The IU Lilly Library is home to several historical literary artifacts ranging from rare manuscripts to locks of hair belonging to acclaimed American writer and poet Edgar Allen Poe. Here’s a guide to some of the rarest artifacts at the Lilly Library.
The Gutenberg Bible
The Lilly Library contains a copy of the New Testament of the Gutenberg Bible — one of just 49 copies in existence according to the Library of Congress. The book was the first major European printed book and was produced by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-1450s. The Lilly Library houses other notable Bibles from history as well, including the First Bible printed in America and the First New Testament printed in Greek.
Literary artifacts
The Lilly Library has a collection of culturally and historically significant documents, manuscripts, and books including Thomas Jefferson’s personal copy of the first printing of the Bill of Rights and the first printed edition of the Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer.
Locks of Edgar Allen Poe’s hair
According to a video by the Indiana University Foundation titled “Six Wonders of the Lilly Library,” the library has curated two locks of Edgar Allen Poe’s hair. One was sent as a token of love with a letter Poe wrote to American poet and essayist Sarah Helen Whitman, on Nov. 8, 1848. The other was retrieved from Poe’s deathbed and is preserved in a brooch.
The largest puzzle collection of its kind
The library is home to the Jerry Slocum Mechanical Puzzle Collection with over 34,000 mechanical puzzles making it the largest collection of its kind. As per the IU Libraries Calender, The Lilly Library will be hosting weekly tours of the collection 1 p.m. Fridays until Dec. 20. The tour will be guided by the curator of puzzles at the museum, Andrew Rhoda. Visitors will see highlights from the collection that are on display in the Slocum Room and try out a selection of them as part of the tour.
There will also be weekly guided tours of the Lilly Library 2 p.m. Fridays until Dec. 20. Visitors will explore the library’s main galleries and the Reading Room where murals by artist Ralph Gilbert can be seen. Visitors will learn about the significant items the library houses.
Both tours are free, open to all and do not require any reservations. Each tour lasts about an hour and seating is available throughout. The building is wheelchair accessible. Visitors are permitted to take non-flash photos.
