The Study of Languages: East and Central Asia
“For a thorough appreciation of any literature, a knowledge of the language in which it is written is indispensable” (Cornell University Register, 1875-1876).
Cornell offered a panoply of language classes beginning in the 1870s. Besides the classical languages, professors also taught Asian languages such as Chinese, Japanese, and Sanskrit, aided by the acquisition of the Bopp collection. In 1919, Charles Wason donated his massive collection of western language books on China; the Library’s collections of Asian books and manuscripts, many of which were religious texts in dozens of languages and scripts, have continued to grow to this day.
Buddhist fragments on birch bark and palm leaf. Sanskrit, 300-600.
Known as the “Buddhist Dead Sea Scrolls,” these fragments belong to a corpus of texts found in Afghanistan. Combined with more than 1000 fragments in Berlin, the British Library, and the Schoyen collection, among others, the manuscripts contain many unknown Buddhist texts as well as the oldest witness to texts of Mahayana Buddhism. Gift of Bruce Ferrini, 2007.
Devi Mahatmyam. Sanskrit, undated.
This Hindu text describes the victory of the goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura. It forms part of the Markandeya Purana in secondary scripture. The original text was likely composed between 400-500 CE, and is a central text of Shaktism (a denomination that focuses on worship of Shakti or Devi, the Divine Mother). From the collection of Franz Bopp, purchased in 1868.
Kitab Koran: tetedakanipun ing tembung Arab, kadjawekaken. Javanese, 1858.
A Javanese translation of the Qur’an.
Vinaya Sangaha. Buddhist text in Pali, Burmese script, 1793.
Chong dao tang Yi jing da quan hui jie. China: Wen gong shu yuan cang ban: Fu wen tang zi xing, Kangxi xin you, 1681.
17th century edition of the ancient Chinese divination text, the I Ching.
Qur’an, selections, 1800s.
Catalogue of the Franz Bopp Collection, 1868.
In the early years of the University, there was a need to build the library collections quickly. To provide the books needed to serve multiple subjects, the Library purchased several large subject collections. For example, in 1868, A.D. White purchased the massive collection of German philologist Franz Bopp. The University’s tactic for building a large library was to buy collections and not focus solely on individual books. The Bopp collection contains texts and grammar books on many South Asian and Near Eastern languages. This catalogue contains original markings and notes.