Otto Ege Explained

Otto F. Ege (1888 - 1951)[1] was a teacher, lecturer, bookseller, and well-known book-breaker. He worked for many years at the Cleveland Institute of Art where he served as Chair of the Department of Teacher Training,[2] instructor of Lettering, Layout, and Typography,[2] and Dean.[1] He was also employed by the School of Library Science at Case Western Reserve University as a lecturer on the History of the Book,[1] and instructor of History and Art of the Book.[2]

Otto Ege's greatest fame, however, came as a result of his book-breaking. Over a period of decades in the early 20th century, Ege systematically removed the pages of some 50 illuminated medieval manuscripts,[1] and divided them into 40 unique compilation boxes,[3] commonly referred to as "Otto Ege Portfolios". These portfolios were in turn sold and distributed world wide.[3] Although strong profits were made from each sale, Ege defended his actions by stating, "Surely to allow a thousand people 'to have and to hold' an original manuscript leaf, and to get a thrill and understanding that comes only from actual and frequent contact with these art heritages, is justification enough for the scattering of fragments".[4]

Over the last several years, Prof. Peter Stoicheff of the University of Saskatchewan has been working to locate all existing Ege Portfolios, and to foster co-operation from their respective owners in creating an "Ege Medieval Manuscript Database" with the ultimate goal being the digital reconstruction of the complete books.[5]

Ege's personal collection, including 50 unbroken manuscript books, was in 2015 acquired by the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library (part of Yale University Library).[6]

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: Otto F. Ege Collection of Fifty Original Manuscript Leaves . University of South Carolina, University Libraries Digital Collections.
  2. Web site: Barbara A. Shailor to lecture at Wells College, Wells Book Arts Center . August 2003 . ExLibris.
  3. Web site: Remaking the Book: Digitally Reconstructing the Otto Ege Manuscript Portfolios . University of Saskatchewan . https://web.archive.org/web/20210904102036/https://wayback.archive-it.org/14753/20201021201523/http://library2.usask.ca/ege/ . 4 September 2021 . 4 September 2021.
  4. Web site: Fred Porcheddu . Otto F. Ege: Teacher, Collector, Biblioclast . https://web.archive.org/web/20120206113737/http://www.arlisna.org/news/conferences/2006/proceedings/ses_12-porcheddu-handout2.pdf . Art Libraries Society of North American . 6 May 2006 . 6 February 2012 . 4 September 2021.
  5. Symposium to look at ancient pages . https://web.archive.org/web/20210904101834/https://wayback.archive-it.org/3890/20210112143828/https://ocnarchives.usask.ca/05-apr-29/news10.shtml . . University of Saskatchewan on Campus News . 12 . 17 . 29 April 2005 . 4 September 2021 . 4 September 2021.
  6. Web site: Mike Cummings . Beinecke Library acquires 'treasure trove' of medieval manuscripts from a famed 'book breaker' . https://web.archive.org/web/20210301020201/https://news.yale.edu/2015/11/15/beinecke-library-acquires-treasure-trove-medieval-manuscripts-famed-book-breaker . YaleNews . 15 November 2015 . 1 March 2021 . 4 September 2021.