wieck, Glenway Wescott, Goudy modern, Guggenheim Fellowship, H. Berthold A.G., Henry Holt & Company, Idea Vilarino (1902-2009), Isla Vista, Italian, Italo Calvino, Italy, Japan, Japanese paper, Joaquin Pasos (1914-1977), John Risseeuw, Joseph Blumenthal, Juan Gelman (1930-2014), Juana de Ibarbourou (1892-1979), Kitty Hawk, La Editorial Minerva, Lake Titicaca, Latin American Studies, Lima, linoleum blocks, Marco Antonio Montes de Oca (1932-2009), Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mexico, Mohawk, Montevideo, Museum of Modern Art, National Academy of Design, National Gallery of Art, New York City, New York Public Library, Nicanor Parra (b. 1914), Nicaragua, Nicolás Guillén (1902-1989), Octavio Paz (1914-1998), Pablo Neruda (1904-1973), Panama, paste paper, Peru, Plain Wrapper Press, poetry, Post Mediaeval, postage stamps, printer, Puno, Purchase, Pyracantha Press, rare books, Republic of Uruguay, Robert Frost (1874-1963), Roberto Fernandez Retamar (b. 1930), Sanctuary, Sergio Pausig, Smithsonian, Sorbonne, Spain, Spiral Press, State University of New York, Tempe, The House That Jack Built, The University of Utah, Tom and Elfie Rummonds, Turkey Press, type, typeface, United States, Uruguay, Venice, Vicente Garcia Huidobro Fernandez (1893-1948), Walt Whitman, Washington handpress, William Weaver (1923-2013), woodcuts, World War I, World War II

Thanks to generous support from the Center for Latin American Studies, Rare Books has purchased a rare copy of a work by Argentinian artist Antonio Frasconi.

19-Poemas-Spread1 19-poemas-Spread2 19-Poemas

19 Poemas de Hispano America
Antonio Frasconi (1919-2013)
South Norwalk, CT: 1969
PQ7798.16 R374 D5 1969

Twenty-one full-page color woodcuts, each signed by the artist. Printed on Japanese paper. Poets include Juana de Ibarbourou (1892 – 1979, Uruguay), Cesar Vallejo (1892-1938, Peru), Vicente Garcia Huidobro Fernandez (1893-1948, Chile), Gabriel Mistral (1889-1957, Chile), Nicolas Guillen (1902-1989, Cuba), Pablo Neruda (1904-1973, Chile), Nicanor Parra (b. 1914, Chile), Joaquin Pasos (1914-1977, Nicaragua), Octavio Paz (1914-1998, Mexico), Idea Vilarino (1920-2009, Uruguay), Claribel Alegria (b. 1924, Nicaragua), Ernesto Cardenal (b. 1924, Nicaragua), Juan Gelman (1930-2014, Argentina), Roberto Fernandez Retamar (b. 1930, Cuba), Marco Antonio Montes de Oca (1932-2009, Mexico). Issued in orange cloth tray case made by George Wieck. Edition of fifteen signed copies. The University of Utah copy is no. 3.

Antonio Frasconi was born in Buenos Aries and grew up in Montevideo, Uruguay. His parents, of Italian descent, had moved from Italy to Argentina during World War I. At the age of twelve, he began apprenticing with a printer. Frasconi liked the idea of making multiples in order to offer art at reasonable prices. Frasconi moved to the United States from Argentina in 1945 at the end of World War II on a scholarship to study at the Art Students League in New York City. In 1952, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship. In 1959, he was a runner-up for the Caldecott Medal, an honor awarded to the illustrator of the best American picture book for children. The House That Jack Built, was also written by Frasconi and remains a favorite today. He was elected into the National Academy of Design as an associate member and became a full Academician in 1969. In 1982, Frasconi was named Distinguished Teaching Professor of Visual Arts at the State University of New York at Purchase. Frasconi illustrated more than one hundred books. His woodcuts appeared on album and magazine covers, holiday cards, calendars, posters and a U.S. postage stamp. His work is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the New York Public Library, the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian and private collections.

19 Poemas de Hispano America joins several other pieces illustrated by Frasconi in the rare book collections:

12 Fables of Aesop
New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1954
PA3855 E5 W48

Linoleum blocks by Antonio Frasconi illustrate fables adapted by Glenway Wescott. The book was designed by Joseph Blumenthal and honored by the American Institute of Graphic Arts as one of the year’s 50 best books. Edition of nine hundred and seventy-five signed copies. University of Utah copy is no. 724.



Kitty Hawk, 1894
Robert Frost (1874-1963)
New York: Spiral Press, 1956
PS3511 R94 K57 1956

Issued as holiday greetings from Henry Holt and Company, Christmas, 1956.

