Lecture by Mary Pedley, “Mapping Fear: Stoking the Fires of the French and Indian War,” November 21, 2013
"Mapping Fear: Stoking the Fires of the French and Indian War"Mary Sponberg Pedley, Adjunct Assistant Curator of Maps, Clements Library Thursday, November 21, 2013, 4:00 p.m.Hatcher Graduate Library, Gallery Room 100 Because maps are often, though mistakenly, perceived to be objective and neutral, they make effective tools for creating the conditions for war. An example from the Clements Library collection, A New and Accurate Map of the English Empire in North America by a Society of...
Today in History: Halloween
“This is holy eve,” Richard Coulter wrote in his journal on October 31st, 1847. He was serving in the American Army that Halloween due to the Mexican War, and he noted the differences between how the day was observed in Mexico and back home in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. “There have been some religious ceremonies in churches today; no other celebrations of holy eve; no demolishing of cabbage as in our country.” While we at the Clements Library will not be participating in any destruction of...
Lecture by Michael Nassaney, “Michigan Before Statehood as Revealed through the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project,” October 29, 2013
"Michigan Before Statehood as Revealed through the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project"Michael S. Nassaney, Professor of Anthropology at Western Michigan UniversityTuesday, October 29, 2013, 4:00 p.m.Hatcher Graduate Library, Gallery Room 100Nassaney will discuss his archaeological findings at the excavation site of Fort St. Joseph and the information it’s providing on daily life at a mission, garrison, and trading post complex at one of the oldest European settlements in the western Great...
Recent Acquisition: 19th Century Children’s School Books
The Book Division recently received a gift from James E. Laramy of twelve late 19th century children's books. The collection previously belonged to his grandmother's family of Grand Rapids, Michigan. These books, which include readers, arithmetic books, geographies, and other children's books, are an excellent addition to our collection of 18th and 19th century American juvenile literature.Stories for Mary, Tom, Dick and Harry. Philadelphia, 1892. This book of children's stories has a...
Lecture by Keith R. Widder, “Beyond Pontiac’s Shadow: Michilimackinac and the Anglo-Indian War of 1763,” October 8, 2013
"Beyond Pontiac's Shadow: Michilimackinac and the Anglo-Indian War of 1763"Keith R. Widder, author and former Curator of History for Mackinac State Historic ParksTuesday, October 8, 2013, 4:00 p.m.Hatcher Graduate Library, Gallery Room 100Widder will explore how early alliances among the British and Indians in the Michilimackinac borderland prevented the Ojibwe attack at Michilimackinac on June 1763 from igniting more violence against the British. Widder’s recently published book of the same...
From the Stacks: Elaborate Mother-of-Pearl Bindings
During our recent collections move, we had a chance to discover forgotten treasures hidden in the stacks. While re-shelving the book collection, we came across not one, but two rare examples of papier-mâché bindings. These lovely items have book covers made of layered paper, coated in black varnish and decorated with paint and inlaid mother-of-pearl. Papier-mâché bindings were popular for a brief time in the 1850s, often on gift books, portfolios, and albums.The first book is Our Saviour...
Today in History: World Beard Day
Post by Jayne Ptolemy, Reading Room SupervisorIn honor of the upcoming celebration of World Beard Day on Saturday, September 7, Clements Library offers up this small sampling of the luxuriant beards found in our extensive Graphics Division. For example, amidst the thousands of photographs in the David V. Tinder Cabinet Card Photograph Collection, one can find beards of every type.We have pious beards and devilish beards.We have fancy beards and full beards.We have partial beards and people who...
Today in History: the Perseid Meteor Shower
Post by Jayne Ptolemy, Reading Room SupervisorIn the early morning hours of August 12th, the Perseid Meteor Shower will be at its peak for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. As we pass through the trailing dust left by the Swift-Tuttle comet, we should witness a beautiful demonstration—if the weather permits. In 1866 James Edwards Oliver watched a similar meteor shower in Lynn, Massachusetts. He did not have the benefit of a modern alarm clock, but he assured his correspondent, “We shan’t...
Latest Quarto: Renovation
The Spring-Summer 2013 Quarto is out! The Quarto is a semi-annual magazine published by the William L. Clements Library and sent to members of the Clements Library Associates. This issue of The Quarto focuses on the current Clements Library move and renovation. "Interesting Times," by J. Kevin Graffagnino, Director of the Library. "A Makeover for the Clements," by Brian Leigh Dunnigan, Associate Director & Curator of Maps. A brief history of our renovation plans, with details of the...
Afternoon with the Curators, June 27, 2013
Afternoon with the CuratorsThursday, June 27, 2013, 4:00 p.m.Main Room, Clements LibraryPlease join the Clements Library staff for a lecture on the current exhibit, Recent Acquisitions: Building on the Clements Collection and an update on the Library's renovation. Highlighting acquisitions to the collections since 2007, curators from the map, manuscript, books and graphics divisions will discuss the diversity of media and subject matter that researchers can draw on from the Clements...