Rare book turns 500

WEST LAFAYETTE -- Purdue University librarians are marking the 500th anniversary of the printing of a Latin love poetry book that is the oldest in the school's collection.\nPurdue unintentionally acquired the book in 1965 when it paid $28,000 for a collection of economics books, pamphlets and periodicals from a London museum.\n"The book has nothing to do with economics," said Judith Nixon, Purdue's management and economics librarian. "This just happened to be a treasure we found."\nThe university now estimates that collection is valued at $150,000.\nThe untitled poetry book was printed in 1502 by Aldus Manutius of Venice, Italy, who Nixon said showed that books could reach the most people by being produced in convenient sizes and at reasonable prices.\n"He is the publisher associated with the production of small, pocket-sized books -- the equivalent of the modern paperback book," she said. "It's not a fancy book."\nThe book is bound in Moroccan leather and tooled in gold and is embossed in gold on the front and back covers. To preserve the book, and others in the special collection, a room on Krannert Building's second floor is maintained at 58 degrees and 55 percent humidity.