PS3511-R94-K57-1956-dustjacket


Kaleidoscope in Woodcuts
Antonio Frasconi
New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1968; Japan: Zokeisha Publications, Ltd., 1968
NE1112 F72 A4 1968

Printed to honor Antonio Frasconi by the Republic of Uruguay at the 34th Biennale in Venice. Color reproductions of woodcuts printed on a continuous strip of paper folded accordion style. Bound in grey cloth boards. Issued in black slipcase with printed paper label. University of Utah copy gift of Gabriel Rummonds.

NE1112-F72-A4-1968-spread


Overhead the Sun: Lines from Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman (1819-1892)
New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1969
First edition
PS3204 F65

Color woodcuts by Antonio Frasconi. University of Utah copy signed by artist.

PS3204-F65-SunImage


¡Apoye santuario!
Tempe: ASU School of Art Pyracantha Press, 1985
HV645 F73 1985

Broadside designed and printed by Antonio Frasconi and John Risseeuw “in support of the churches that take part in the new underground railroad known as Sanctuary.” – from the colophon. University of Utah copy nol. 123, signed by the designers.

HV645-F73-1985


Prima che tu dica « Pronto »
Italo Calvino
Cottondale, AL: Plain Wrapper Press, 1985
PQ4809 A45 P713 1985

From Fantasies and Hard Knocks, Gabriel Rummonds, 2015: “…in October 1983 Antonio Frasconi invited me to give a talk to a group of art students at the State University of New York at Purchase. During that visit he inquired about the Calvino project and I reluctantly had to admit that I still had not published it – partly because I had been unable to find an artist who would work within my specified parameters. I related the problems I had had working with Alan Sundberg and Sergio Pausig. Antonio, who had always wanted to illustrate at least one PWP book, asked me to send the manuscript to him, saying he would like to give it another try. Knowing of his wonderful landscapes and not wanting to risk disappointment again, I gave up on the idea of having circular illustrations and suggested that he use the geographic locations mentioned in the story as themes for his illustrations. And that is exactly what he did with great success.”

PQ4809-A45-P7713-1985-LandscapeSpread

English translation by William Weaver (1923-2013). The aesthetic and technical challenge of binding this edition inspired Craig Jensen to pursue edition binding over an intended career in book conservation. It also marked the beginning of his work with master printer Gabriel Rummonds. Illustrated with four multi-colored woodcuts by Antonio Frasconi. Printed on an 1847 Washington handpress by Gabriel Rummonds and Alessandro Zanella. Some pages printed on double leaves. Type is handset Post Mediaeval cast by H. Berthold A.G. Paper handmade at the Cartiere Enrico Magnani, printed damp. Tan quarter leather with paste paper sides by Antony O’Hara. Binding is a tight joint, in-boards style, incorporating a spine hollow and handsewn silk endbands. Housed in a cloth-covered, drop-spine box with the Plain Wrapper Press device set in a recess on front board. Edition of seventy-five numbered copies, signed by the poet and the artist. University of Utah copy is no. 4, printed for Tom and Elfie Rummonds.

PQ4809-A45-P713-1985-spread


Five Meters of Poems
Carlos Oquendo de Amat (1905-1936)
Isla Vista, CA: Turkey Press, 1986
First English edition
PQ8497 O5 C513 1986

Carlos Oquendo de Amat was born in Puno, Peru, but spent most of his childhood on the streets of Lima. Puno was a provincial capital on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Amat’s father was a Sorbonne-educated progressive newspaper publisher, a prominent member of Puno society and a vocal opponent of Peru’s conservative Catholic establishment. Upon the death of his father in 1918, Amat and his mother moved from genteel comfort in Pano to poverty in Lima, at a time when the city experienced growth and transformation in the form of new working and professional classes. Amat became a part of an extensive avant-garde poetry movement in Lima. Cinco metros de poemas is his only publication, written between 1923 and 1925, and printed in 1927, when Amat was 19. The original publication, produced in Lima by La Editorial Minerva, was printed on a single sheet of folded paper five meters long. The lines were composed in varying layouts throughout the sheet. The poem-object is reminiscent of earlier and contemporary European modernist movements that included poets such as Baudelaire and known to the literati in Lima. Amat joined the Communist Party, and spent the rest of his life in and out of jail for dissent. He contracted tuberculosis in prison. He was deported to Panama, from where he managed to get to Spain. He died there shortly after he arrived and just before the Spanish civil war. Translation of Cinco metros de poemas by David M. Guss, with an introduction by Guss. Illustrated with woodcuts by Antonio Frasconi. Formed as one folded sheet, five meters long. Typeface is Goudy modern. Paper is Mohawk. Edition of three hundred copies.

