#special collections

[uispeccoll]

#MiniatureMonday

A guide to the ball room : being a complete compendium of the etiquette of dancing : with the figures of all the quadrilles, gallopades, mazourkas, polonaises, etc., etc., beautifully embellished / by a man of fashion.

A guide to the ball room is a stunning little book dated all the way back to 1884. Detailing many etiquette and dancing rules, along with instructions, this book is a perfect guide to learning the ins and outs of the ball room.

The back of the book also features a glossary of French terms often used in the ball room. So grab a partner, read this book, and get to dancing--just like those from the 1800s!

--Adair J.

#libraries #uiowa #special collections #miniaturemonday #rare books #dancing #ballroom #miniature books #etiquette #gif

[republican-medical-include]

#robotics #pedro pascal #dark #special collections #dickinson #suicide squad #everlark #skype #candidbooty #mos def #jennifer jareau #sunggyu #all might

[muspeccoll]

For Banned Books Week, we offer you this 81-year-old image from our collections.

No man and no force can put thought in a concentration camp forever. No man and no force can take from the world the books that embody man's eternal fight against tyranny.

A print of this poster currently hangs in the hallway between our reading room and classroom, along with several other posters about libraries, books, and reading, dating from the 1920s to the 1940s.

Books are weapons in the war of ideas [graphic] / S. Broder. RARE FLAT D743.25 .B75 1942

#banned books #banned books week #posters #world war ii #fdr #illustration #mizzou #special collections #university of missouri #kelli h

[srlgemstone]

Stromatolite Fossil

When I first saw this stone, I was excited. I was even more excited when I found out what it was. A record of the first life forms on Earth. Information from billions of years ago. How could I not be excited? I would love to know all the information hidden inside this beautiful fossil.

Stromatolite Fossil

#fossil #fossils #paleontology #paleoart #special collections #stone aesthetic #collectibles #geology #geological formations #paleontography #stromatolite fossil #microbiology #rock collection #rocks and minerals #the collector

[riesenfeldcenter]

A mixed bag of letters and animals (featuring a couple of dragons!) from a beautiful 1525 book of Canon law. Someone please make these decorated initials into Bananagrams tiles.

#riesenfeld center #umn #university of minnesota law #university of minnesota law library #rare books #umn law #special collections #archives #law #canon law #dragons #initials #bananagrams

[californiastatelibrary]

There is a section of our Sutro Library branch called "tiny town," where all of their smallest books are shelved. Many of these teeny volumes are hundreds of years old!

#books #libraries #history #special collections #librarians

[eli-zab3th]

Artis Library, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (19th century library)

#book studies #dark academia #library #artis library #artis bibliotheek #artis zoo #amsterdam #19th century library #the netherlands #academic library #special collections #darwin #medieval manuscript #maria sybilla merian #john gould #art history #light academia #dark academia aesthetic #mine

[jstor]

You all know that hundreds of libraries around the world are sharing their special collections on JSTOR, right? That they include photos, posters, postcards, buttons, stickers, pamphlets, drawings, and a lot more, right? And that they're all freely accessible to everyone, no login needed, right? Right?

#special collections #archives #libraries #jstor #rabbit hole #research

[digitalnewberry]

The Book of Magical Charms

Ever since we asked for help transcribing and translating the Book of Magical Charms (Newberry MS 5017) in 2017, people have been fascinated with and... concerned about this little manuscript.

But what IS this book, really? It's not a spell book of black magic--it's commonplace book! A collection of recipes, quotations, and yes, magical charms copied down by a lawyer and book collector named Robert Ashley in the 1600s. In a time where the magical and mundane seemed to coexist, Ashley collected a variety of guides that may have been able to help him address health issues--some which claimed to have scientific backing, others which are purely magic. (He also copied down some experiments that were supposed to help him win at dice.)

