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Jennifer Doering
Thomas Burke
Beauty thru Big History
10 May 2014
You Can Judge a Book by its Cover: The Big History of Beauty
Everyone has a little voice in their head that says, Mine. Its a natural human tendency.
Children have incredible difficulty learning to share because they always want the things they
like to be there for them, waiting. Humans never really grow out of that. They may be taught to
share, but still like to collect things. Humans want the things they like, that they find beautiful, to
be ready for them to look at, whenever they choose. That is why humanity has collections. The
Huntington Library in Los Angeles, California is one such collection. It is filled with the books
and artifacts that Henry Huntington found beautiful and important and wanted to share with the
world. Some of those objects can be used to describe beauty itself, as well as the public purpose
of beauty. They can also tell the story of the universe, or Big History. The thresholds of Big
History span from the very birth of the universe to present day. But first, here is a look at Henry
Huntington and his collection.
The Huntington Library was created from the personal collection of Henry Edwards
Huntington and Arabella Duval Huntington, his second wife. Henry Huntington lived from 1850
to 1927, and was a railroad businessman for most of his life, with a passion for books. He began
his career at 21, and moved cross-country to San Francisco soon after. Huntington was a
manager of the Southern Pacific Railroad company and quite interested in the business
possibilities of Southern California. He bought a home in Los Angeles, which would become the
Huntington Library, and used his business skills to transform the area. He created the Los

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Angeles Railway and provided utilitieselectricity, gas, waterto Southern California before
anyone else. At 60, Huntington chose to turn his attention to his books, and began to bring
railroad cars full of books (Henry E. Huntington) from New York to his estate in California.
Those books would become a part of one of the largest and most complete research libraries in
the United States in its fields of specialization (About the Huntington). Those fields of
specialization are British and American history, literature, art, and the history of science
stretching from the 11th century to the present (Permanent Exhibitions). It is an extraordinary
collection and is a great resource for many academics.
Huntington wanted his collection to be a research institution to serve scholars and
signed the estate and its contents over to a nonprofit trust in 1919. The original trustees were
people whom Huntington believed would share his vision: George S. Patton Sr.; astronomer
George Ellery Hale; Henrys son, Howard E. Huntington; Arabellas son, Archer M. Huntington;
and attorney William E. Dunn (Henry E. Huntington). The Huntington Library was created to
be a place of academic research, for both historical and scientific purposes. It was opened to the
public in 1928, the year after Huntingtons death and is still serving many academics today. It
was also created to be a place of beauty.
Beauty is a confining term. Modern culture has made it seem odd to call a man or an
appliance beautiful, even if it is. Anne Sheppard, the author of Aesthetics, also finds the term
beautiful to be a difficult concept to work with; it has a very narrow range of meaning
(Sheppard 56). Beauty itself is a difficult concept to work with. What is beauty? It cant be
described easily, maybe not at all, definitively. Something is beautiful when it compels one to
stop and look at it, listen to it fully, or pay attention to it and only it. Beauty commands attention.

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This can be caused by the history and purpose of the object, by the craftsmanship of the object,
or by the feelings that the observer has when observing the object.
The history and purpose of an object, its context, can have an incredible impact on its
beauty. The reason an object was created or what it has been through, what it means, can often be
quite powerful. Anne Sheppard, in her chapter Imitation, describes the notion that things can
be beautiful based on convention. Convention means a custom or way of doing things, in art,
such as how saints are those painted with halos in religious art (Sheppard 9-11). For those who
understand the background of the convention,
the art is that much more beautiful, or actually
makes sense. An example of this is the church,
St. Thomas More Church of Oceanside, which
is currently under construction, much like

Figure 1: Construction Drawing of Future Munger Research Center

the Huntington Library. However, unlike the planned revisions to the Huntington, which are
quite beautiful (see Figure 1), the church looks like it will be an ugly building. It is very modern
and blocky in style and is going to be constructed
of materials such as concrete (see Figure 2).
Concrete brings to mind sidewalks and other
flooring, freeway overpasses and ugly, but
Figure 2: Construction Drawing of Future Church

functional, things, not beautiful places of

worship. However, the church is being constructed out of concrete for a specific reason:
permanence. Solidity. Strength. It is being constructed out of concrete because it isnt going
anywhere. It is going to be a permanent, strong reminder of faith. It isnt being constructed to be
inherently beautiful, but to be solid. And that purpose makes it beautiful. Understanding the

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history and meaning behind an object
can cause ones opinion of its beauty
to change. There are several objects
in the Huntington Librarys collection
that are considered beautiful because
of their history. One of these objects
is their copy of the Gutenberg Bible
(Rare Books Collection) (See

