![\"Examples](\"http:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/collinsunbound\/files\/2021\/04\/Volvelles-2-Stephanie-example.jpg\")
<\/a>Volvelles, also known as wheel charts, are movable charts that when aligned in certain ways reveal a variety of information as decided by the creator. These were used in the past to communicate important information such as the positions of the sun and moon at certain times of the year, a vital task to many cultures. They were also used as teaching tools for early astronomers and mathematicians, as can be seen in an amazing book held in Collins library\u2019s rare books collection- a copy of The Cosmographia<\/em> by Peter Apian from 1584! For full disclosure, the first thing I did when I got a chance to peruse it was smell it; how often do you get to smell a book that was created over 400 years ago?! This book was an incredibly important resource of its time for helping people understand the known world and as such was reprinted and improved upon in a number of editions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The main reason the copy of The Cosmographia<\/em> belonging to the university\u2019s library is so special is that the volvelles inside are still intact and working. This is rare because they are paper instruments and as such, incredibly fragile to begin with. When you imagine how many hands this book might have encountered in its 400+ years, it is all the more incredible that you can still pick up and work the instruments that students used to understand the workings of the universe as they knew it in 1584. There are three working volvelles in the Cosmographia<\/em>. They are all unique structures that allowed the students to interact with some of the material being taught in the book. These teaching tools are an incredible reminder that 400 years ago scholars were just as fascinated with understanding the universe they inhabited as we are today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another incredible thing to note about these instruments is that they are made from recycled paper- by looking on the backs of the volvelles you can see that they were printed on what were discarded pages of text! It might seem like a little thing, but it is 437 year old evidence of material being thoughtfully repurposed, which is pretty special in my view. A close inspection of the wheels will also reveal that whoever cut the pieces out wasn\u2019t the most precise with scissors and the edges are a bit ragged, further evidence of a human hand\u2019s involvement in the construction of this book, living so long ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After viewing these historic volvelles and comparing them to the contemporary artist\u2019s versions I was shown in the class, I am struck by the wide variety of forms they can take and the information they can be used to express. Books have existed in so many forms for thousands of years and it is amazing to know we can still construct and adapt their many styles to meet the needs of artist\u2019s today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instructions for making a simple volvelles are as follows:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 1 – Cut out 2 circles of different circumference<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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