Karl Shreiner Gift
Juniata College and its Special Collections have recently
been the recipient of yet another significant donation of rare books,
on the heels of the tremendous Mutual Benefit Gift of summer 1999.
This addition to the collection was generously given by Mr. Karl
A. Shreiner, '61. His brother Phil was class of '57. Mr. Shreiner
and his family have had a long and mutually rewarding relationship
with the college, including the time when his mother helped out
as a volunteer nurse during the college's major flu epidemic of
1957. Mr. Shreiner visits and stays in touch with Juniata from his
home in Chambersburg, Pa., and is a valued friend of the college,
a place for which he feels a great gratitude for opening many opportunities
to him.
The gift includes 19 works, many of which seem to
belong with Juniata's collection of Pennsylvania German imprints.
Thus the gift as well as being generous is quite appropriate and
relative to the college's collections.
Of major interest is an Ephrata Hymnal printed in
1739 by Christopher Sauer in Germantown. Known as the Weyrauchs
- Hügel, or Incense Hill, the title reflects the mystic background
of the Anabaptist/Pietist movement in Ephrata. The hymn book is
800 pages and 1,500 copies were made. The hymns are primarily the
work of Conrad Beissel and other Ephrata Brethren. Sauer, Sr., was
thought to have not been impressed by the theological content of
these hymns he was printing.
Another work of great interest is the Billmeyer Primer,
"Hoch-Deutsches Reformites A B C und Namen Büchlein,"
(Germantown: Michael Billmeyer, 1800). Michael Billmeyer printed
in the tradition of the Sauers and produced much in the way of devotional
literature, as well as calendars and almanacs.
Part of the gift also contains a small, beautiful
Schwenkfelder Fraktur. Other items include Pennsylvania German rare
books, religious works, historical works, school books, and family
histories. This donation is a valued addition to the collection.
Juniata's treasure trove of materials continues to be an important
historical resource for students, scholars, and anyone interested
in history.
