Making a rare donation
[an error occurred while processing this directive] In 1923, an article in a Manhattan newspaper called a Bible owned by the Lumb family "remarkably old."
The Bible mentioned in the article 84 years ago is still around (and even more "remarkably old"). That Bible and two other books were recently donated to Hale Library's Morse Department of Special Collections by K-State alumnus William Lumb.
In addition to the Geneva Bible, which was printed in 1599, Lumb donated a King James Bible printed in 1682 and the "Philadelphia Vocabulary of English and Latin," printed in 1787.
Lumb received his DVM from K-State in 1943 and now resides in Colorado, but he said Hale Library was a natural choice for donating the books.
"I have lots of family history in this area," he said.
Lumb grew up in Manhattan and both his parents attended K-State. His mother graduated in 1908 and his father graduated in 1910.
The books have been in Lumb's family for generations. His grandfather, William E. Lumb, brought the Geneva Bible from Yorkshire, England, to Wakefield in 1869, and they have always been passed down to the youngest son. Although Lumb has a son, he said they agreed the books should be donated to K-State.
"I had been keeping them on a shelf in the family room, and they deserved better," Lumb said.
Not only are the books rare, but the lineage of the books is also unusual, noted Roger Adams, associate professor and rare books librarian.
"There are so few stories in America where things are passed down for centuries," Adams said.
Lumb said the Geneva Bible was printed in Geneva, Switzerland, by English refugees. They had fled England during the reign of Queen Mary I, who ruled from 1553 to 1558. Mary persecuted Protestants, which led many scholars to flee to Geneva, which was then ruled as a republic.
The Geneva Bible is sometimes called a "breeches" Bible. The name comes from a rendering of Genesis 3:7: "Then the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig tree leaves together, and made themselves breeches." Although this Bible wasn't the first to use the term "breeches," it was at the time a popular Bible.
The King James Bible is an English translation of the Bible by the Church of England, beginning in 1604, and first published in 1611. Lumb said his grandfather, who was a Methodist minister, was the first person in his family to own that book.
Library faculty members said they were delighted to receive Lumb's books.
"Our collections are not just for the campus or students and faculty," Adams said. "Gifts like these are wonderful, and to preserve them is part of our mission."
Photos: Roger Adams, the rare books librarian at Hale Library Special Collections, right, examines the books donated by K-State alumnus William Lumb. (Photos by Joe Montgomery, Kansas State University Foundation)