The University of Michigan recently opened a new space, called the Audubon Room, on the first floor of the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library, to showcase several of its rarest treasures.

The room was named in honor of John James Audubon’s famous book “Birds of America,” which is prominently displayed near the entrance of the exhibit space. This massive book of 435 plates was the first book authorized for purchase by the University of Michigan Regents, who voted to buy it for $970 in 1838, just after its publication.

The careful design of the room and its cases make it possible to safely display ancient and unique materials. Among the items in the first exhibit, running through December 22, are a 1609 manuscript by Galileo, in which he realizes he has seen the moons of Jupiter (the first evidence of bodies orbiting something other than the Earth); Abraham Ortelius’s first detailed map of the Americas, from a 1570 atlas; the earliest surviving copy of Paul’s letters to the early churches, estimated to date from 150-250 C.E.; and a royal edict printed in China in the 1200’s. (In honor of the 400th birthday of the Galileo manuscript, keepsake facsimile copies are available as part of the exhibit.)

Located on the first floor of the Hatcher Library, in the northwest corner of the Gallery, the Audubon Room’s hours are 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday; Saturdays 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Sundays 1-7 p.m. Admission is free.