Clements Library Chronicles

Support the Clements Library in 2012

2012-02-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

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 Clements to use our collections for research or scholarly advancement, volunteer your time and energy, or view one of our exhibits. With your continued support, the Clements programs will continue to benefit a wide audience of scholars, students and visitors. Your gift to the Clements Library Annual Fund makes sure that the Clements can offer the best in programs, preserve its treasures, and make the collections fully accessible, both online and in the Library.

Or you can show your support by becoming a member of the Clements Library Associates. As benefits of membership, Associates enjoy the privilege of attending the Library's programs, lectures, exhibits, and seminars, and receive Library publications free of charge or with substantial discounts. The Quarto, a magazine published each Spring and Fall, keeps members informed about the acquisitions which have been made through their generous giving, and offers informative articles drawn from the Library's rich collections. Membership dues to the Associates are used by the organization to acquire collections for the Library. Since its founding in 1947, the Clements Library Associates has purchased an estimated $5,000,000 worth of historical material that today has a monetary value many times that amount and is of incalculable worth to historians.

All of this is possible only with your financial support. The true value of the Clements Library is found in the excitement of visitors whose interest in history is encouraged by seeing "the original book" or manuscript which literally changed the course of history. It is the undergraduate whose experience at the University of Michigan was made memorable by being able to use "the actual letters" of Anthony Wayne or Frederick Douglass. It is to be found in the numerous articles and books of historians and writers around the world who have expanded our knowledge of the past as a direct result of the Clements Library's collections.

If you would like to make a gift to the Clements or join the William L. Clements Library Associates, please contact:
Ann Rock
Director of Development
William L. Clements Library
909 S. University
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
734-647-0864
annrock@umich.edu

Or Give Online »

Today in History: National Chocolate Cake Day

2012-01-27T13:00:00.000-05:00

Guest post by Molly Malcolm, Clements Library volunteer

Today 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 this country. In fact, what was popularly understood as "chocolate cake" was in fact a white or yellow cake to be eaten while drinking a chocolate beverage. Although chocolate began to be used in sauces and frostings, the primary understanding of chocolate as a liquid treat continued into the beginning of the 20th century.

"Food for the Gods," Bensdorp's Cocoa (1898). From Culinary Ephemera Box 170: Cocoa and Chocolate.

This picture of drinking chocolate is from an advertisement for Bensdorp's Cocoa, instructing people to enjoy the cocoa, which they called "the food of the Gods." The advertisement, which appeared in 1898, accompanied an announcement that the World's Fair Columbian Exposition in Chicago of that year recognized Bensdorp as its official cocoa sponsor. The fair organizer's ordered thousands of pounds of Bensdorp’s Cocoa to be served to guests.

Chocolate cake recipe from Linda Larned's The Hostess of To-Day (1899).

This is one of the earliest printed recipes for chocolate cake in America. The recipe comes from the cookbook The Hostess of To-Day by Linda Larned (1899), and although it is in fact a cake made with cocoa, it is quite different from modern chocolate cakes. Early chocolate cakes were much lighter in color than modern cakes, because they used significantly smaller amounts of sugar and cocoa. They also often used more flour than we are currently accustomed to, making them fluffier and more akin to what we would today call a breakfast bread.

Lowney's "Always Ready" Sweet Chocolate Powder advertisement, from Lowney's Cook Book (1912).

By the time this advertisement appeared in Lowney’s Cook Book in 1912, chocolate cakes were becoming a more commonplace food. However, drinking chocolate and chocolate used for sauces, icings and frostings were still the most standard uses for cocoa. This ad shows how marketing campaigns began to capitalize on shifting tastes and consumer trends by promoting cocoa powder as useful in all three arenas: drinking, baking and decorating.

Hershey's Recipes (1940). From Culinary Ephemera Box 170: Cocoa and Chocolate.

By 1940, Hershey Chocolate Company had become so commercially successful that baking with chocolate was a staple in most American households. This image is an example of the times, depicting a young, stylish woman holding a beautifully iced chocolate cake, emphasizing how fashionable it was to bake with chocolate. By this time in the 20th century, chocolate cake recipes were becoming more rich and decadent, calling for larger quantities of cocoa and sugar than they had in previous decades. Cake recipes were transitioning into the type of cake we all think of as "chocolate cake" today – an early predecessor to the decadent "death by chocolate" cakes of modern tastes.

This is the chocolate cake that we made and ate here at the Clements in honor of National Chocolate Cake Day. The recipe is from Mrs. Bennett R. Wheeler of the Chancel Chapter of Grace Cathedral in Topeka, Kansas and was printed in a cookbook from 1916 entitled Good Things to Eat. Mrs. Wheeler's recipe was spot-on and the cake turned out wonderfully – light, fluffy, not too sweet and great to eat with coffee or tea! This was a perfect way to celebrate National Chocolate Cake Day and bring history to life, both in our kitchen and in our stomachs!

Further reading:
The True History of Chocolate, by Sophie D. Coe and Michael D. Coe (1996).

Today in History: Michigan's 175th Anniversary

2012-01-26T20:12:00.000-05:00

Guest post by Cheney Schopieray, Assistant Curator of Manuscripts

On January 26, 1837, Michigan became the 26th state of the Union.

This detail from David Burr's Map of the NorthernParts of Ohio, Indiana And Illinois With Michigan And That Part of theOuisconsin 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 of Michigan Territory was to be an east-west line drawn from the southernmost point of Lake Michigan. Unfortunately, maps used to describe the proposed border in the 1787 Northwest Ordnance and during Ohio's 1802 constitutional discussions (such as John Mitchell's Map of the British and French Dominions in North America) erroneously depicted Lake Michigan's southern shore as further north. Ohio delegates suspected this inaccuracy and adjusted their constitution to describe their northern border as a line angled from Lake Michigan's southern point to land north of Maumee Bay.

Congress established the southern border of Michigan Territory in 1805, according to the language of the 1787 Northwest Ordnance. Official survey lines conducted by William Harris (Ohio, 1802) and John Fulton (Michigan, 1818) showed a discrepancy of nearly 500 square miles, claimed by both Ohio and Michigan Territory. The most important factor in the land dispute was state ownership of the mouth of the Maumee River and the nearby town of Toledo. As the proposed end of the Erie Canal and because of its close proximity to the waterways of the Great Lakes, Toledo was especially desirable real estate. The "Toledo Strip" became a contentious issue when Michigan Territory attempted to gain statehood in 1835. Michiganians and Ohioans argued bitterly over the Toledo Strip nearly to the point of violence.

Stevens T. Mason ALS to Lewis Cass; April 18,1835. Detroit, Michigan Territory. From the Lewis CassPapers.

In April 1835, Stevens T. Mason wrote a letter to Lewis Cass (former Michigan Territory governor, then U.S. Secretary of War under Andrew Jackson) explaining that he would resign his own position as Secretary of Michigan Territory if the Federal government recognized the border established in the Ohio constitution. Although Jackson removed Mason from his post, Michigan Territorial residents voted him Governor in October 1835. In 1837, Mason accepted the U.S. Congress proposal that Michigan would gain the Upper Peninsula in exchange for the Toledo Strip.

