NEWPORT BEACH : Middle Ages Tome on View at Library

You won’t find this book in the card catalogue. It was published 500 years ago in the Middle Ages, and although it is now at the library, it’s not available to check out.

But “ Der Weltchronik “ -- “The Nuremburg Chronicle” -- a 600-page history of the world printed in 1493, is under glass at the Newport Center Library through Friday.

The rare, leather-bound volume, which features hundreds of woodcut block illustrations and is printed in Latin with movable type, was loaned to the library by an anonymous Newport Beach resident for a two-week run.

“A lot of people have stopped by and looked at it already,” said City Librarian LaDonna Kienitz. “We are so excited to have it.”

The ambitious work begins with an account of the Earth’s creation, including drawings of an Earth-centered solar system, and moves through European history into the Middle Ages. Each page contains wood-block illustrations of European monarchs and important cities.

The volume was printed in Nuremburg, Germany, 37 years after Johannes Gutenberg revolutionized bookmaking by printing the Gutenberg Bible. Its cover is made of leather and is as hard as a kitchen countertop. The pages are made of a richly textured paper and printed in black ink.

For security reasons, “The Nuremburg Chronicle” is available for viewing only--no page turning--from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. During the evenings and weekends it is locked up.

The library is at 856 San Clemente Drive.