Staff Favorite: Hand-Colored Astronomical Charts
Emi Hastings has been Curator of Books at the Clements Library since 2009. Although she is constantly discovering new favorite items in the stacks, one of the current top contenders is the Astronomicum Caesareum of 1540. The Astronomicum Caesareum, perhaps the most elaborate scientific book ever published, is generally regarded as one of the great masterpieces of sixteenth-century printing. This lavishly-illustrated astronomical text, also known as the "Emperor's Astronomy," was published by...
Lecture by Brian L. Dunnigan: “Troubled Waters: The Great Lakes Frontier on the Eve of the War of 1812,” March 8, 2012
Brian L. Dunnigan, Associate Director and Curator of Maps"Troubled Waters: The Great Lakes Frontier on the Eve of the War of 1812"Thursday, March 8, 20124:00 p.m.To mark the bicentennial of the War of 1812, the Clements Library will present an exhibition drawing on the rich array of primary sources about this conflict found in its collections. The exhibition will focus on significant theaters and events of the war using original books, manuscripts, maps and graphics.Free and open to the...
Current Exhibit: “The War of 1812: A Bicentennial Exhibition,” February 27 – June 1, 2012
The War of 1812: A Bicentennial Exhibition February 27 - June 1, 2012 Main Room, Clements Library 909 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI Curated by Brian L. Dunnigan Associate Director and Curator of Maps The War of 1812 has sometimes been called a forgotten conflict, one that resolved none of the issues that brought it about. This second confrontation between the United States and Great Britain did, in fact, have a considerable influence on the future development...
Recently Catalogued: The Life, Experiences, and Incidents of Rev. Gardner Dean
The Life, Experiences and Incidents of Rev. Gardner Dean, Written by Himself, Together with Genealogies of the Gardner, Dean and Hinds Families, by Ebenezer W. Peirce. New Bedford, Mass. : Paul Howland, Jr., 1883. According to the preface, "Everybody wants to read this book, for it is full of facts stranger than fiction." By his own account, the Rev. Dean lived an exciting life. His book claims that he was "a school-teacher, a preacher, a Son of Temperance, a 'come-outer,' a Baptist, a...
Today in History: Valentine’s Day Letters
This year for Valentine's Day, we have selected three items from the Manuscripts Division to show the variety of ways people have observed this holiday over the years. From children exchanging cards at school to poems proposing marriage, this holiday celebrates love and friendship in all its forms.Sidney Platt to Maria Perit, 1800. From the Huntington scrapbook.The first is a love letter from 1800, included in the Huntington scrapbook. This lighthearted letter hints at a happy and loving...
Support the Clements Library in 2012
An Update from the Clements Library Development Office The Clements envisions an even brighter future than its luminous past by establishing endowed curatorships, prestigious research fellowships, a full schedule of speakers and exhibits, and most importantly, by continuously adding unique materials to our collection. In the past year, the Clements has been able to raise funds for a variety of projects that will advance scholarship and learning for years to come. Maybe you’ve been to the...
Today in History: National Chocolate Cake Day
Guest post by Molly Malcolm, Clements Library volunteerToday is National Chocolate Cake Day, and although it is not an officially recognized holiday, the Clements Library is celebrating it by offering a short history of the evolution of chocolate cake in the United States – and by trying our hand at cooking a chocolate cake recipe from our culinary collection. Until the 1830s or 40s in America, chocolate was consumed primarily as a beverage. Cakes as we think of them today did not yet exist in...
Today in History: Michigan’s 175th Anniversary
Guest post by Cheney Schopieray, Assistant Curator of ManuscriptsOn January 26, 1837, Michigan became the 26th state of the Union.This detail from David Burr's Map of the Northern Parts of Ohio, Indiana And Illinois With Michigan And That Part of the Ouisconsin Territory Lying East of the Mississippi River (Washington, 1836) shows the disputed Toledo Strip. Michigan's statehood would have been established earlier, were it not for the territory's disputed southern border. The designated border...
The Latest Quarto: The West Indies
The Fall-Winter 2011 Quarto is now available. 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 Clements Library collections related to the West Indies. "From the Director," by J. Kevin Graffagnino, Director of the Library. "Taking Havana," by Clayton Lewis, Curator of Graphic Materials. Broadside prints of the1762 British siege of Havana, Cuba, during the Seven...
From the Stacks: A Fashion Flip-Book
In the 19th century, women's popular literature was full of advice about fashion and beauty. Numerous books and magazines offered hints on clothing styles, cosmetics, hygiene, and other aspects of women's appearance. Female Beauty, as Preserved and Improved by Regimen, Cleanliness and Dress, by Mrs. A. Walker (London, 1837), is a noteworthy example of this type of book. Particularly striking are the unusual hand-colored double illustrations, which have a cut-out in the top plate so the same...