News and more from ZSR’s Special Collections & Archives
In the winter of 1895 Oscar Wilde was the toast of the London stage. A production of his An Ideal Husband opened in January to critical and popular acclaim. His new play, The Importance of Being Earnest, had its premiere at the fashionable St. James’s Theatre on February 14. The opening night audience was delighted... Continue reading “The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde (1899)” ›
October is American Archives Month! Each year, the Society of North Carolina Archivists chooses a theme to celebrate Archives Month. This year’s theme, “Celebrating Archives: North Carolina Arts, Crafts, and Music Traditions” has inspired Special Collections & Archives to collaborate with the Start Gallery and the Hanes Gallery for our own celebration. “Art in the Archives:... Continue reading “Art in the Archives: A Celebration of Campus Galleries” ›
If you’re commemorating the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt this weekend, chances are your knowledge of this English victory comes from Shakespeare’s famous history play The Life of King Henry V. But where did Shakespeare get his information about the 15th century battle? The major source for Shakespeare’s historical information was probably Raphael... Continue reading “A Source for Shakespeare’s History” ›
Herman Melville’s Moby Dick has one of the most recognizable opening lines of any American novel. Everyone knows about Ishmael, Captain Ahab, and the Great White Whale. But how many readers have actually made it to the end of Melville’s epic? Moby Dick; or, The Whale is today a staple of Best American Novel lists... Continue reading “Moby Dick, by Herman Melville (1851)” ›
October is American Archives Month! Each year, archives across the nation celebrate Archives Month by advocating for archives, planning events related to archives, and generally singing the praises of archives near and far. The Society of North Carolina Archivists (SNCA) assigns a theme for North Carolina’s Archives Month. This year’s North Carolina Archives Month theme, “Celebrating... Continue reading “October is Archives Month!” ›
A dramatist once wrote a play about an Irish peasant, We heard some of the audience say “The motive is not pleasant.” Our own opinion, we admit, Is rather—well—uncertain, Because we couldn’t hear one bit From rise to fall of curtain. The Abbey Row (Dublin: Maunsel & Co., 1907) John Millington Synge’s drama The Playboy... Continue reading “The Playboy of the Western World, by J. M. Synge (1907)” ›
This Religion in North Carolina blog post was written by Caroline Green, Religion in NC student assistant. An ever-growing barrage of self-help books attests to a modern fascination with achieving elusive happiness. Principles like minimalism, focus on others, and appreciation of small details prevail as themes when success is not mistaken for happiness. Titles like... Continue reading “The True Source of a Happy Life, 1909” ›
G is for… Needham Yancey Gulley Papers Needham Yancey Gulley, born June 3, 1855, was the son of a farmer in Jackson County, N.C. before starting at Wake Forest College in 1874. He earned his M.A. degree in 1879 and spent the next several years as a teacher, principal, and lawyer. Gulley married Alice Wingate,... Continue reading “The ABCs of Special Collections and Archives: G is for…” ›
The National Endowment for the Humanities as part of their Preservation Assessment Grant for Small Institutions recently funded a visit to Special Collections & Archives by nationally known Facilities Consultant, Tom Wilsted. Tom’s goals for his consultancy included the following: Review existing building plans and collection documents including preservation and emergency plans Travel to Winston-Salem,... Continue reading “Special Collections & Archives 2015 NEH Grant for Visiting Consultant” ›
Pierre Bayle (1647-1706) was a French scholar and philosopher who spent most of his adult life as a Huguenot exile in the Netherlands. His most famous work was the Dictionnaire Historique et Critique, a multi-volume biographical encyclopedia that encompassed Bayle’s wide-ranging and often unorthodox ideas. His arguments, carried out largely in the footnotes of the... Continue reading “Repairing Mr. Bayle’s Dictionary” ›