Figure 3: Huntington Copy of The Gutenberg Bible

Figure 3). It was the first book to ever be printed on a printing press. It is a symbol of progress
and does have beauty in its own right, but its history gives it so much more beauty. History is a
key part of beauty.
Another key aspect of beauty is the craftsmanship of an object. People appreciate things
done well. Professor Denis Dutton gave a TED talk called A Darwinian Theory of Beauty. He
explained that humanity still has conceptions of beauty that stem from before they could speak.
People understood beauty to be precious because creating something beautiful told something
about that person. It meant that they had certain
desirable characteristics. Humanity still values
that today, and all people enjoy a performance
done well (Dutton). People understand, on a
deep level, that something well-made is special,
worthy of praise. It is beautiful. There are many
items in the Huntingtons collection that are
Figure 4: Huntington Copy of The Canterbury Tales

incredibly well made, and prized for that

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quality. One of those items is their copy of Chaucers Canterbury Tales (Manuscripts
Collection) (See Figure 4). The detail present in its pages is amazing. Someone sat down and
hand-lettered every word on every page, in incredible detail and with incredible precision.
Someone took a lot of time and effort to create this copy of a wonderful story, and people find it
beautiful because it was well made.
Something else that people use to determine if an object is beautiful is how they feel
when observing it. Peter Zumthor, an architect and author of Thinking Architecture, describes the
feelings one has from experiencing beauty in this manner:
The intensity of a brief experience, the feeling of being utterly suspended in time,
beyond past and futurethis belongs to many, perhaps even to all sensations of
beauty. Something that has the radiation of beauty strikes a chord in me, and later,
when it is over, I say: I was completely at one with myself and the world, at first
holding my breath for a brief moment, then utterly absorbed and immersed, filled
with wonder, feeling the vibrations, effortlessly excited and calm as well,
enthralled by the magic of the appearance that has struck me. (72).
He captures the feeling of beauty perfectly. One feels connected to everything, because they are
experiencing something magical.
Something extraordinary. Something
completely beautiful. One such
something, an object found in the
Huntington Library, is their illustrated
book by Maria Sibylla Merian,
Metamorphosis insectorum

Figure 5: Metamorphosis of the Insects of Suriname

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Surinamensium (Metamorphosis of the Insects of Suriname) (Dibner Hall of the History of
Science) (See Figure 5). The pictures inside of it have incredible detail and are full of life and
color. It seems like the butterflies could just fly off the page. One feels awed when looking at this
book. Merian did a wonderful job with the illustrations and humanity finds this book beautiful
because it makes them feel. Beauty is feeling connected to the universe. Beauty causes people to
wonder and want to learn more about the world that provides them with beauty. Beauty is an
enjoyable experience that inspires people and makes life worthwhile.
Just as beauty has a purpose in daily life, it also has a public purpose. It can be beneficial
to an area in two ways: inspiring citizens and bringing tourism. Beauty makes people happy and
inspired. It causes them to wonder at the world, and want to take care of it. People in that
mindset want to work for the common good. Beauty is the cause of that, so beauty has an
incredibly important place in public life. Beauty can also make an area diverse and interesting,
because of its beautiful buildings or statues. This can inspire tourists to travel to an area, and
stimulate the economy of an area. This is another public purpose of beauty. Although beauty is
essential to the public, it does have a cost. Beauty isnt free, and someone needs to pay for it.
Everyone should have access to beauty, and if they have access, they should be responsible for
paying for it. The cost shouldnt be too much, but it should be enough that beauty is capable of
being present, but not so much that people think that the beauty isnt worth that cost. It is a
difficult problem to solve, but one that every community should discuss together. In any case,
beauty is essential for the universe. Without beauty, the universe wouldnt be what it is today.
The stars wouldnt twinkle, the landscapes would just be rocks and grass, the wild creatures of
the world would just be collections of cells. Without it, people wouldnt feel committed to
protecting the universe and their way of life. Beauty is the foundation of humanity and the

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universe. It was also there every step of the way during the creation of the universe, or Big
History.
Big History is the history of the entire universe. It covers from before time began up to
present day. The textbook Big History: Between Nothing and Everything defines it as the
attempt to construct a unified account of the past at all scales from those of human history to
those of cosmology; the modern, scientific equivalent of traditional origin stories (Christian,
Brown, and Benjamin 307). It is divided into eighth thresholds. Each new threshold marks an
increase in the complexity of the universe, a change that added something new and exciting. The
Huntington Librarys collection contains items that correspond to each of these thresholds and
can be used to explain them.
The first threshold began with the beginning of time, the origin of the universe. The big
bang happened 13.8 billion years ago, when an enormous amount of energy and matter were
released in a huge, expanding cloud consisting of everything in the universe (Christian, Brown,
and Benjamin 19). Suddenly, the universe was born. The universe of William Shakespeares
written work was created in a similar way: his First Folio was published in 1623 and suddenly,
the world had written access to his plays. The Huntington has a copy of Shakespeares First
Folio and counts it as one of their most prized possessions. It is the prime source of our
knowledge of Shakespeares texts (Rare Books Collection) and that is why it is prized. It is a
record of all of Shakespeares plays and what he hoped for them. It commands attention because
of its history.
The second threshold marked the appearance of stars. Gravity began pulling clumps of
matter together, and as temperatures rose to 10 million degrees Celsius, protons began the
process of fusion and the first stars were born (Christian, Brown, and Benjamin 22-23). The

