This catalogue showcases some of the treasures of the University of Alberta's Map and Special Collections, as well as other U of A Libraries, particularly in terms of resources to aid in the study of the cultures of Medieval and Early Modern Europe. The curators have focused on "facsimiles," and one of the ways to view the exhibit is in terms of the art of the facsimile, from early twentieth-century black-and-white photographs to twenty-first-century colour, digital photographs on CD-ROM. A second theme is ancient book production, from the papyrus roll through the medieval parchment codex, down to the modern printed book. The curators have also considered representations of the world and its inhabitants: humans in their many activities and occupations, animals wild and tame, and monsters that dwelled in those parts of the world just beyond the boundary of the known.

Michael Fox was Assistant Professor in the Department of English and Film Studies at the University of Alberta, with a specialization in Old English and Medieval Latin. Stephen Reimer is Professor of English, Department of English and Film Studies at the University of Alberta. His teaching and research interests include Middle English language and literature, medieval mysticism, medieval romances, and the history of the English language. He lives in Edmonton.