In early modern England, Christianity and magic were closely linked, and this book would not have been seen as blasphemous. However, it's unlikely that Ashley attempted any of these spells himself, as he had little privacy or ability to procure obscure ingredients. You can see a few excerpts of the book here:

If you're interested in summoning spirits yourself*, you will be happy to hear that the Book of Charms has been fully transcribed and translated by amazing volunteers. But wait, I hear you saying, I don't see the transcriptions at that link! I only see a very cool manuscript!

Don't worry, it's only a click away. Simply right click then "view details" on any page that you want to see the transcription/translation for, and scroll down to read. The translation follows the transcription in the same text box. Happy summoning!

*The Newberry is NOT liable for anything supernatural that happens if you try to read the Book of Charms out loud.

–Quinn Sluzenski, Digital Initiatives Assistant

View the Book of Charms and more at A Very Newberry Halloween

for more information:

Satterley, Renae. "Robert Ashley and the Authorship of Newberry MS 5017, The Book of Magical Charms." Manuscript Studies: A Journal of the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies, vol. 6 no. 2, 2021, p. 268-299. Project MUSE, https://doi.org/10.1353/mns.2021.0017.

#libraries #newberry library #special collections #digital humanities #halloween #archives #book of magical charms #magic #spells #newberryq #Youtube #collection stories

[u-mspcoll]

More love for Trans Awareness Week

"Trans Rights are Human Rights"

Labadie Collection Pinback Buttons LBC.1588

#libraries #archives #special collections #special collections libraries #libraries and archives #labadie collection #trans #transgender #transgender awareness month #transgender awareness week #trans pride #trans rights #trans positivity #trans joy #trans awareness #trans awareness week

[disastrid]

We are excited to announce that the Kim Deacon Collection photographs are now digitized and available to the public on provlibdigital.org!

#providence public library #LGBTQIA #queer community #queer history #gay bars #special collections #digital archives #digital libraries

[uispeccoll]

#MiniatureMonday

The Little Sand Crab/ By D'Ambrosio

The Little Sand Crab is an artist's book published in 1981 by The Compulsive Printer press. It was written, typeset, illustrated, designed, and bound by printer D'Ambrosio. The book is set in Bulmer, printed on Ingres Oyster paper, and stands at 74 mm tall. The cover is bound in red cloth and contains an openwork design of golden sun rays. UI Special Collections has copy no. 7 of a limited edition 85 copies. 

This warped Princess and the Frog type tale - but with a crab of course - D'Ambrosio himself describes to be "the story of how the greed of one lover can goad the other into committing uncharacteristic acts." 

--M Clark

#miniaturemonday #uiowa #special collections #rare books #miniature books #D'Ambrosio #love story

[muspeccoll]

640-year-old fly, anyone?

We're not sure how long this fly has been in this 14th-century notary's notebook, but it was a favorite among the students who spotted it in class a few weeks ago.

La Turade, Bernard de. [Notarial Registry]. 1383-1393. VAULT DC95.A2 N6 1383

#manuscript monday #medieval manuscript #bookhistory #fly #mizzou #special collections #libraries #university of missouri #rare books #history #books #things found in books

[srlgemstone]

Agate Pair

#agate #stone aesthetic #crystals #special collections #collectibles #geology #crystal collection #gemstones #rocks and minerals #achat #natural photography #natural history #art #photographer #photography #photooftheday #nature #art of nature

[riesenfeldcenter]

Some unexpected marbling on two books (here and here) covering the trial of Lord Sackville, 1760.

#riesenfeld center #umn #university of minnesota law #university of minnesota law library #umn law #rare books #archives #special collections #law school #old books #marbling #beautiful book covers

[californiastatelibrary]

He's just sitting there... ✨menacingly✨

Please enjoy meeting our resident Slowly Melting Wax Nixon Head, he lives in the California History Room and he does not have eyes.

#sometimes i see him in ny dreams #richard nixon #california #libraries #california history #history #librarians #wax sculpture #art #special collections