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universe was becoming more complex, really starting to take shape. Stars were the first points of
light in the universe and are still seen as a symbol of hope and light in many cultures, including
America: The Huntington Library contains a book called The American flag of stripes and stars :
mirror of the nation's history ; symbol of brotherhood and world unity by William Elliot Griffis
(Innovative Interfaces, Inc). It describes the symbolism of Americas flag, what it means to
Americans, how it connects to American history. It is a beautiful book because it illustrates the
story and meaning behind a major symbol of their country. It describes the context of that
symbol of hope, community, and light, and that context gives it beauty.
The ninety-two elements of the world were created in the third threshold. Stars began to
die, and with their death, the elements of the world were created (Christian, Brown, and
Benjamin 24-28). However, humankind didnt always know that there were ninety-two elements.
Dmitrii Mendeleev, a Russian chemist, was the first to complete a list of the elements of the
world, in 1869, although his didnt contain all ninety-two (Christian, Brown, and Benjamin 25).
The Huntington Library contains some of his work, including a book entitled The Principals of
Chemistry (Innovative Interfaces, Inc). It is one of their rare books, and it is prized because of its
history. It is the work of a scientific pioneer, someone who discovered the elements of the world.
It is a rare glimpse of scientific progress.
The solar system and planet were created in the fourth threshold. The planets formed by a
process called accretion, or how stellar objects grow in size through the collision and sticking
together of particles (Christian, Brown, and Benjamin 39). Early earth looked nothing like what
it does today. It was originally very hot, with no atmosphere or water. But over a period of 4.5
billion years, the planet gained an atmosphere and a huge amount of water, from several sources
(Christian, Brown, and Benjamin 44-45). Scientists can only make educated guesses as to what it

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may have looked like at that point in
its life, but humanity does have maps
from the first human attempts at
mapping the planet. One of these
maps is called Orbis terrarum tabula
recens emendata et in lucem edita
Figure 6: Map of Earth by Nicolaes Visscher

by Nicolaes Visscher, and it is held

by the Huntington Library (CONTENTdm) (See Figure 6). It is a remarkable map of the world,
because it was created in 1663, but is incredibly close to the modern understanding of what the
continents look like today. It beautiful because it is so well made and accurate.
Life appeared during the fifth threshold. It began simply, then evolved into the complex
kingdom of animals and plants that humanity recognizes today (Christian, Brown, and Benjamin
69-76). The work of natural history scientists in the early 1700s was to illustrate the life they saw
on the planet. One such historian, Maria Sibylla Merian, illustrated a book called Metamorphosis
insectorum Surinamensium (Metamorphosis of the Insects of Suriname), which is held by the
Huntington Library (Dibner Hall of the History of Science) (See Figure 5). It has beautifully
rendered pictures of insects and plants, and is full of color and life. It is beautiful because it is
well made, accurate, and wonderfully detailed. It is an amazing work of art.
Humans became a part of the universe in the sixth threshold. Humanity evolved from an
ape-like creature and began to use symbolic language and learn. Big History: Between Nothing
and Everything claims that Collective Learning, or the ability, unique to human beings, to share
in great detail and precision what each individual learns through symbolic language, so that
information can be preserved in the collective memory and accumulate from generation to

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generation (Christian, Brown, and Benjamin 308) is the main characteristic of humans that sets
humanity apart from other animals: their ability to learn and pass on that knowledge. A library,
such as the Huntington Library, is a written collection of that knowledge. The Huntington is
unique because it holds many rare books that contain information from generations long ago.
One such manuscript is the the Ellesmere manuscript of Chaucers Canterbury Tales
(Manuscripts Collection) (See Figure 4). This document is a beautiful copy of a beautiful story.
It allows people to learn about life in the fourteenth century, but it also provides them with
gorgeous artwork. The manuscript is filled with pictures of the characters, artwork in the
margins, and calligraphy in the body of the text. It is beautiful because of its historical value, but
also its aesthetic qualities.
Threshold seven was characterized by the emergence of agriculture and everything that
occurred because of it: populations rose, cities developed, power emerged, different jobs were
created, trade began, and writing appeared (Christian, Brown, and Benjamin 105-156). Near the
end of this threshold, in 1453, the printing press was developed by Johannes Gutenberg
(Christian, Brown, and Benjamin 239). The first book to be printed on it was the Gutenberg
Bible, of which the Huntington Library has a copy (Rare Books Collection). It is an extremely
valuable book because the Huntington copy is one of eleven surviving copies printed on vellum,
and one of three such copies in the United States (Rare Books Collection). It is extremely
rare, and prized for its rarity, beauty, and history. It has illustrations much like those in Chaucers
Canterbury Tales, although those were not created by a printing press. It is a symbol of the
advancement that humanity developed during the seventh threshold and is prized by all.
The eighth threshold was marked by the modern revolution. The world became
interconnected, commerce increased and fossil fuels were discovered. The Industrial Revolution