Postal cancellation for "Toledo, M[ichigan]T[erritory]," January 19, 1836. From the LuciusLyon Papers.

The Toledo Strip included several established towns, including Manhattan, Whiteford, and Tremainsville. This Tremainsville manuscript postal marking, dated January 18, 1837, shows an Ohio designation although the town was not officially relinquished by Michigan Territory until it gained statehood. From the Postal History Collection.

The Latest Quarto: The West Indies

2012-01-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

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 Years' War in North America.
"Caribbean Revolution," by Cheney Schopieray, Assistant Curator of Manuscripts. Manuscript collections related to the Caribbean.
"Islands of Sugar," by JJ Jacobson, Curator for American Culinary History. Sugar-growing in the West Indies.
"The Devil is in the Details," by Brian Leigh Dunnigan, Associate Director and Curator of Maps. Maps of the West Indies.
"Developments," by Ann Rock, Director of Development. Library outreach through teaching, fellowships, electronic newsletter, and more.
Announcements
Calendar of Events

Read past issues of The Quarto online. Members of the Clements Library Associates will receive the current copy in the mail. If you would like more information about membership, please contact Ann Rock at annrock@umich.edu or 734-358-9770.

From the Stacks: A Fashion Flip-Book

2012-01-18T15:05:00.000-05:00

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 figure can be shown with two different costumes. These illustrations provide helpful before-and-after views of various fashions, so the reader can see the effect of different styles and colors on a woman's appearance.


"Simplicity and Ornament Compared."	"The more beautiful a woman is, the less need has she of ornament, and the more her dress should be simple though elegant. ... Vanity is ever the companion of bad taste." - p. 391.

Mrs. A. Walker is listed as the author of Female Beauty, although some scholars have speculated that the book was actually written by her husband, Alexander Walker, who also wrote Beauty: Illustrated Chiefly by an Analysis and Classification of Beauty in Woman (1836).

Female Beauty warns women against the dangers of "cosmetic impositions," which may be made from harmful ingredients such as lead or vinegar that will penetrate the skin and cause permanent damage. Instead, the author argues that simple changes in clothing style and color can greatly improve appearance without harming one's health. The book also offers advice on nutrition, sleep, exercise, bathing, and other aspects of life that can contribute to a woman's beauty.


"Management of Red Complexion."	"If red predominates in the complexion, then red around the face removes it by contrast, and causes the yellow and blue to predominate." - p. 292.

Other women's fashion books like this can be found in the Clements Library holdings by searching the Mirlyn library catalog for subjects such as "Clothing and dress," "Beauty, Personal," and "Women--Health and hygiene."

Further Reading:
Robyn Cooper, "Victorian Discourses on Women and Beauty: The Alexander Walker Texts." Gender & History vol. 5, no. 1 (Spring 1993): pp. 34-55.

Current Exhibit: "The Languages of Early American History"

2011-12-21T14:22:00.000-05:00

The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts has designated language as the theme of its Winter 2012 semester. Language plays a central role in virtually all human activity, and it was a critical element in the encounters of peoples that characterize the history of the Americas. While linguistics is not a collecting area for the Clements, the primary source material held by the Library - books, manuscripts, maps, and graphics - were produced in a wide variety of languages representative of the people of the Americas. This exhibit provides a modest but eclectic sampling of the languages represented in the Library's holdings.

Happy Holidays from the Clements Library!

2011-12-19T15:35:00.000-05:00

The Clements Library often sends holiday cards to members of the Clements Library Associates. Below is a selection of our earliest cards, featuring illustrations from library materials.

The Clements Library Associates, founded in 1947, has purchased an estimated $5,000,000 worth of historical material for Clements Library. Members of the Associates receive invitations to library events, discounts on publications, and semi-annual mailings of The Quarto, an award-winning magazine with illustrated articles by curators and staff about Clements Library collections. See our website for more information about becoming a member of the Associates.

Clements card, 1947. Illustration from Sebastian
Brant's Stultifera Nauis (1570).

Clements card, 1948. Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe,
patron saint of all the Americas, from an original engraving.

Clements card, 1949.

Clements card, 1952. Exterior of Library at night.

In the News: "Exhibit Examines Death Customs of Early America"

2011-12-12T10:44:00.001-05:00

University Record article by Kevin Brown, December 12, 2011.

This week's University Record issue includes a front-page article by Kevin Brown about the current Clements Library exhibit, "So Once Were We": Death in Early America. Focusing on the 19th century, the exhibit includes many photographs, manuscripts, books, and artifacts concerning death and mourning in early America. Exceptional rarities include handwritten eyewitness accounts of the deaths of the deaths of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Ghosts in the Library? Spirit Photography at the Clements

2011-12-05T16:21:00.000-05:00

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 them. These figures, supposedly the impressions of departed loved ones, were actually produced by photographic editing methods such as double exposures.

William H. Mumler made the first known spirit photograph in 1862, a self-portrait which purportedly revealed the ghost of his cousin. Realizing the potential of this method, he went into business as a spirit medium, taking people's photographs and doctoring them to add images of the deceased.

The Personal Experiences of William H. Mumler (1875).

In 1869, Mumler was charged with fraud after he accidentally put identifiable living people into his photographs as supposed spirits. The famous showman P.T. Barnum testified against him, as well as several reputable photographers who showed how the same "spirit" effects could be produced by darkroom tricks. Although Mumler's reputation suffered, he continued to produce spirit photographs and even wrote a pamphlet about his work in 1875.

Interest in spirit photography continued into the early twentieth century. Its advocates included the author Arthur Conan Doyle, best known for his Sherlock Holmes stories. Doyle became a fervent believer in spiritualism after the deaths of several family members. In 1923, he published The Case for Spirit Photography to argue that spirit photographs provided insurmountable technological evidence of the spirit world.

Arthur Conan Doyle, The Case for Spirit Photography (1923).

Further reading:
"Do You Believe? The Mumler Mystery," online exhibit from The American Museum of Photography.
Louis, Kaplan. The Strange Case of William Mumler, Spirit Photographer. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2008.

Happy Thanksgiving: Postcards from the Clements Ephemera Collections

2011-11-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

These Thanksgiving-themed postcards provide illustrations of early 20th century celebrations of this American holiday. The Clements Library ephemera collection contains many examples of printed materials like these, including programs, tickets, brochures, handbills, trade cards, political fliers, postcards, and billheads. Culinary, travel, and theater-related materials are a particular strength. To learn more about the collection, see the Graphics Division page on our website.

