A Trinity Vandal

This relatively non-descript seventeenth-century book on astronomy came to notice during a routine preservation cleaning programme for books in the Long Room. There was nothing particularly special about the text or binding but once treatment on the pages was initiated it quickly became apparent that almost every illustration in this heavily illustrated book had penises drawn on them. The graffiti were drawn in iron gall ink, probably contemporaneous with the production of the book. One has to acknowledge the sheer commitment of this vandal to his chosen motif. These lowbrow graffiti may well have been the handiwork of an idle student but they have made an otherwise unmemorable book conspicuous centuries after the miscreant first dipped his pen in the inkpot.