Our incomparable Rare Book and Manuscript Metadata Librarian has recently catalogued an exciting number of chapbooks in our collections that previously weren't publicly discoverable. One of them is a charming little work called Metamorphosis; or, a Transformation of Pictures, with Poetical Explanations, for the Amusement of Young Persons that was printed in 1819 in Philadelphia and sold in New York. Our favorite detail about this particular chapbook is its folded pages that reveal different images and tableaus when they are flipped open or closed in the proper order. First, Adam from the Bible appears on the scene next to a suspicious-looking tree. When you flip the top panel up, Adam's upper body turn into Eve and the tree now contains a serpent talking to her.
Rauner Special Collections Library
Friday, January 10, 2025
When Adam Delved and Eve...Swam?
Our incomparable Rare Book and Manuscript Metadata Librarian has recently catalogued an exciting number of chapbooks in our collections that previously weren't publicly discoverable. One of them is a charming little work called Metamorphosis; or, a Transformation of Pictures, with Poetical Explanations, for the Amusement of Young Persons that was printed in 1819 in Philadelphia and sold in New York. Our favorite detail about this particular chapbook is its folded pages that reveal different images and tableaus when they are flipped open or closed in the proper order. First, Adam from the Bible appears on the scene next to a suspicious-looking tree. When you flip the top panel up, Adam's upper body turn into Eve and the tree now contains a serpent talking to her.
Friday, January 3, 2025
The Toilet
Like the Suit of Armour, this book uses clever flaps to uncover the nature of good character, but rather than plates of armor, it is focused on all of the accoutrements of a young lady's toilet. So, a lovely image of a box of rouge superior to any sold in Paris opens to reveal "modesty" which, with its accompanying blush, makes for true and honest rouge. A bottle of a "universal and genuine beautifier" uncaps and turns out to be "Good Humour." You get the idea. All of the artifice of makeup can be naturally expressed through the most excellent virtues of a true lady.
To take a look ask for The Toilet by Stacey Grimaldi (Rare BJ1681 .G86 1821).
Wednesday, December 25, 2024
Vulgar Customs, Ceremonies, and Superstitions
One custom Brand lists is the hunting of the wren on the Isle of Man: "'On the 24th of December, towards evening, all the servant in general have a holiday; they go not to bed all night, but ramble about till the bells ring in all the churches, which is at twelve o'clock: prayers being over, they go to hunt the wren; and, after having found one of these poor birds, they kill her, and lay her on a bier with the utmost solemnity, bringing her to the parish church, and burying her with a whimsical kind of solemnity, singing dirges over her in the Manks language, which they call her knell; after which, Christmas begins.'" This tradition took place in other parts of the British Isles as well. It continued in various iterations long past Brand's lifetime and died out in the first half of the 20th century, before being revived more recently using a fake bird.
To read about this and other holiday traditions, ask for Ticknor LEH B73o.
Friday, December 13, 2024
A Suit of Armour
Each chapter offers a bit of armory tipped onto the page to make a flap. You lift the flap and see the personality quality it protects: A Noble Helmet shields wisdom; the Strongest Breast Plate is an aegis for virtue; a pair of Excellent Gauntlets hold friendship safe.
While the book claims to have value to anyone who picks it up, it describes a suit:
... so light, that the most delicate of our auburn-haired English Boys may wear it for life without the slightest fatigue or inconvenience. Nay, instead of being cumberous and fatiguing, as all Armour has hitherto proved, this actually gives strength to the Body, and vivacity to the Countenance.
Friday, December 6, 2024
Not So Wise After All
As you've probably guessed, Wise was not only an astute bibliophile but an adept forger. In fact, he was so skilled at secretly printing and then selling fake editions of works by famous authors like Elizabeth Barrett Browning that he wasn't found out until he was in his late seventies. In the meantime, Wise had accumulated various honors and prestigious positions based upon his bibliographic acumen: an honorary master's degree from Oxford, an honorary fellowship from Worcester College, and the presidency of the Bibliographical Society, among others. If not for the investigative work of two fellow book collectors, John Carter and Henry Pollard, Wise would very likely have gotten away with it. However, in 1934, the two men published a pamphlet titled "An Enquiry into the Nature of Certain Nineteenth Century Pamphlets" that exposed Wise's decades-long deception and ruined his standing in the community. In a somewhat cheeky move, the pamphlet's epigraph is a quotation by Wise himself that avers the impossibility of creating a forgery able to elude expert detection.In December of 1933, only months before Wise's world would be turned upside-down, he responds to a previous letter from his friend and prolific author E. V. Lucas. Lucas was in the midst of editing a centenary collection of Charles Lamb's letters and sought Wise's input. Wise replies that he owns two letters written by Lamb and thanks Lucas for dedicating the soon-to-be-published work to him. We have to wonder if Lucas ever regretted that decision, given that Wise's fame would soon turn to infamy. To see our letter, come to Rauner and ask to see MS-407, Box 2, Folder 14. We also have a large collection of his forged works. To find then out, search the catalog for "Thomas Wise Forgeries."
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
Camp Cookery
Parloa's handbook makes it clear that being in the great outdoors should not come at the sacrifice of eating well. Her instructions include ambitious projects like a clam bake for "ten to twenty persons," as well as practical instructions for the less accomplished cook, ensuring that her readers know how to prepare basics like coffee and scrambled eggs. Of particular note is the large selection of puddings and baked goods, as well as various gruels for those who find themselves ill while roughing it.
After finding success with her first cookbook in 1872, Maria Parloa (1843-1909) shifted from working as a cook to a long career of teaching others. After the publication of Camp Cookery, she traveled to Europe to study additional cuisines and their accompanying pedagogies. Back home, she led classes, gave popular lectures, and published additional books. She founded her own cooking school and became a sought-after guest at other institutions. She expanded her expertise in other areas of household management and established herself as a trusted authority in the developing field of home economics. Highly successful if no longer well-known, we thought a look at her life and work would be a good way to christen the holiday week.
To look at Camp Cookery, ask for Rare Book TX823 .P25 1878.
Friday, November 22, 2024
Look What We Found!
Come feast your eyes on it by asking for Rare RE41 .B3.