Related posts:
2010: Today in History: Thanksgiving
2009: Thanksgiving During the Civil War

Upcoming Event: Janice Longone to Speak at New York Public Library, November 10, 2011

2011-10-27T15:51:00.000-04:00

Culinary Historians of New York and the New York Public Library

present:

The Old Girl Network: Charity Cookbooks and the Empowerment of Women
with
Janice Bluestein Longone
and
Presentation of 2011 Amelia Award to Janice Bluestein Longone

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Before mass media, communication and transit, the first wave of the women’s movement was already active via the most ordinary of objects – the lowly cookbook. “Charity cookbooks,” a legacy of the Civil War, championed many causes: suffrage, education, temperance, prohibition, equal rights, working conditions, welfare, immigration, and legal rights and responsibilities, while benefiting churches, schools, sororities, the homeless, and others in need. The effort required to create, publish and distribute the books created networks of communication, which nurtured fledgling political movements that transformed American culture. The books demonstrate how women worked together to help themselves, other women, and the outside world, while, along the way, the recipes and how-to advice in the books offer a compelling glimpse into America’s cooking habits and its region-by-region culinary heritage.

Jan Longone is Curator of American Culinary History at the University of Michigan’s Clements Library. She is proprietor of The Wine and Food Library, America’s oldest antiquarian culinary bookshop and founder and honorary chair of the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor. Among her many other activities was helping to develop MSU’s “Feeding America” website. In addition to speaking, she will receive the 2011 Amelia Award for Lifetime Achievement in Culinary History. Join us in celebrating her accomplishments. Refreshments will be served.

This program is free and open to the public, but you must RSVP. Please send an email to food@nypl.org with “Longone” in the subject line or return the form below.

Location:
New York Public Library
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street
Berger Forum, room 227, on the second floor
Enter at 5th Avenue or 42nd Street; 42nd Street is a shorter walk to the Berger Forum
Time: 6:00 pm Check-in and reception | 6:30 pm Amelia Award Presentation and Lecture

For further information, see http://www.culinaryhistoriansny.org/events.html.

View the online exhibit of The Old Girl Network: Charity Cookbooks and the Empowerment of Women.

Lecture by Art Cohn: "What Should We Do With Benedict Arnold's Gunboat?," November 3, 2011

2011-10-25T09:29:00.000-04:00

Art Cohn
"What Should We Do with Benedict Arnold's Gunboat?"

Thursday, November 3, 2011
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

In 1997 the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum's Lake Survey team discovered Benedict Arnold's 1776 gondola, intact and upright, on the bottom of Lake Champlain. Spitfire was the last unaccounted-for vessel of the Battle of Valcour Island.Art Cohn, co-founder and Senior Advisor and Special Projects Director for the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, will discuss the preservation challenges of this remarkable discovery.
Free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Library at (734) 764-2347 or visit our website: www.clements.umich.edu.

William L. Clements Library
909 S. University Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI

Current Exhibit: "So Once Were We": Death in Early America, October 17, 2011 - February 17, 2012

2011-10-18T14:55:00.000-04:00

"So Once Were We": Death in Early America

October 17, 2011 - February 17, 2012

Main Room, Clements Library

909 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI

Curated by Cheney J. Schopieray

Assistant Curator of Manuscripts

Mortality is a useful lens through which we may view many aspects of early American society. So Once Were We explores American practices and traditions for coping with death, from the early years of European exploration and discovery to the early 20th century and the burgeoning modern funeral industry.

"So Once Were We" is a partial line from a once-common verse, which has many variations. One, from a Civil War-era tombstone in St. Clair County, Alabama, is "Remember us, as you pass by / as you are now, so once were we." The title embodies several themes in the exhibit: the transatlantic movement of ideas and traditions, the universal experience of death, and personal and collective remembrance.

The exhibit is organized topically and holds primary resources related to changing religious and social practices; illness, disease, and medicine; practical aspects of post-mortem care; etiquette and fashion; funerals and cemeteries; memory and commemoration; and the professionalization of death industries.

Open to the public in the Main Room of the Clements Library Monday through Friday from 1:00 pm to 4:45 pm. The Clements Library is located on the campus of the University of Michigan at 909 South University Avenue, Ann Arbor. For further information, visit our website or call 734-764-2347.

"Strange Curation," LSA Magazine Feature on Clements Library Collections

2011-10-12T08:49:00.002-04:00

The Fall 2011 LSA Magazine features a Weekly Web Exclusive on unusual items at the Clements Library. From a forged logbook of Christopher Columbus to George Washington's letter about his false teeth, the Clements Library holds a number of unexpected historical artifacts and documents. View the slideshow to see twelve of these items and learn more about the Clements collections. You never know what you'll find in the library.

Clements Library Hosts American Historical Print Collectors Society Regional Meeting

2011-10-06T10:05:00.000-04:00

American Historical Print Collectors Society
Regional Meeting
October 22, 2011
William L. Clements Library,
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

On October 22, 2011, the Clements will be hosting members of the American Historical Print Collectors Society for a one-day regional meeting and tour of the Clements. If you are a member that is interested in attending, please contact Clayton Lewis for information. Space will be limited to 25 individuals.

Clayton Lewis
William L. Clements Library
909 S. University Ave.
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1190
Voice: (734) 764-2347
Fax: (734) 647-0716
email: clayclem@umich.edu
http://www.clements.umich.edu

http://www.ahpcs.org

New Fellowship Offered in the Print Culture of the Americas

2011-10-03T14:02:00.000-04:00

Reese Fellowship in the Print Culture of the Americas

Funded by the William Reese Company, this fellowship encourages research in the history of the book and other print formats, bibliography, and other aspects of print culture in America including publishing and marketing from the sixteenth century to 1900. Projects may investigate any printed genre (e.g. books, prints, newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, published photographs, broadsides, maps, etc.). Support for work in manuscript collections will be limited to projects related to printed materials (e.g. annotations in books, publishers’ business archives, etc.).

The Reese Fellowship provides $5,000 to support one month of in-residence study in the Clements Library collections. This is a post-doctoral fellowship requiring a completed Ph.D. or equivalent qualifications. Applications for residence in calendar year 2012 must be received by December 1, 2011.

See the Clements Library Research Fellowships page on our website for a full list of the fellowships offered and instructions for applications.

Culinary Cataloging Project Completed

2011-09-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

Pictured here is Your Favorite Recipes by the Women’s Council of the Country Club Christian Church from Kansas City, Missouri in 1937.

The Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive has just completed a yearlong cataloging project in which we added more than a thousand titles to our catalog, making them accessible to researchers.

This includes 773 cookbooks published for charitable purposes. These cookbooks, created by church groups, aid societies, fraternal organizations, and other civic and social groups, show us not only what Americans cooked and ate at home, but also what they cared about and raised funds for. The books are also a source of local history, since most of them contain ads from local merchants.

This addition increases our collection of charity cookbooks to more than 1600, beginning with the first one ever, A Poetical Cook-Book by Maria J. Moss, published in 1864 for a US Sanitary Commission fair, and continuing to the present day.

Online Exhibit: The Barbary Wars at the Clements

2011-09-28T09:46:00.000-04:00

A new online exhibit is now available on our website: The Barbary Wars at the Clements. It was created by Philip Heslip, Project Archivist in the Manuscripts Division of the Clements Library from 2009 to 2011.

