The Ruth & Dr. Lyle M. Sellers Collection
at Bridwell Library

18 October - 18 December 2002

In the Fall of 2002 Bridwell Library exhibited highlights from one of the finest private collections of rare books ever created in Dallas.  The collection was assembled more than fifty years ago by Dr. Lyle M. Sellers (1894-1964), chief of the otolaryngology department at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas from 1946 to 1963. Stored at the Baylor Health Sciences Library for nearly forty years, the collection consists of approximately 2000 books, including early medical books on the the ear, nose, and throat, and more than 100 rare manuscripts and early printed books in all fields of learning. For purposes of improved preservation, the most precious of the rare books were placed on long-term deposit at Bridwell Library in 2001.

Central to the exhibit were the early manuscripts, including four exquisitely illuminated medieval Books of Hours, several highly decorated liturgical books, a fine gilded Koran, an ancient papyrus fragment, and an important medical treatise in Hebrew dated 1466. Printed materials from the fifteenth century consisted of a leaf of the Gutenberg Bible and thirteen rare incunabula, including several early translations of Arabic medical texts.  Other sciences were represented by important works by Aristotle, Galileo, and Audubon, and highlights from nineteenth-century English literature included famous first editions by Dickens, Twain, and Lewis Carroll.  Also of interest were several books once owned by famous personages, many fine historical bindings, and important monuments from the history of book illustration.

MEDICINE AND SCIENCE

The main thrust of Dr. Sellers’ collecting interest was directed toward his area of greatest scholarly expertise, early medicine and the natural sciences. He owned early editions of many of the most revolutionary scientific works, and his books constitute one of the finest private libraries of specialized medical literature anywhere in the United States. The small number of medical books deposited at Bridwell Library were selected mainly for their rarity and their significance within the broader history of book production and illustration.

EARLY WRITING AND PRINTING

Dr. Sellers had a profound interest in early writing and the invention and early spread of printing. His collection of manuscript specimens spanned nearly 2000 years, from an ancient papyrus fragment to modern calligraphy. The earliest European printing is represented by none other than a precious leaf from the Gutenberg Bible, and thirteen incunabula (books printed before 1501) demonstrate the rapid spread of the new technology.

SCRIPTURE AND LITURGY

A man of deep religious conviction, Dr. Sellers placed a parchment Torah scroll at the center of his library, and for each of his fine books he produced a personal bookplate that read in Hebrew "God is with me, I shall not fear." Just as his knowledge and interests were broad and diverse, he had profound respect for the writings of all great religions. Not surprisingly, then, his collection includes a large representation of Hebrew and Christian scriptures, books for church liturgy and personal piety, and a beautifully illuminated Qu’ran and an Islamic book of prayers. The presence of these books, particularly the medieval manuscripts, contribute significantly to Bridwell Library’s important position among American theological and rare book libraries.

BOOKS OF HOURS

The best-seller of the late Middle Ages, the Book of Hours was designed for private Christian devotion several times each day. It was comprised of Latin prayers, psalms, and other texts excerpted from the liturgy of the clergy, albeit customized for the regional and even personal preferences of the laity. The essential components included a calendar of Christian feast days; the Hours of the Virgin Mary, to be recited during the eight canonical hours of the day; the Seven Penitential Psalms; the litany of saints; the Office of the Dead for the commendation of deceased souls; and the suffrages of the saints. Additional prayers focused specifically on the Virgin Mary or favorite local saints.

The widespread appeal of such books among modern collectors without doubt derives mainly from their illuminated miniatures and decorative borders. Exemplifying the styles of outstanding Flemish, French, and Italian artists, the illuminations in the Books of Hours acquired by Dr. Sellers attest to his great love and knowledge of the history of art. His Books of Hours are among the finest and most important illuminated manuscripts ever seen in Dallas, and each merits continued study by specialists.

LITERATURE

Lest Dr. Sellers emerge as a man steeped only in the arts, sciences, and theology of past centuries, it is important to recognize his fondness for modern literature. Here he revealed his enjoyment of the humor, adventurous spirit, and social commentary of Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Charles Dickens, and Lewis Carroll, among others. In addition to the educational purposes of his library, he would have admitted that a major motivation was the love of collecting.  The latter is evident in the care he took to track down the earliest issues of these highly collectible editions, all revealing literary tastes that have withstood the test of time.