Rare 1582 book gifted to the University of North Dakota

GRAND FORKS — We’ve heard that old books just gather dust, but that doesn’t happen at the University of North Dakota.

The Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections at the Chester Fritz Library is celebrating the gift of a rare book printed in 1582.

“For lack of a better word, it is cool,” said Curt Hanson, head of the library’s special collections department.

The book, written in Italian and printed in Venice, Italy, is the oldest in the library’s collection and was gifted to a library employee, David Martin.

Inside the book is valuable information and a philosophy for the military, a “how-to” of sorts.

“Helping you organize your city militia at the time,” Hanson said of the book.

For its age, 444 years, the printed words and the illustrations in the book are still in great shape.

“In comparison to the second oldest book, this is the original binding,” Hanson said.

And while the book is mostly in great condition, it still shows its age in some ways.

“The paper has started to deteriorate, but that is minor,” Hanson said. “The cover is parchment and paper on the inside.”

This book is so rare that it is one of just 11 in North America. It is now available to the public to see and study, but is kept in a special room for safekeeping and climate control.

“This is so cool, and I love having it here,” Hanson said.

This book is old, but a donated book from the Usher Burdick family is a close second: a 1599 Latin philosophy book.