This online exhibit highlights the Clements Library’s best holdings related to the Barbary Wars. Featured items include manuscripts, books, maps, and engravings documenting the United States' first interactions with the Arab world and the early development of the U.S. Navy. The heart of this material comes from three manuscript collections: The Tobias Lear papers, the John Rodgers papers, and the Isaac Chauncey papers. Together, these collections document the highest level of naval and diplomatic decision-making during and after the wars. Additionally, the exhibit relies on several other manuscript collections that contain discussions of and references to early American activities in the Mediterranean. Also showcased is the Clements' collection of 19th-century Barbary captivity narratives, books that informed and inflamed the American public on the home front, as well as images of the naval conflict and maps of the region. We hope that the exhibit will draw attention to an often-neglected episode in American history, and inspire researchers and enthusiasts to pursue new discoveries at the Clements Library.

WOLV-TV Coverage of John J. Miller Lecture

2011-09-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

On September 14th, John J. Miller spoke at the Clements Library about his recent book, The Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football. WOLV-TV, the University of Michigan's student-run television station, filmed a story about the lecture and an interview with John Miller. Watch the clips below from Youtube:

WOLV-TV John J. Miller Lecture Story:

WOLV-TV Interview with John J. Miller:

Lecture by Gregory J.W. Urwin: "When Freedom Wore a Red Coat," October 20, 2011

2011-09-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

Gregory J.W. Urwin
"When Freedom Wore A Red Coat: A Social History of Cornwallis' 1781 Virginia Campaign"

Thursday, October 20, 2011
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Gregory J. W. Urwin, Clements Library Fellow and Professor of History, Temple University , will discuss Cornwallis' evolving strategy in the British campaign to secure Virginia.

Free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Library at (734) 764-2347 or visit our website: www.clements.umich.edu.

William L. Clements Library
909 S. University Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI

Today in History: The Star-Spangled Banner

2011-09-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

The Star Spangled Banner: A Pariotic Song.
Baltimore: Printed and sold at Carrs Music Store, 36 Baltimore Street, [1814].

The lyrics of "The Star Spangled Banner" come from "Defence of Fort McHenry," a poem written by Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British during the War of 1812. Upon seeing the fort's flag still flying on the morning of September 14, 1814 after the attack ceased, he began jotting down the lines of a poem on the back of a letter that was in his pocket. Renamed "The Star Spangled Banner" and set to the tune of "To Anacreon in Heaven," a popular British song, it eventually became the official national anthem of the United States.

This rare first edition of "The Star Spangled Banner" is one of eleven known copies. It was purchased for the Library in 1966 by the Clements Library Associates and friends of the library in Flint. Howard H. Peckham, Director of the Library, wrote, "It is the single most important piece of music in our history. To bring it to Michigan will provide the state with its only copy, and one of only two copies not confined to the East Coast."

Of the eleven first edition copies, ten are in institutions or public libraries.On December 3, 2010, Christie's sold the recently discovered eleventh copy, the only one in private hands, for $506,500.

Further Reading:

Online Exhibit: Native American History at the Clements Library

2011-09-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

A new online exhibit is now available on our website: Native American History at the Clements Library, an expanded version of the physical exhibit American Encounters, formerly on display at the William L. Clements Library, March 4, 2010 – June 10, 2010.

Native American History at the Clements Library highlights the great range and depth of the Clements Library’s collections related to Native American history. The exhibit features items drawn from many areas of the collection, including books, maps, manuscripts, prints, and photographs, which document over four centuries of history. These artifacts illustrate different types of cultural encounters over the course of American history and feature some of the library’s greatest strengths. Included are printed accounts of early encounters between indigenous peoples and European explorers, manuscripts and maps that record a long history of warfare and diplomacy, wampum and trade silver, peace medals, portraits of native leaders, and photographs of Indian schools.

This exhibit is intended to highlight sources for further study, which we hope will enhance inquiry and scholarship on the University of Michigan campus and elsewhere. Much research is still to be done with these materials. The Native American experience is central to an understanding of American history as a whole.

From the Stacks: Back to School

2011-09-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

With classes starting at the University of Michigan today, and the football season already begun on Saturday, we offer this selection from the Clements Library in keeping with the theme. Nathan Hayward's College Scenes, a collection of satirical drawings of Harvard student life, was published in Massachusetts in 1850. According to the Harvard Alumni Bulletin, Hayward graduated in the class of 1850 and served as a surgeon with the 20th Massachusetts Volunteers during the Civil War.

"The vaccillating student finding himself unable to choose one book for his reading
from that universe of books The College Library, devours with his eyes all the covers."

"In the annual football contest, the Sophomores kick the Freshmen
and the Freshmen vainly strive to kick the ball."

Staff Favorite: Map of Ticonderoga

2011-08-31T13:43:00.000-04:00

Michel Chartier de Lotbinière’s “Plan du Fort de Carillon . . . .” (1758)

Brian Leigh Dunnigan has served as Curator of Maps since 1996 and Clements Library Associate Director from 2010. Having come from a history and historic site museum background, he has a particular fondness for eighteenth-century manuscript maps or plans that include architecture or events. The Clements collection is rich in such documents, many from major manuscript collections such as the Clinton and Gage papers.

One particular favorite dates to a bit earlier—the Seven Years' War (usually known in the U.S. as the French & Indian War). French colonial engineer Michel Chartier de Lotbinière’s “Plan du Fort de Carillon . . . .” records the spectacular victory in July 1758 of a greatly outnumbered French army over their British opponents at the place usually known as Ticonderoga. The map includes several appealing elements: topography, detailed military architecture, and historical action in its rendering of the defending French troops and the British units that bravely but futilely threw themselves against the fortifications.

The map also has interesting context and provenance. This is not Lotbinière’s original drawing but a copy of his composition probably made by a British draftsman or engineer. A note at the bottom of the title block states, in English, that the original was captured at Québec in 1759 with Lotbinière’s papers. This copy was apparently made for British General Jeffery Amherst for it was once a part of his map collection and was passed down through his family. The Clements purchased the map in 1967.

In the News: U-M in History

2011-08-18T13:00:00.000-04:00

This week the University Record highlighted the Clements Library in its regular "U-M in History" feature. The William L. Clements Library, designed by noted Detroit architect Albert Kahn, opened its doors in 1923. The photograph at right shows the library under construction in 1922.

See a higher-resolution scan of the construction photograph in the Bentley Historical Library's Image Bank.

To read more about the library's history, visit the History of the William L. Clements Library on our website.

Lecture by John J. Miller: "The Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football," September 14, 2011

2011-08-08T15:20:00.001-04:00

John J. Miller
"The Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football"

Wednesday, September 14, 2011
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

John J. Miller, U-M graduate and author of The Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football, will lecture on his new book and the history of college football and the social changes in America that made college football popular.

John is a graduate of the University of Michigan and this fall will become director of the Herbert H. Dow II Journalism Program at Hillsdale College. His lecture is in conjunction with the Library's current exhibit, The Games We Played: Sports in 19th Century America.

Free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Library at (734) 764-2347 or visit our website: www.clements.umich.edu.

William L. Clements Library
909 S. University Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI

In the News: "Games Exhibit Explores Birth of Organized Sports"

2011-08-01T13:45:00.000-04:00

The University Record for the week of July 25, 2011, included an article by Kevin Brown, "'Games' Exhibit Explores Birth of Organized Sports," on the current Clements Library exhibit, The Games We Played: Sports in Nineteenth Century America.

