News and more from ZSR’s Special Collections & Archives
A genteel English woman of the 18th century had few resources to fall back on if her husband proved unable to support her financially. A girl’s education generally emphasized elegant accomplishments like drawing, music, and fine needlework, rather than practical skills. So when Elizabeth Blachrie Blackwell’s neer-do-well husband landed in a London debtor’s prison in... Continue reading “A Curious Herbal, By Elizabeth Blackwell (1739)” ›
In conjunction with the Words Awake celebration of Wake Forest writers, the spring exhibit in the Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives features six Wake Forest authors whose papers reside in the archives and manuscripts collections. Laurence Stallings, Harold Hayes, John Charles McNeill, W.J. Cash, and Gerald Johnson received their undergraduate degrees from... Continue reading “Wake Forest Writers’ Archives on Exhibit” ›
In the fall of 2012 ZSR Library will offer a new class called History of the Book, 1500-2000 (LIB260). Taught by Special Collections Librarian Megan Mulder, the 1.5 credit class will introduce students to the exciting interdisciplinary field of Book History. Book History (sometimes called History of Print Culture) combines history, literary studies, and bibliography.... Continue reading “New class in Book History offered Fall 2012” ›
Lindsey has been working in Special Collections for two years now and we couldn’t be luckier to have her. She is currently working on the tremendous “Bio File” project that includes creating a finding aid and digitizing thousands of biographical files. This is a highly used collection and will be a great online resource when... Continue reading “What Are You Working On? With Lindsey” ›
The author’s object in this work, was to place before the reader a constant succession of characters and incidents; to paint them in as vivid colours as he could command; and to render them, at the same time, life-like and amusing. Charles Dickens In February of 1836 the young publisher William Hall dropped in unannounced... Continue reading “The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, by Charles Dickens (1836-37)” ›
Alan Alexander Milne (1882-1956) never intended to be a children’s author. A former editor at Punch magazine, Milne was by 1924 a successful playwright and author of several volumes of essays and poetry for adults. When he announced to his editors (at Methuen in London and Dutton in New York) that his next manuscript was... Continue reading “Winnie-the-Pooh, by A. A. Milne (1926)” ›
We found a very interesting photograph in a book undergoing repair last week. The scene is a 1930’s vintage cocktail party- held somewhere in London. On the reverse of the photo is a stamp from the processor which reads: A.V. Swaebe, Society & General Press Agency, 11 Mitre Court, London. A note on the reverse... Continue reading “Found in a Rare Book” ›
I recently brought a group of old theater posters, which are about one hundred years old, out of the flat files they’d been stored in. These posters are part of the Clarence Herbert New Collection (http://wakespace.lib.wfu.edu/xmlui/handle/10339/28053). I knew we had these posters, but had not seen them or handled them. I was prompted to look... Continue reading “Thanhouser Theater Posters from the C. H. New Collection” ›
I WRITE the Wonders of the CHRISTIAN RELIGION, flying from the Depravations of Europe, to the American Strand: And, assisted by the Holy Author of that Religion, I do, with all Conscience of Truth, required therein by Him, who is the Truth it self, Report the Wonderful Displays of His Infinite Power, Wisdom, Goodness, and... Continue reading “Magnalia Christi Americana, by Cotton Mather (1702)” ›
A few weeks back, I was happy to begin some work on Special Collections materials in Preservation. I grabbed a few likely suspects off the shelf and opened one: this was a thick volume of bound magazines entitled Reel Life: A Weekly Magazine of Kinetic Drama and Literature. This project by Mr. Clarence Herbert New... Continue reading “Reel Life – restored” ›