Guest post by Esti Brennan, Social Media Intern“The Language of the Fan” is one of the most pervasive myths of Victorian society. In a culture perceived to be straight-laced and highly codified, the idea of a secret language that permitted youthful rebellion (of a...
Anne Bradstreet, The Tenth Muse (1650).In honor of National Poetry Month, we are featuring one of the Clements Library’s great treasures, The Tenth Muse by Anne Bradstreet. Printed in 1650 in London, it is noteworthy as the first book of poetry...
Guest post by Molly Malcolm, Clements Library volunteerMarch was Irish American Heritage Month, which prompted us to showcase a wonderful book here at the Clements Library, The Irish Emigrant’s Guide for the United States, by Rev. J. O’Hanlon.The cultural...
Thomas Skinner, Another Voice From the Grave (Philadelphia, 1819). A handwritten note on the cover of this pamphlet hints at the intriguing story within: “This tract is an entire fiction. The particulars were fabricated by a base woman (Mrs. Sayres) and...
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...
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...
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...
Photograph by Mrs. H.F. Stuart, ca. 1865 One of the tools of the ghost-hunting trade is spirit photography, the attempt to capture images of ghosts. Early spirit photographs were usually portraits of living people with faint, ghostly images floating behind...
Memorial Day began after the American Civil War as a commemoration to honor fallen Union and Confederate soldiers. In 1868, General John A. Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, issued a proclamation to observe it nationwide on the last Monday...