This exhibit is open to the public in the Main Room of the Clements Library, Monday through Thursday, 1-4:45 pm. It will be on display until October 7.

John J. Miller, a University of Michigan alumnus and author of The Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football, will deliver a lecture to accompany the exhibit at the library on September 14.

Clements Library Open During Art Fair, July 20-21

2011-07-19T14:23:00.000-04:00

Clements Library Art Fair Hours:

Informational Tent and Main Room

Wednesday and Thursday, July 20-21

10:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.

If you're in Ann Arbor for the Art Fair this week, consider stopping by the Clements Library as you walk along South University Ave.

The Clements Library Main Room will be open for exhibit viewing on Wednesday and Thursday of this week and an informational tent will be set up on the front grounds.

We extend an invitation to all to view the current exhibits and take respite from the heat in the Main Room or stop by the tent to inquire about upcoming Clements events & lectures. Hours of operation will be from 10:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.

William L. Clements Library

909 S. University Ave.

Ann Arbor, MI

In the News: Clements Library Conservator Julie Fremuth

2011-07-11T12:12:00.000-04:00

The University Record Online for the week of July 11, 2011, includes an article by Kevin Brown on Clements Library Conservator Julie Fremuth. Julie is the featured artist in this year's Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, and her work will appear on the fair's official t-shirts and posters.

At the Clements Library, Julie's preservation skills and artistic sensibility are on display in the two current exhibits, The Games We Played and Mapping the Revolution. Julie creates custom mounts for every item on display and works with the curators to develop aesthetically pleasing layouts for each case.

You can read more about Julie Fremuth's work at the Clements Library in her article, "Conserving Our Collections," in the latest issue of The Quarto (Spring-Summer 2011). Her work as a book artist has recently been featured in the book Masters: Book Arts: Major Works by Leading Artists.

Related posts:
The Latest Quarto is Here: Spring-Summer 2011 (June 8, 2011)
Recently Published: Masters: Book Arts: Major Works by Leading Artists (April 15, 2011)
Staff Favorite: Tapa Cloth from Captain Cook's Voyages (April 28, 2010)

Happy Fourth of July from the Clements Library!

2011-07-04T09:00:00.010-04:00

William H. Santelmann, Our Glorious Banner: a Fourth of July Patriotic March. [Chicago: Hearst's Chicago American], 1901.

Current Exhibit: "Mapping the Revolution"

2011-06-29T09:00:00.005-04:00

Mapping the Revolution

Curated by Brian Leigh Dunnigan

Associate Director and Curator of Maps

The Clements Library is home to one of the world’s finest collections of manuscript maps and plans documenting the places and events of the American Revolution. These run the gamut from beautifully finished and colored creations to the pencil or pen and ink scrawls of scouts, informants, and spies. The sampling presented in this exhibition suggests the variety of types, styles, and functions of maps as represented in the collection as a whole and illustrates the planning and execution of military operations as seen by eyewitnesses to the war.

Selections from the Revolutionary War map collection are now on display in the center cases of the Main Room. See the Clements Library website for more information about our current exhibits.

Current Exhibit: "The Games We Played: Sports in Nineteenth Century America," June 13 - October 7, 2011

2011-06-13T10:55:00.000-04:00

The Games We Played: Sports in Nineteenth Century America

June 13 - October 7, 2011

Main Room, Clements Library

909 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI

Curated by Emiko Hastings

This exhibition offers a sampling of books, manuscripts, prints, photographs and other materials to illustrate the many sports played in 19th century America. Broadly defined, the theme of sports includes team sports, leisure activities, and other outdoor amusements like hunting and camping. In the 19th century, as life became increasingly urban and industrialized, activities like hunting, fishing, and running went from essential subsistence skills to entertainments reserved for leisure time. Some of the most popular sports today, including baseball, basketball, and football, were first developed in the 19th century. By the end of the 19th century, many sports had become formalized with the establishment of clubs, governing bodies, and official rulebooks.

Open to the public in the Main Room of the Clements Library Monday through Thursday from 1:00 pm to 4:45 pm. The Clements Library is located on the campus of the University of Michigan at 909 South University Avenue, Ann Arbor. For further information please call 734-764-2347.

The Latest Quarto is Here: Spring-Summer 2011

2011-06-08T09:41:00.001-04:00

The Spring-Summer 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 architecture and three-dimensional collections at the Library.

"From the Director," by J. Kevin Graffagnino, Director of the Library.
"Architecture and Artifacts," by Clayton Lewis, Curator of Graphic Materials.
"A Gallery of Realia," highlighting some of the interesting three-dimensional objects in the collections.
"To Beautify the Library: Globes at the Clements," by Mary Sponberg Pedley, Assistant Curator of Maps.
"Conserving Our Collections," by Julie Fremuth, Conservator.
"Developments," by Ann Rock, Director of Development.
Announcements: First post-doctoral fellowships awarded, 2011 Jacob M. Price visiting research fellows, and new publication.
Calendar of Events

From the Stacks: 1870 Memorial Day Oration

2011-05-30T09:00:00.094-04:00

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 in May.

In the Book Division of the Clements Library, a Memorial Day oration by General I.F. Shepard from 1870 provides an example of the type of commemorative speech often delivered on this national holiday. General Shepard reflected on the recent Civil War and soldiers' sacrifices for the nation, providing a narrative of nobility and ultimate victory that gave meaning to the painful memories of his listeners. He closed with a poem, "Memorial Day" by Judge R.E. Rombauer. Excerpts from the text below:

Memorial Day, May 30, 1870 : Oration by Gen. I.F. Shepard, Adjutant-General of Missouri, at Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, Mo. St. Louis : Missouri Democrat Book and Job Printing House, 1870.

Opening:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Fellow-Citizens and Surviving Comrades: Another year has brought us to these consecrated grounds, again to pay our tributes of love and reverence to departed heroes who sleep peacefully about us beneath these mounds and monuments.
. . .
It is fitting, then, that we make our annual pilgrimage to their graves to recall the teachings of the grand drama, to rehearse their deeds and their virtues, and to embalm their memories with all the tender rites of affection and of honor."

Conclusion:

"Spirits of the noble dead! Ethereal host of undying heroes! Bend above us in fraternal greetings, and accept our tokens of love! Help us to bear our part in all duties, till, once again united, we stand in serried ranks of most glorious victory, where flowers spring eternal beside the still waters of life in the better land!"

Poem:

Memorial Day
By Judge R.E. Rombauer

When freedom once from East to West,
Sent forth her battle-cry,
Nine hundred thousand warriors rose,
To conquer or to die.

Nine hundred thousand warriors armed,
And marched to martial strains;
But ah! full many thousand went
That never came again.

On Souther plains--on Southern hills--
In brake and mountain dell,
They fought that freedom still might live--
That she might live, they fell.

And when her bright day dawned again--
Dawned after years of dread--
A thankful nation mournful went
To seek its hero dead!