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occurred and life was changed forever for humanity; some countries became industrialized, or
began manufacturing goods instead of growing crops, while others did not (Christian, Brown,
and Benjamin 233-264). For those countries who did not become industrialized, some people
chose to immigrate to countries who had, to earn more money for their families. Some people
who did so in the nineteenth century were the Chinese immigrants to America. The Huntington
has a document from this time, a Chinese Coaching Paper. It was something that was used by
an immigrant to prepare for U.S. government questions on entering the country so that they
could be admitted into the country and become a part of the working class of Americans during
the Industrial Revolution (Remarkable Works, Remarkable Times). It is a fascinating piece of
history and is prized by the library because it is a side of history that isnt always seen. It is a
piece of paper that was used to teach a hopeful immigrant to become another person, a person
that the American government would allow into their country. Because of this, these papers
wouldnt be something that Chinese immigrants during that time would want other people to see.
It is a written record of a lie, but also a rare glimpse of something new and different, something
beautiful.
The future is a threshold not discussed directly by Big History, because no one knows
when the future will become a reality. But the Huntington Library contains books that predicted
the future before it happened: Jules Verne wrote many science fiction novels, such as Twenty
Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, which the Huntington has an original copy of in their rare
books collection (Innovative Interfaces, Inc). He wrote the book in 1876, over a hundred years
ago. In it, he imagined a machine that could travel underwater, a submarine. Humanity created a
submarine decades after Verne imagined it. The imagination of writers is what drives innovation.
These science fiction books that become reality are prized because of the imagination that is held

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inside of them. Their authors create the future because they can imagine it. Libraries are full of
possibilities, just like this one, and there is much beauty in them.
The Huntington Library is a exquisite collection that has a place for everything about the
universe. It was created by Henry Huntington to be a help to academics everywhere, be they
scientists or historians. It holds many beautiful pieces of history, that are incredibly well made
and make people feel connected to the universe. Those pieces help to exemplify that beauty
commands attention, and has a place in both private and public life. The Huntingtons collection
of books and artifacts described the eight thresholds of Big History, from the early beginnings of
Shakespeares and the actual universe to the imagination of the future by Jules Verne. The future
of beauty is uncertain, but what people will always know, what they have always known, is that
beauty is essential to the universe and humanity would be nothing without it. It is what inspires
people and causes them to feel that life is worthwhile. Beauty will always have a place in
humanitys life and universe. It will always be what makes people stop and say, Wow.

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Works Cited
About the Huntington. huntington.org. The Huntington Library, 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2014
Christian, David, Brown, Cynthia Stokes, and Benjamin, Craig. Big History: Between Nothing
and Everything. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. 2014. Print.
Construction Updates. stmoside.org. Church of St. Thomas More, n.d. Web. 2 May 2014.
CONTENTdm. Huntington Digital Library. HL, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014
Dibner Hall of the History of Science. huntington.org. The Huntington Library, 2014. Web. 23
Apr. 2014
Dutton, Denis. A Darwinian Theory of Beauty. ted.com. TED Conferences, LLC, Feb 2010.
Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
Innovative Interfaces, Inc. Huntington Library Catalog. HL, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014
Henry E. Huntington. huntington.org. The Huntington Library, Apr. 2008. Web. 20 Apr. 2014
Manuscripts Collection. huntington.org. The Huntington Library, 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2014
Permanent Exhibitions. huntington.org. The Huntington Library, 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2014
Projects in Progress. huntington.org. The Huntington Library, 2014. Web. 10 May 2014
Rare Books Collection. huntington.org. The Huntington Library, 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2014
Remarkable Works, Remarkable Times. huntington.org. The Huntington Library, 2014. Web.
23 Apr. 2014
Sheppard, Anne. Aesthetics. New York: Oxford Uni. Press, 1988. Print.
Zumthor, Peter. Thinking Architecture. Basel: Birkhuser, 2010. Print.