Printing Time:

When Thielman Kerver printed this book of hours in 1507 he likely imagined it would end up in Catalonia, a destination hinted at both from the inclusion of saints revered there as well as an unusual text he included. Now, however, Kerver’s book has made another journey, having entered Portland State University Library’s Special Collections in 2018 with the generous support of the Hunter Fund, a gift of PSU alumnus Gordon Hunter.

Here we present the research undertaken by our students in the Medieval Portland Capstone in Spring 2018, when PSU students delved into key issues surrounding this book from the earliest decades of printing. Their work was mentored by Professors Anne McClanan of Portland State and Maud Pérez-Simon of the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, a visiting scholar who lent her expertise in medieval manuscripts.

This class culminated the students’ Portland State University Studies general education requirements. Their majors ranged from Physics to Art History, so we are all the more grateful for their tenacious research on some very challenging topics, all undertaken over a mere ten weeks. We’d also like to thank Carolee Harrison and Cris Paschild of Special Collections, for their ongoing support of PSU students’ first-hand research of these items that serve to open up the past.

Anne McClanan, Ph.D.

Maud Pérez-Simon, Ph.D.

Student Research: Texts and Contexts

Student Research: The Kerver Book's Images