It sought for them, in places all
Swept by the battle tide;
It built for them a garden home,
And laid them side by side.

* * * * * * * *
And years of war brought years of peace;
Then came another day;
When, after winter storms and frowns,
The roses blushed in May.

And lo! men, women, children come
From places near and far--
An army grand, yet unadorned
By panoplies of war.

They come adorned with flowery wreaths
Through the quiet shades to roam.
Where their brave brothers sleeping lie,
In their still garden home.

To deck their couch with fragrant leaves,
To pray with fervent mien
Their fame might be forever bright,
Their memory ever green.

* * * * * * * *
Oh! brothers all! and sisters all,
Of every race and age;
Who from all places near and far
Join in this pilgrimage;

Whose steps by powers of love are led
And guided all above,
Let us forget the days of hate
On this great day of love.

Let us forget the slaying hand,
Forgive the erring will;
Thanks to our fallen brothers brave,
We are one nation still.

Reminder: Clements Library Summer Hours Begin May 31

2011-05-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

On May 31, the Clements Library starts the summer schedule. Note that the library will be open for research on weekdays until 5:45 pm, except for Fridays. (Thursday evening research hours will resume in the fall.) Public exhibits will be open in the afternoons, Monday through Thursday.

Library:
Monday: 9:00 am – 5:45 pm
Tuesday: 9:00 am – 5:45 pm
Wednesday: 9:00 am – 5:45 pm
Thursday: 9:00 am – 5:45 pm
Friday: 9:00 am – 11:45 am

Great Hall exhibits:
Monday – Thursday: 1:00 pm – 4:45 pm

You can always find complete information about the Library's hours on our website under Hours & Directions. If you have any questions, please call the Library at (734) 764-2347.

In the News: Interactive Tour of "Opening Guns"

2011-05-18T11:18:00.000-04:00

The LSA Wire, the online complement to U-M's LSAmagazine, has recently published an interactive online tour of the Clements Library's current exhibit, "Opening Guns: The First Year of the Civil War." The online version includes items featured in the exhibit as well as additional Civil War materials from the Library's collections.

Reception for New Publication: An Americana Sampler

2011-05-16T09:00:00.009-04:00

AN AMERICANA SAMPLER:
Essays on Selections from
the William L. Clements Library

Thursday, June 2, 2011
4:00—6:00 p.m.

Please join us to celebrate our newest publication and hear our curators talk about a few of the articles from An Americana Sampler: Essays on Selections from the William L. Clements Library. Eighteen contributions by Library staff and University of Michigan historians are highlighted in this most recent publication from the Library. This important book, with more than 190 illustrations from the building and the collections, highlights the scope of the Library’s materials and looks at topics dating from the sixteenth to the early twentieth century.

Free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Library at (734) 764-2347 or visit our website: www.clements.umich.edu.

William L. Clements Library

909 S. University Ave.

Ann Arbor, MI

Recently Published: An Americana Sampler: Essays on Selections from the William L. Clements Library

2011-05-04T13:53:00.001-04:00

New Publication Highlights Scope of Library’s Collection

The Clements Library is proud to introduce its latest publication. An Americana Sampler: Essays on Selections from the William L. Clements Library includes eighteen contributions by Library staff and University of Michigan historians.

The 185-page, cloth-bound book presents examples of collections and topics dating from the sixteenth to the early twentieth century. The essays suggest the wealth and variety of the Clements holdings and the opportunities for research they provide. Beautifully designed by Kathy Horn, the volume includes more than 190 full-color photographs of the Library and its collections.

Publication of this book was made possible by the generous support of the McGregor Fund of Detroit. Copies are available from the Clements for $40.00 (ISBN 978-0-615-46683-5). See the Clements Library Book Store for ordering information or call 734-764-2347 for further details.

Ann Arbor Antiquarian Book Fair, Sunday, May 22, 2011

2011-04-20T09:00:00.002-04:00

Thirty Third Annual
Ann Arbor Antiquarian Book Fair
Sunday, May 22, 11am to 5pm
Admission: $5.00

Michigan Union Ballroom, 2nd Floor

530 S. State St., Ann Arbor, MI

For more information call:
West Side Book Shop (734) 995-1891
annarborbookfair.com

Sponsored by the Ann Arbor Antiquarian Booksellers Association

A benefit for the William L. Clements Library

Lecture by Kelly Sisson Lessens: "King Corn in the Kitchen, 1877-1918," April 28, 2011

2011-04-18T09:00:00.021-04:00

Kelly Sisson Lessens

Ph.D. Candidate, University of Michigan

“'To gladden and bless the nations of the earth':

King Corn in the Kitchen, 1877-1918”

Thursday, April 28, 2011

4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Co-sponsored by the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor

Between the late 1870s and the first World War, a series of bumper corn crops prompted leaders in politics, industry, and branches of the federal government to market corn as a desirable "human food" in the United States and Europe. In this lecture, Kelly Sisson Lessens reviews the actions of the era’s American corn boosters to place the rise of King Corn into the context of industrialization, cultural change and agricultural market development in the United States.

Free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Library at (734) 764-2347 or visit our website: www.clements.umich.edu.

William L. Clements Library

909 S. University Ave.

Ann Arbor, MI

Recently Published: Masters: Book Arts: Major Works by Leading Artists

2011-04-15T09:00:00.003-04:00

Publication date: April 2011

Description from publisher's website:

"This collection in the popular Masters series, chosen and introduced by one of the world's top curators, offers field-defining work from 43 master book artists. The selections demonstrate conceptual, aesthetic, and technical excellence, as well as incredible beauty. Brief comments from the artists about their work, careers, and philosophies accompany the stunning images of their most innovative and technically accomplished book art achievements."

This beautifully-illustrated book includes 8 pages devoted to the work of Clements Library Conservator Julie Fremuth. Julie Fremuth is an accomplished book artist who regularly participates in the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair and will be its featured artist for 2011. In 2009, she was invited to show her work in the Yokohama International Open-Air Art Fair, the first art fair of its kind in Japan (see article on AnnArbor.com).

Related posts:
Staff Favorite: Tapa Cloth from Captain Cook's Voyages (April 28, 2010)

Afternoon with the Curators, April 14, 2011

2011-04-08T15:36:00.001-04:00

Afternoon with the Curators

Thursday, April 14, 2011

4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Join us to talk with the curators as they discuss our current exhibit, Opening Guns: The First Year of Civil War. (Exhibit runs until June 3, 2011.)

Free and open to the public. For more information, visit our website at www.clements.umich.edu or call the Clements Library at 734-764-2347.

William L. Clements Library

909 S. University Ave.

Ann Arbor, MI

Founder's Day at the Clements

2011-04-01T11:00:00.000-04:00

On this date in 1861, William L. Clements was born to James and Agnes Clements of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Less than two weeks later, Fort Sumter fell to the Confederates and the Civil War began (Visit the Library's current exhibit, Opening Guns: The First Year of the Civil War, to learn more about this time in our nation's history.)

Sixty-two years later, on June 15, 1923, Mr. Clements presided over the dedication of the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan.

