This post is part of an ongoing series featuring recently cataloged items from the Ludlow-Santo Domingo Library. Pulps are so called because of the low quality of paper, coarse untreated paper produced from wood pulp, on which they were printed. Because the quality of paper was so poor it meant that it was cheap thus keeping production…
The [n.d.]s of March, or, Recataloging Julius Caesar
A few weeks ago I was in the stacks on some bibliographical errand relating to modern acting editions of Julius Caesar, when I took a moment to appreciate that nearby on the shelf were several seventeenth-century quarto editions of the play. One was dated 1684, another 1691, and between them, intriguingly, were four undated editions….
New on OASIS in March
Below are the finding aids for twelve new or newly cataloged collections in the OASIS database. Processed by: Michael Austin José María Castañé collection of 20th-century conflict papers. Autographed portraits of military leaders, circa 1937-1968 (MS Span 177) Processed by: Adrien Hilton Carl Peirce papers, 1883-1907 (MS Thr 1580) Collection of correspondence and ephemera of…
An Actress Prepares
A promptbook I’ve been working on recently, The Amber Heart, by Alfred Calmour (1857?-1912), is bound in tan leather wrappers with its title stamped in gold on cover and spine. Inside, the covers are decorated with gorgeous red-violet marbled endpapers edged with intricate gold stamping. The book resides in a quarter tan calf and cloth…
“A Harbinger of Those Peaceful Times to Come”: A Gift from the People of Great Britain
The brief ceremony that marked the opening of Houghton Library on 28 February 1942 took place only months after the United States had entered World War II following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Professor Charles K. Webster of the University of London was one of three speakers along with Harvard University President James Conant…
Mo’ money, Mo’ plant problems
This post is part of an ongoing series featuring recently cataloged items from the Ludlow-Santo Domingo Library. If you are looking for some practical advice on how to grow cannabis under fluorescent lighting I’ve got just the book for you! A guide to growing Cannabis under fluorescents by C.E. Faber was published in 1974. Tips…
The Houghton75 Podcast
We’re happy to announce a new way of learning about the Houghton Library collections and the people that use them. The Houghton75 podcast! Houghton75 will present different voices and perspectives on Houghton Library in its seventy-fifth year. The series kicks off with Harvard faculty members sharing their thoughts on the collection item they chose for…
Remember Cootie Catchers?
This post is part of an ongoing series featuring recently cataloged items from the Ludlow-Santo Domingo Library. Will you live in a mansion, drive a Ferrari, get your dream job, have two kids and marry your hot 12-year old crush? Or will your fate be to have a rusty pickup truck, work a minimum wage…
Scandale!
This post is part of an ongoing series featuring recently cataloged items from the Julio Mario Santo Domingo Collection. Originally a French lawyer, Georges Anquetil was also a journalist and publisher who was well known for unorthodox methods and anarchist leanings. Early in his legal career he wrote under the name “Georges Evil.” His career…
Artistry of Linocuts
This post is part of an ongoing series featuring recently cataloged items from the Julio Mario Santo Domingo Collection. This lovely artist book Geheimzinnige Personen : omtrent de flarden des levenswas was created by a Dutch artist, Margit Willems. It loosely translates to Mysterious Persons: on the scraps of life and features 23 linocuts with text…