The Quotable Ethan Allen, January 28th, 2010
Kevin GraffagninoThe Quotable Ethan AllenBased on his 2005 book with H. Nicholas Muller III, The Quotable Ethan Allen, Kevin Graffagnino's lecture offers a representative selection of Ethan's fiery rhetoric on the American Revolution, the Yankee v. Yorker struggle for control of the area that became Vermont, theology, the rights of man, and other subjects that attracted his attention.Thursday, January 28, 20104:00 p.m.William L. Clements Library909 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109Free...
The Fall-Winter 2009 Quarto is Here
The latest issue of The Quarto is now available. The Quarto is a semi-annual newsletter published by the William L. Clements Library and sent to members of the Clements Library Associates. Contents of the Fall-Winter 2009 issue of The Quarto: "Native Americans," by J. Kevin Graffagnino, Director. An introduction to the focus of this issue, Native American history materials at the Clements Library. "Tales of Indian Captivity," by Emiko Hastings, Curator of Books. The Library's extensive...
Recent Acquisition: Audubon Wolverine Print
The Clements Library has recently acquired a hand-colored lithograph of a wolverine from John James Audubon's The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (New York: 1845-48). It is now on display inside the back entrance of the building. Appropriately, as the first Audubon piece owned by the Clements Library,* it illustrates an animal famous on campus as the University of Michigan mascot.A naturalist and painter, John James Audubon (1785-1851) was best known for his illustrations of North...
Reframing the Color Line: MLK Symposium Event at the Clements Library, January 18, 2010
On January 18, as part of the University of Michigan's 24th Annual MLK Symposium, the Clements Library will be hosting a discussion in conjunction with the current exhibit, Reframing the Color Line: Race and the Visual Culture of the Atlantic World. MLK Symposium Event: Reframing the Color Line: Race and Visual Culture January 18, 2010 4:00 pm Location: William L. Clements Library, 909 S. University Avenue Speaker: Martha S. Jones, History and Afroamerican & African Studies; Kristin Hass,...
Happy Holidays from the Clements Library!
This holiday card from 1929 was created for Mr. William L. Clements, the founder of the Clements Library. The illustration is based on an etching of the exterior of the library by Wilfred B. Shaw. His work can also be seen in the circular Clements logo on the library website.Wilfred B. Shaw was a graduate of the University of Michigan in 1904. He attended the Art School in Chicago, and was known for his work as an artist and etcher of UM campus scenes, buildings, and personalities. From 1929...
Current Exhibit at Hatcher Graduate Library: 200 Years of Cookies
The Clements Library and the Hatcher Graduate Library present an exhibit giving an overview of the history of cookies in "200 Years of Cookies." The exhibit showcases cookbooks from both collections, as well as 19th century American cookie cutters and cookie molds from the Clements. The exhibit is now open in Hatcher's North lobby and Gallery, and will be there through January 15th. The history of cookies is probably impossible to trace back to its beginnings. The Roman writer Apicius gives a...
National Letter Writing Day: The Lost Art of the Handwritten Letter
While the origins of this obscure December 7 holiday are unclear, the tradition of having letter-writing days can be traced back to a time when handwritten letters were the most common form of communication. Before the invention of the telegraph, the typewriter, or the computer, handwritten letters were both an art form and an essential part of everyday business. To illustrate this history, we present the following examples from the Book and Manuscript Divisions of the Clements...
Today in History: Thanksgiving during the Civil War, November 24, 1864
Although we traditionally trace the origins of this holiday to the Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving celebration in 1621, it did not become an annual celebration in the United States until 1863 and a federal holiday in 1941. In the colonial era, days of thanksgiving were designated throughout the year by individual colonies as a time for prayer and fasting. After the Revolutionary War, Thanksgiving days were occasionally proclaimed by American presidents or governors of individual states. During...
From the Stacks: Two Hollow Books
In the Clements Library book collection, one small shelf of books has the call number "Curiosa." Here may be found oddities that fit nowhere else in the collection, including these two hollowed-out books. The smaller one is the Oeuvres choisies de Bossuet, volume 24 (1824), and the larger one is the Historie ecclesiastique par Monsieur l'Abbe Fleury, volume 1 of 20 (1722). Books like these provide an intriguing glimpse into the history of the book as an artifact. While most books are intended...
Playing Ball with Legends: An Afternoon with Don Lund, Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 4:00 p.m. in the Main Room of the Clements Library 909 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Enjoy never-before published personal stories about famous sports legends. Please join us to hear noted local businessman Jim Irwin and legendary University of Michigan athlete Don Lund. Jim will be discussing his new book, Playing Ball with Legends: The Story and the Stories of Don Lund. This is an exciting biographical look at one of Michigan’s most talented and honored...