For many scholars, going to an old library to turn the pages of venerable manuscripts and tomes is a lifelong dream. Like Indiana Jones making his way through an ancient temple, there’s a sense of romance and adventure in uncovering secrets in these vaults of history and lore. For James Russell, Rio Salado College Adjunct Faculty in History, this dream became a reality when he went to the Vatican Library to conduct research for his most recent paper.
Published in volume 11 of CERÆ: An Australasian Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, Russell’s “The Marginalia of Pope Alexander VII in a Vatican Copy of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili” examines the marginalia of Fabio Chigi (aka Pope Alexander VII) in an allegorical text. Marginalia is a subject of great scholarly interest for Russell. The term refers to marks that are made in the margins of a book- the scribbles, critiques, doodles, and/or medieval illuminations that adorn texts. For many older books, especially those published during the first century of printing, the marginalia can tell us a lot about the culture of the time. What people choose to graffiti on walls or in the margins of text can reveal things about society that you can’t find anywhere else.
The Hypnerotomachia Poliphili is a mysterious text, an “incunabula” (a term for books published during the early days of printing in Europe) of arcane imagery. The title of the book (regarded by many to be one of the most beautiful books produced during the Renaissance) translates as “The Strife of Love in a Dream of He Who Loves Many Things.” Published in 1499, the Poliphili is a Romance- a story of courtly love- that follows its hero through 168 woodcuts of fantastical and allegorical imagery. The book has left a deep impression on culture thanks to the spell it’s cast on many creatives like the artist Aubrey Beardsley and psychology pioneer Carl Jung. In that light, Pope Alexander VII was an “early adopter” of Hypnerotomachia Poliphili obsession, scrawling his notes and observations on the text in its margins.
Russell’s article delves into his research on Alexander VII’s marginalia and makes a case for the book having a profound inspiration on the Pope. Russell shows how the notes in the book indicate that Alexander VII- who would commission the construction of many Baroque monuments and architectural projects in Rome- used the book as inspiration for commissioning artists like Bernini. The marginalia paints a picture of a reader who imagined himself in the text, Pope Alexander VII wandering past the same fictional monuments in the Hypnerotomachia as the book’s protagonist Poliphilo. Following the esoteric principle of “As above, so below” (i.e. how the micro and macro mirror and influence each other), Russell’s scholarly article presents a compelling argument for how the Pope’s interest in this strange text led him to transform and reshape Rome itself.
This isn’t the first time Russell has focused on incunabula and marginalia in his work. “My research interests are in the history of books and of reading, with a concentration on the early days of print in Europe,” said Russell, who teaches World History as an adjunct (and also serves as a dual enrollment instructor).
“My interest in old books came from movies like The Neverending Story and The Lord of the Rings, where ancient tomes with mystique were pathways to enchantment and adventure,” Russell said. “Since then I have read and collected old books. I've worked to turn my hobby into a career. Before teaching for Rio, I interned at an auction house specializing in books and then worked at a rare book gallery. One of the reasons I find the history of early printing in the Renaissance so intriguing are its parallels with the disruptive new communications technologies of today. The printing press made it possible to circulate new ideas more rapidly than ever before, resulting in major changes to society, as we see today with smartphones and AI. The reader's notes in early printed books which I study, called marginalia, show readers' immediate responses and interpretations to what they read, much as social media such as Bluesky offer their users the opportunity to comment in real time on ongoing events. For these reasons, Renaissance media can offer insights into navigating our contemporary media landscape.”
Russell studied abroad, earning an M.A. and Ph.D. in Medieval and Renaissance history and literature. Russell has taught at Rio Salado since 2018. Russell said he enjoys the back-and-forth of communicating with students and learning from each other.
“I really enjoy talking about interesting topics with interesting people such as Rio's students,” Russell said. “Especially enjoyable are the distinctive perspectives each student brings to the discourse on history. I believe that knowledge is not something that is passed from teacher to student in a top-down manner, but rather knowledge is generated together with all participants in the academic conversation. Every student has something to contribute to our conceptual framework for analyzing and interpreting the past.”
He is also passionate about his work in dual enrollment.
“Dual enrollment is especially important to me because I enjoyed a version of early college back in the early 2000s and benefited from it greatly. I appreciated the opportunity as a youth to engage with meaningful conversations at the collegiate level. Now I want to ‘pay it forward’ to the next generation by making early college credit more accessible.”
For students wondering about the practicality of pursuing studies in the humanities, Russell makes an impassioned case for the value of immersing yourself in culture and history.
“Courses in the humanities can be as vital to your career training as more technically-oriented classes,” Russell said. “The humanities equip students with in-demand skills such as analysis, critical thinking, and intercultural understanding. Engaging with some of the greatest art and literature also enriches our lives with beauty, depth, and meaning.”
Article by Austin Brietta