PQ8497-O6-C513-1986

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“Contentment is analogous with a man and his books” — Anonymous gives again!

23 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by rarebooks in Donations

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"Public Sentiment: A 19th Century War of Words", book collecting, donation, Marriott Library, rare books, slavery, The Amateur Book Collector, Uncle Tom's Cabin, W. B. Thorsen

 

Ever wondered about book collecting? “Anonymous” recently donated copies of The Amateur Book Collector to Rare Books.

The first issue was published in September 1950 by W.B. Thorsen. “We are a magazine in embryo, staffed by young people and guided by men and women with years of experience in the world of books…Whittier said that contentment is ‘the harvest of song of inward joy’ and contentment is analogous with a man and his books.”

With these humble beginnings, the magazine published issues for the next 25 years.

While the Marriott Library already holds issues from 1959 to 1975, it is with great pleasure that we add these earlier issues (1951 through 1955) to our collection.

Vol. 1, no. 10, June, 1951 celebrates the 100th anniversary of the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a book we featured in our 2010 exhibition, “Public Sentiment: A Nineteenth-Century War of Words,” where you can read about the impact of Uncle Tom’s Cabin on 19th century attitudes regarding slavery and see an image from our first edition.

The Amateur Book Collector

Thank you, Anonymous!

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Book of the Week – THE WORKS OF VIRGIL: CONTAINING HIS PASTORALS,…

22 Tuesday Sep 2015

Posted by rarebooks in Book of the Week

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Aeneas, Aeneid, Alexander Pope, Antwerp, Augustus, coats of arms, Cologne, Earl of Arundel, England, English, engraved plates, engraving, etching, Frankfurt, Great Fire of 1666, illustration, Jacob Tonson, John Dryden, London, Marcellus, Matthaus Merian, Octavia, Parliament, pastorals, patronage, Prague, Prince of Wales, subscription, Thomas Howard, translation, verse, Virgil, Wenzal Hollar (1607-1677), William III


THE WORKS OF VIRGIL: CONTAINING HIS PASTORALS,…
London: Printed for Jacob Tonson, 1697
First edition
PA6807 .A1 D7 1697

Translated into English verse by John Dryden. Alexander Pope called Dryden’s translation “the most noble and spirited translation I know in any language.” The book was published by subscription, a method of publishing by which the subscriber’s patronage enabled the production of particularly lavish books. In all, one hundred and one persons subscribed. For five guineas they would each have a full-page illustration in their copy with their names and coat of arms. A second subscription list went out after Dryden had completed half the translation. These subscribers paid two guineas for their copy, which did not include plates dedicated to them. Two hundred and fifty copies were added for this list. Correspondence between Dryden and Jacob Tonson reveal several arguments during the publication process. One such quarrel evolved over the desire of Tonson to dedicate the book to William III and Dryden’s refusal to do so. Tonson made sure that the engravings were adapted so that Aeneas sported a hooked nose a la William. Illustrated with one hundred and one engraved plates by Wenzel Hollar (1607-1677) as well as an engraved title-page and a full-page engraving of Virgil reciting the Marcellus passage in Aeneid Bk VI to Augustus and Octavia. Hollar, born in Prague, studied engraving in Frankfurt in 1627 with publisher Matthaus Merian. In 1633, he was working in Cologne. Under the patronage of Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel, he moved to England in 1637, where he taught drawing to the Prince of Wales. He fought in the ranks of the King, was captured by Parliament and escaped to Antwerp in 1644. He returned to London in 1652, where he died in poverty. A master etcher he was recognized in his own time and to this day for his work, producing nearly three thousand plates, many of which illustrated books such as this. He is best known for his etchings of London after the Great Fire of 1666. He married and had a daughter, described by a contemporary as “one of the greatest beauties I have seen.” A son died in the plague. He had several children by a second wife. Bound in contemporary speckled calf, the spine tooled in gold.

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Congratulations to Floyd and Greg!

21 Monday Sep 2015

Posted by rarebooks in Uncategorized

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Floyd O'Neil, Greg Thompson, Gregory C. Thompson, Gregory C. Thompson Award, Marriott Library, Special Collections, The University of Utah

On Saturday night at the Marriott Library’s first ever “Appreciation Celebration,” the Gregory C. Thompson Award was officially unveiled and bestowed to long-time library supporter and dear friend, Floyd O’Neil. The award was created in Greg’s name to represent the many contributions that Greg has made to the library over the course of the last 30 (plus) years and for his development of an extraordinary Special Collections division. Congratulations to both Floyd and Greg! The University of Utah
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Rare Books Goes to the Natural History Museum of Utah!

