Lecture by Jan Longone: “The Old Girl Network”: Charity Cookbooks and the Empowerment of Women, October 19, 2010
The University of Michigan Institute for Research on Women and Gender presents a lecture by Janice Longone: "The Old Girl Network": Charity Cookbooks and the Empowerment of Women Tuesday, October 19, 2010 3:00 PM-4:30 PM 2239 Lane Hall Published by women in nonprofit groups across the country, "charity cookbooks" have been produced since the 1860s, benefiting churches, schools, sororities, the homeless, and others in need. Janice Longone is the curator of American Culinary History at the...
Today in History: Columbus Day
When Columbus returned from his 1492 voyage to the New World, he reported his discoveries in a letter to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Editions of this letter were printed in major cities across Europe, spreading the news of his travels. This book is significant as the first printed account of the New World. The copy owned by the Clements Library, one of its greatest treasures, is the Rome edition of 1493. It was translated into Latin by Gabriel Sanchez and printed by Stephen Plannck. The...
International Spelling Reform Day
The Spelling Society was founded in 1908 as the Simplified Spelling Society. Its aims are to "[raise] awareness of the problems caused by the irregularity of English spelling and to promote remedies to improve literacy, including spelling reform." In 1980, the Spelling Society declared September 30 to be International Spelling Reform Day. Its motto was "Thirty days hath September - Spelling Reform to remember!"This was far from the first effort to simplify English spelling. Since at least the...
International Talk Like a Pirate Day: The Pirate Atlas
Last year for International Talk Like a Pirate Day, the Clements Library Chronicles highlighted a variety of materials related to pirates, including books, manuscripts, and a broadside poem. This year, we offer just one exceptional item: the Pirate Atlas. The Clements Library purchased the Hack Atlas in 1979, funded by the generosity of the Clements Library Associates. The atlas was recently featured in a display in the Main Room of the Library, celebrating the Clements Library Associates'...
Current Exhibit: Banned Books Week
Dangerous Ideas Controversial Works from the William L. Clements Library In honor of Banned Books Week, September 25-October 2, 2010 In honor of Banned Books Week, this exhibit from the William L. Clements Library presents twelve titles from the collection that have been the subject of controversy at different moments in history. These books span over three centuries, from Reginald Scot's The Discoverie of Witchcraft in 1584 to Elinor Glyn's Three Weeks in 1907. They provide examples of...
Lecture by Wes Cowan: “Collecting Americana,” September 30, 2010
4:00 p.m., September 30, 2010 Main Room, Clements Library 909 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI Wes Cowan is a familiar face on History Detectives and Antiques Roadshow. He holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Michigan and owns Cowan's Auctions, an auction house that specializes in historical Americana. Wes will give a talk on collecting Americana, based on his vast knowledge of items from our national past, including furniture, folk art, political ephemera, Native American...
New Clements Library Fellowships Announced
Details and application instructions and forms for all Clements Library fellowships are now available on our website. For further information contact: [email protected] or call 734-764-2347. Announcement excerpted from the Quarto, no. 33 (Spring-Summer 2010): It is a pleasure to announce the establishment of four new research fellowships intended to attract top-level scholars to the Clements Library. These complement the Jacob M. Price Visiting Research Fellowships that have been...
In the News: “Businessmen with a Passion for Books”
Michael F. Carmichael of Corp! recently interviewed Clements Library Director J. Kevin Graffagnino. His article based on the interview, "Businessmen with a Passion for Books," appears as a cover story in the online version of Corp! Magazine. Check out the article to learn more about the Clements Library, its founder William Lawrence Clements, and some of the great treasures in the Library's collections. To find out about the Clements Library's current fundraising program and how you can help,...
Help Us to Meet the Copley Challenge!
We have already raised more than half the match for the Copley Challenge. One of the nation's greatest private collections of Americana is being auctioned over the next year and we have an anonymous benefactor who has offered $150,000 as a one-to-one challenge match to purchase rare items for our library. We have raised half the funds in a short time and need only $75,000 to fully match this gift. When completed, we will have $300,000 available for the October 2010 auction.Please consider...
Clements Library open for Art Fair, July 21-22
For the first two days of the Ann Arbor Art Fair, the Clements Library will have a tent in front of the building at 909 S. University to provide information about the Library. We're also extending our exhibit hours: the Main Room will be open for visitors to view the exhibits from 10 am to 5pm on Wednesday and Thursday. Please come by and see us! While you're here, you can drop your name in the basket for our raffle. The prizes are a copy of 101 Treasures from the Collections of the William L....