The Kelmscott Chaucer Coloring Pages (downloadable pdf)
June 26, 2021, marked the 125th anniversary of the publication of the Kelmscott Press’s The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, a landmark volume in the history of fine printing. The William Morris Society in the United States organized an international celebration to commemorate the occasion by asking all institutions holding copies of the Kelmscott Chaucer to participate in an online extravaganza. Check out RBML’s short video hosted by curators and this downloadable pdf of coloring pages showcasing selected detail images from our copy of this beautiful book!
Birds of America Coloring Pages (downloadable pdf)
John James Audubon’s Birds of America is widely considered to be the archetype of wildlife illustration, and one of the most important works on North American ornithology. Printed between 1827 and 1838, it contains 435 plates depicting North American birds at life-size scale. The Rare Book & Manuscript Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign proudly holds a complete original set of this monumental work in our collection. This coloring book includes a selection of images that have been translated to line drawings from John James Audubon’s Birds of America folio.
La Fontaine’s Fables Coloring Pages (downloadable pdf)
The RBML holds a 3rd edition copy of A Hundred Fables of La Fontaine written by Jean La Fontaine during his lifetime (1621-1695,) and later illustrated by Percy J. Billinghurst (1871-1933) in 1900. This book contains a collection of 100 stories providing timeless insights into the foibles and oddities of human nature, beautifully illustrated with black and white line drawings that are perfectly-suited for printing out and coloring!