Forget the Da Vinci Code. Forget the Bible Code. Today marks the beginning of my quest to hunt down the real meaning behind the Oscar Mayer Code. If I should go missing over the weekend, my quest may have led me into the nefarious world of the Oscar Mayer Code.

Every now and then I pull a random book off the shelves here at our library just to see if it says anything interesting. Today I hit the jackpot. It seems that on December 7, 1955, Oscar Mayer (yes, that Oscar Mayer) delivered a chapel address to the students of Beloit College in Wisconsin entitled, “A Plan for Living.” In this address the Harvard educated (A.B., 1909) meat-processing businessman prescribed an eleven word “code” for living. I have only recently discovered a rare transcript of this address buried deep within the bowels of our mysterious library.

The transcript (click on the image) appears to imply that three of the words in the Oscar Mayer Code have some sort of special, and perhaps hidden, significance: Development, Consideration, Service. To complicate matters, it appears that this transcript was donated to our library by the author himself.

Questions that remain:

1. What do the emphasized words mean? What is the symbolism? Is it a puzzle? A riddle?
2. Why would Mayer discreetly hide a copy of the transcript in an unrelated institution?
3. Why has the transcript not circulated? It would appear that no one has checked it out. Ever.
4. Does the date the address, December 7, have any significance?

Is this all just a bunch of bologna?

Your thoughts?

UPDATE: My initial research has unearthed this video clip. Is it of any significance?

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Book Provenance, Books, Quotes | 3 Comments »

This inscription is from Svenskt Bibliskt Uppslagsverk, an apparent dictionary gifted by one of the editors, Ivan Engnell, a former professor of Old Testament at Uppsala in Sweden, to William F. Albright when they met in Uppsala in May, 1952. The book subsequently became a part of our library’s William F. Albright Collection.

This inscription written inside the book by Engnell appears to be in one of the Scandinavian languages, probably Swedish, but I have no idea what it says. Do you?

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Book Provenance, Books, Libraries | 2 Comments »

Unlike most librarians, I actually don’t mind when patrons write in books — as long as they do it correctly. Marginalia is the technical term, and this does NOT include underlining and gaudy pink highlighting. I find marginalia fascinating because it provides a reading companion who dialogues with me while I read. They tell me what they thought was important, though I often disagree. They speak of cross-references and similar or contradicting arguments by others. Marginalia often enhances the experience of reading in ways that would leave us poorer without them.

Ownership marks in books are also fascinating to me. They aid in establishing the work’s provenance, or chain of ownership. I am currently repairing the binding on a book now owned by a seminary student but which was formerly owned by New Testament scholar Bruce Metzger (I must here offer a public apology to said student - I’ve had the book for about a year, but it should be done soon. Really.)

Today I came across this book, the provenance of which is unusually easy to piece together. It was donated to our library by Mrs. A. T. Robertson, wife of Dr. A. T. Robertson, another New Testament scholar. The donation bookplate:

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Prior Dr. Robertson’s ownership, the book apparently belonged to his father-in-law, Dr. John A. Broadus, the well-known preacher and president of the seminary. Dr. Broadus’ signature on the fly leaf indicates his ownership:

Prior to that, the book was owned by a slew of people:

• J. H. Vincent (?), New Haven, CT
• John Potts, Montreal, Que.
• Franklin Fairbanks, St. Johnsbury, VT
• W. G. E. ??nny?ham, Nashville, TN
• B. M. Palmer, New Orleans, LA
• B. F. Jacobs, Chicago, IL
• James A. Worden, Princeton, NJ
• D. H. ????ica, Montreal, Que.
• H. Louis baugher, Gettysburg, PA
• Warren Randolph, Newport, RI

Their signatures are nicely ordered adjacent to the title page (click for a larger image):

Books have stories — no pun intended — and they influence the lives of multiple generations in multiple places, and the stories of how they move from one to another are largely lost. It’s alot like that coin in Clive Cussler’s Sahara…

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Book Provenance, Books | 3 Comments »