18 Friday Sep 2015

Posted by rarebooks in Events, Newspaper Articles, Online Exhibitions, Radio, Rare Books Loans, Recommended Exhibition

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Charles Darwin, evolution, genetics, genome, KSL News Radio, KUER, Luise Poulton, Michael Shapiro, Museum of Natural History of Utah, natural selection, pigeons, rare books, The University of Utah

Rare Books has contributed to a new exhibit at the Natural History Museum of Utah. Our first editions of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, 1859 and Variations of Plants and Animals Under Domestication, vol. 1, 1868, are on display in

Pigeons
Natural History Museum of Utah
September 19, 2015 through January 2, 2016

Find out how Charles Darwin, the father of modern evolutionary thought, relied on pigeons to formulate and communicate his theory of natural selection. Then meet a University of Utah biologist following in Darwin’s footsteps. Glimpse inside Dr. Michael Shapiro’s lab to see how he investigates the pigeon genome to reveal how evolution works at the genetic level.

For more information visit the Natural History Museum of Utah’s website.

For more information on Darwin and the related Rare Books collections visit our online exhibition, The Evolution of Darwin.

QH365-O2-1859-ED QH365-V2-1868-ED

Managing Curator, Luise Poulton, talks about the books and collaboration with the Natural History Museum of Utah on KSL News Radio.

The exhibition was featured on KUER local news.

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Daily Utah Chronicle Article – Banned Books Come to Marriott Library

16 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by rarebooks in Chronicle, Newspaper Articles, Physical Exhibitions

≈ 1 Comment

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Alison Conner, banned books, Daily Utah Chronicle, Kylee Ehmann, Luise Poulton, Marriott Library, rare books, Special Collections Reading Room

KYLEE EHMANN of the Daily Utah Chronicle writes about the Rare Books exhibition SHHHHH!

Banned Books Come to Marriott Library

banned-books-3

“Poulton said that while an exhibition like this may seem dated in an era where information is primarily spread via the internet, she thinks it’s important for students to know the historical ways people have communicated controversial topics.

‘[The internet is] revolutionary in the way we see our world and the way we get our information, but it’s not the first revolution as far as the way we get our information by a long shot,’ she said. ‘This is a human struggle — this is a human story of trying to get information out.'”

All these books are a permanent part of Rare Books. Anyone can visit the books in person on level 4 of the Marriott Library, as part of the exhibition through November 1, and in the Special Collection Reading Room after the exhibition ends.

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We recommend – Women’s Studio Workshop presentation and lecture

16 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by rarebooks in Recommended Lecture, Recommended Workshop

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Ann Kalmbach, Book Arts Program, Book Arts Studio, J. Willard Marriott Library, Rare Books Classroom, Tatana Kellner, The University of Utah, Women's Studio Workshop

WomensWorkshop

Welcome, Tatana Kellner and Ann Kalmbach, Women’s Studio Workshop

Thursday, September 17

2PM – 5PM
Hands-on look at book work
Book Arts Studio & Rare Books Classroom, Level 4
J. Willard Marriott Library
The University of Utah

6PM – to 7:30PM
Lecture
Rare Books Classroom, Level 4
J. Willard Marriott Library
The University of Utah

Presentation and lecture sponsored by the Book Arts Program. Both events are free and open to the public.

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Book of the Week – The Works of the Learned Sir Thomas Brown…

14 Monday Sep 2015

Posted by rarebooks in Book of the Week

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Charles Brome, Charles Mearn, Francis Bacon (1561-1626), Garden of Eden, hanging gardens of Babylon, horticulture, King Cyrus, London, Persian, quincunx, Thomas Browne (1605-1682)


The Works of the Learned Sir Thomas Brown…
Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682)
London: Printed for Tho. Basset, Ric. Chiswell, Tho. Sawbridge, Charles Mearn, and Charles Brome, 1686
First collected edition
PR3327 A1 1686

Sir Thomas Browne took up a suggestion made by Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) in his Advancement of Learning that there should be a list compiled of erroneous beliefs in the fields of natural sciences and general knowledge. Browne, a tireless observer, used a combination of authoritative testimonies, reason, and experimentation in an attempt to dispose of hundreds of current common fallacies.

One of the most fantastic of Browne’s studies is in part 3 of Works, “Urn-Burial: Together with the Garden of Cyrus.” Browne begins with the Garden of Eden and traces the history of horticulture down to the time of the Persian King Cyrus.  The king is credited with having been the first to plant trees in a quincunx, a distinctive spatial arrangement of five objects. Browne claimed to have discovered that this quincuncial arrangement also appeared in the hanging gardens of Babylon, leading him into a discussion about the mystical qualities of the number five.

And so science goes.

 

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