Founder's Day was first held at the Library in 1938, and has been re-instituted as an annual Library tradition beginning in 2009. Yesterday, the Clements Library celebrated with a public lecture by Dr. Peter H. Wood, "Near Andersonville": Winslow Homer's Civil War.

See last year's post for more on the history of Founder's Day celebrations:
April 1, 2010: Founder's Day Celebration: Happy Birthday, Mr. Clements!

Further reading:
History of the William L. Clements Library
Margaret Maxwell, Shaping a Library: William L. Clements as Collector (1973).

Staff Favorite: William T. Washington Letter

2011-03-25T14:16:00.004-04:00

Today in History: Greek Independence Day

Cheney J. Schopieray, Assistant Curator of Manuscripts, has worked at the Clements Library since 2002. His list of favorite manuscripts grows longer on a daily basis, but in honor of the 190th anniversary celebration of the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence (1821-1829), today his favorite manuscript is a public letter written by William Townshend Washington, August 27, 1825. Cheney found (and continues to find) the complexity of William Washington's character, his at times egregious behavior, and his questionable motives to be intriguing and worthy of a biography, or perhaps an adventure novel.

The letter has relevance to American service in the Greek rebellion against Turkish Ottoman rule and it is an unusual piece of Washingtoniana. William T. Washington was a Virginian, who claimed distant familial ties to George Washington. He attended West Point and received a Lieutenant's commission in 1823.

Washington, like Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, was an American Philhellene who traveled to Greece in the 1820s to support the Revolution. However, unlike Howe, his services in Greece are remembered with mixed feelings. Contemporary accounts of Washington variously referred to him as strange, "brave but unprincipled," and possessed of "unbounded vanity." [1] Commodore John Rodgers, commander of the U.S. Mediterranean squadron during the Greek Revolution, had occasion to meet Washington under less than favorable circumstances. He described him as "inconsistent, unless he is insane."[2]

Under the auspices of the Boston Greek Committee and with letters of support from prominent U.S. officials, William Washington traveled to Greece. He arrived in June 1825, "wearing an extraordinary Hussar uniform."[3] In August 1825, the provisionary government in Greece sent an "Act of Submission" to England, appealing for protection. Meanwhile, Washington had appointed himself "Deputy of the American Philhellenic Committees" and signed an outrageous protest which claimed that the United States supported a French constituency (led by General Roche), seeking to place a member of French nobility on the throne of Greece. The U.S. and French Philhellenic Committees promptly alienated themselves from the protest of Washington and Roche and the two men were roundly condemned by Americans in the U.S. and in Greece.

After sending regrets to the executive council of the Greek provisionary government for their decision, Washington left for Smyrna, a pro-Greek port on the coast of what is now Turkey. By this time, U.S. Naval forces in the Mediterranean were aware of William Washington's intrigues and Commodore Rodgers intended, "after seeing him and rebuking him for his impudent conduct, to offer him protection" on the condition that "he would not meddle with the political concerns of the place he was then in."[4] But Washington had already sought protection from the French and wrote a public letter of expatriation, condemning the United States and Americans abroad.

His letter reads in part:

That I renounce my Country - & that if I should ever again revisit it I wish to be considered in it as a foreigner. That in renouncing my country, I wish also to renounce my Countrymen & that I wish no longer to be regarded as a member of the American Community, & that I wish with some few exceptions to hold no personal or friendly intercourse for the future with Americans in foreign Countries.

He proceeded to disparage the United States for its "moral slavery" to England (that is, their support of England's foreign policy), for financial and other trouble in his early life, and for alleged refusal of protection by Commodore Rodgers.

Despite his erratic behavior, William T. Washington eventually expressed his love of Greece productively in battle. He fought bravely with Fotomaras' faction which was engaged at Nafplion in the summer of 1827. As he assisted in the bombardment of the fortress of Palamidi, a musket ball struck him in the leg. For treatment, he was taken aboard the British warship, HMS Asia, but did not survive the wound. He died on July 18, 1827, "railing at his native land, 'wishing her every ill and misfortune,' and 'muttering something about Amelia and a lock of hair'."[5]

Notes:
1. C.W.J. Eliot, ed. Campaign of the Falieri and Piraeus in the Year 1827, or, Journal of a Volunteer, being the Personal Account of Captain Thomas Douglas Whitcombe (Princeton: The American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 1992), 170n.
2. Stephen A. Larrabee. Hellas Observed: The American Experience of Greece, 1775-1865 (New York: New York University Press, 1957), 316n.
3. Douglas Dakin. British and American Philhellenes During the War of Greek Independence, 1821-1833 (Thessaloniki: Hetaireia Makedonikōn Spoudōn, 1955), 108.
4. Larrabee, Hellas Observed, 132.
5. Larrabee, Hellas Observed, 134.

Current Exhibit: The Acquisition of the Henry Strachey Papers

2011-03-22T11:29:00.000-04:00

Image courtesy of Sotheby's.

The Acquisition of the Henry Strachey Papers

In October 2010 the Clements Library purchased the Henry Strachey Papers at Sotheby's, ending a paper chase that began in the 1920s. The acquisition complements a Strachey archive the Library bought in 1982 and reunites an impressive array of important primary sources for historians of the American Revolution. Strachey's letters and other manuscripts tell the British side of the story, offering scholars valuable new information on Anglo-American relations, English investments in North America, the events of the war, the Treaty of Paris, and late 18th- century social history.

Selections from both parts of the Strachey collection are now on display in the center cases of the Main Room. See the Clements Library website for more information about our current exhibits.

Clements Library Fellowships Announced

2011-03-21T09:00:00.018-04:00

First Post-Doctoral Fellowships Awarded

Five post-doctoral fellows will be in residence at the Clements Library during 2011 thanks to awards made from our four new fellowships. These are designed to fund extended research in the Library’s outstanding collections. This is the first class of post-doctoral fellows in a continuing program to support advanced scholarship, and we look forward to the books that will result from their visits. Many thanks to the foundations and individual donors who have made these fellowships possible.

Prof. William A. Hay of Mississippi State University is the recipient of the Howard H. Peckham Fellowship on Revolutionary America for his book topic, “King George’s Generals: How the British Army Lost America.”

Prof. Michael J. Bennett of High Point University has been selected for an Earhart Foundation Fellowship on Civil War America for his book topic, “The Soul in Battle: Restraint and Retaliation in the Civil War.”

Dr. John Casey of the University of Illinois at Chicago will receive an Upton Foundation Fellowship on Civil War America for his book topic, “The Vanishing Civil War Veteran in Late-Nineteenth-Century American Literature and Culture.”

Dr. Amy Lippert of The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is the recipient of an Upton Foundation Fellowship on Civil War America for her book topic, “Consuming Identities: Visual Culture and Celebrity in Nineteenth-Century San Francisco.”

Prof. Gregory J.W. Urwin of Temple University has been awarded an Earhart Foundation Fellowship on American History for his book topic, “When Freedom Wore a Red Coat: A Social History of Cornwallis’ 1781 Virginia Campaign.”

