Yale Law Library Opens Exhibit on Animals in Law Books
A charming exhibit of animals pictured in law books opens February 1, courtesy of the Yale Law Library's Rare Book Collection. Titled "Woof, Moo & Grr: A Carnival of Animals in Law Books," the exhibit is narrated from the perspective of the animals themselves and is aimed at animal lovers of all ages.
Twenty books from around the world will be on display, more than half of them printed before the nineteenth century and the earliest published in 1529. They feature illustrations of a wide variety of animals that visitors may be surprised to find in the pages of serious legal literature.
The exhibition is curated by Mark S. Weiner, a writer, filmmaker, and professor on leave from Rutgers Law School. Weiner holds a J.D. from Yale Law School and a Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale University.
"Law is a serious business," said Weiner, "which is why it's important to find a chance to laugh. The exhibit looks at the different roles that animals play in legal literature, and it quietly explores the relation between law and the imagination."
"Woof, Moo & Grr" is on display from February 1 through May 31, 2017, in the Rare Book Exhibition Gallery, Level L2, in the Lillian Goldman Law Library, Yale Law School, at 127 Wall Street in New Haven. It is open to the general public 10am-6pm, seven days a week, and open to Yale affiliates until 10pm.
The images and text from the exhibit are also available online, in the Rare Book Collection's Flickr site, at <https://www.flickr.com/photos/yalelawlibrary/albums/72157676683194536>.
The Rare Book Collection at Yale Law Library is one of the outstanding collections of historical law books and manuscripts in North America. The growing collection stands at more than 50,000 volumes and hosts an active exhibition program.