2011 Jacob M. Price Visiting Research Fellowships

The Library did not offer the popular Price Fellowships in 2010, so it is a particular pleasure to report that we have made awards to ten promising young scholars for 2011. All will visit to consult our collections in support of their research.

Prof. Christian A. Crouch, Bard College, for her book topic, “The Savage Nobles: New France and Martial Practice in the French Atlantic Empire, 1748-1768.”

Huw Thomas David, University of Oxford, for his dissertation, “Trade, Politics, and the Unfinished Business of American Independence, 1783-1795.”

David T. Flaherty, University of Virginia, for his dissertation, “British Visions of Empire and the Aggressive Imperial Project for the North American Frontier, 1713-1783.”

M. Scott Heerman, University of Maryland, College Park, for his dissertation, “’The Nations of This Continent’: Slavery and Making the American Republic in the Mississippi Valley, 1750-1840.”

Trenton Cole Jones, Johns Hopkins University, for his dissertation, “Deprived of Their Liberty: Prisoners of War and American Military Culture, 1775-1783.”

Andrew F. Lang, Rice University, for his dissertation, “Liberators, Occupiers, and Protectors: The Culture of Soldiering Behind the Lines During the American Civil War.”

Christopher F. Minty, University of Stirling, for his dissertation, “Popular Loyalism and Counter-Revolution in the British Atlantic World, c. 1776-1800.”

Jennifer K. Snyder, University of Florida, for her dissertation, “Black Flight: Tracing the Loyalist Slave Diaspora Throughout the Revolutionary Atlantic World.”

Matthew P. Spooner, Columbia University, for his dissertation, “Origins of the Old South: The reconstruction of Southern Slavery, 1778-1808,”

Aaron Sullivan, Temple University, for his dissertation, “In the Jaws of the Lion: The British Occupation of Philadelphia and the Disaffected Center of Revolution.”

Founder's Day Lecture by Dr. Peter Wood, March 31, 2011

2011-03-17T09:00:00.024-04:00

Dr. Peter H. Wood
Emeritus Professor of History, Duke University

Founder’s Day Lecture
“Near Andersonville”: Winslow Homer’s Civil War

Thursday, March 31, 2011
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Main Room, Clements Library
909 S. University Ave.

Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1190

American painter Winslow Homer rose to national attention during the Civil War, but one of his most important early paintings, “Near Andersonville,” remained unknown for a century. In this illustrated lecture, historian Peter Wood reveals the long-hidden story of this remarkable Civil War painting. Wood examines the interplay of symbolic elements and links the painting to Abraham Lincoln’s presidential campaign of 1864. Wood’s provocative study offers a fresh vantage point on Homer’s early career, the struggle to end slavery, and the dramatic closing years of the Civil War.

Free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Library at (734) 764-2347 or visit our website: www.clements.umich.edu.

Lecture by Emiko Hastings: "Mighty Women Book Hunters: Women Bibliophiles and Librarians," March 17, 2011

2011-03-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

"Mighty Women Book Hunters": Women Bibliophiles and Librarians

4:00 pm, Thursday, March 17, 2011

Main Room, Clements Library

909 S. University Ave.

Emi Hastings, Book Curator for the Clements Library, will provide a brief history of women in the rare book field as collectors, librarians, and dealers. What were the barriers to women's participation, and why did so many writers refer to women as "the enemies of books"? This talk will explore the literature of book collecting and some of the notable women bibliophiles through the ages.

Current Exhibit: "Opening Guns: The First Year of Civil War," February 28, 2011 - June 3, 2010

2011-03-02T09:00:00.002-05:00

Opening Guns: The First Year of Civil War
February 28 - June 3, 2011
Main Room, Clements Library
909 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI

Curated by Barbara DeWolfe

This exhibit presents the year 1861 through the written word of the soldiers and civilians who experienced the war between the Union and Confederate states, whether as soldier, commanding officer, Sanitary Commission worker, politician, or family member at home. Entitled "Opening Guns," it could as well be called "Opening Pens," reflecting the huge outpouring of letters and personal accounts written during the entire four years of the war. These are especially valuable to historians because they were not censored as they were in later wars fought by United States troops. These letters, found in numerous repositories in the United States, provide a remarkable record of just about every aspect of the war. This exhibit for the year 1861 was put together with materials from all five divisions of the William L. Clements Library.

Open to the public in the Main Room of the Clements Library Monday through Friday from 1:00 pm to 4:45 pm. The Clements Library is located on the campus of the University of Michigan at 909 South University Avenue, Ann Arbor. For further information please call 734-764-2347.

The Clements Library Has a Redesigned Website!

2011-02-14T13:48:00.000-05:00

The Library's new website has been released to the public today. This much-needed redesign includes a beautiful new look and improved navigation for the Clements website. Much of the content from the old site is still present in revised form, as well as many new features to make the Clements website more accessible and user-friendly.

Some of the new features:

Search: three options on one page, so you can search the Mirlyn library catalog, manuscript collection finding aids, and the Clements website from one starting point.
Upcoming exhibits and events: mark your calendars with all our scheduled events and exhibit dates.
Request reference assistance: email our reference staff with questions about the collections. They can help you get started with your research, or forward advanced questions to appropriate library curators.
Online request form for photocopies and digital images: Now you can use this online form to request copies of library materials. See reproduction policies and fees for more information.
Full-text searchable PDF files of all the back issues of The Quarto, the Clements Library newsletter, including many in-depth articles about Library collections. Clements Library Associates receive new issues in the mail as part of their membership benefits.

Clements Library Chronicles now has links in the right sidebar to take you straight to frequently-used pages on the Library website. You can also get back to this blog from the website by clicking on the link on the Library homepage.

Questions or comments about the new web design? Let us know by leaving a comment on this blog post or by contacting the Clements Library.

Reception: "Celebrating the Acquisition of the Henry Strachey Papers," March 3, 2011

2011-02-09T12:00:00.010-05:00

Photo courtesy of Sotheby's

The Acquisition of the Henry Strachey Papers
Thursday, March 3, 2011
4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Great Room, Clements Library
909 S. University Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI

Please join us in celebrating the acquisition and arrival of the Strachey Papers.
In October 2010 the Clements Library purchased the Henry Strachey Papers at Sotheby’s, ending a paper chase that began in the 1920s. The acquisition complements a Strachey archive the Library bought in 1982 and reunites an impressive array of important primary sources for historians of the American Revolution. Strachey’s letters and other manuscripts tell the British side of the story, offering scholars valuable new information on Anglo-American relations, English investments in North America, the events of the war, the Treaty of Paris, and late 18th- century social history.

Photo courtesy of Sotheby's

Join us for light refreshments, an exhibition of selections from the Strachey Papers, and staff presentations on their historical value and the Library’s eight decades of work to bring them to Ann Arbor.

Free and open to the public. For more information, call the Clements Library at 734-764-2347.

In the News: Purchase of the Strachey Papers

2011-02-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

Further coverage of the Clements Library's acquisition of the Henry Strachey papers, a significant Revolutionary War manuscript collection:

U-M Philanthropy Network: "Expanding Knowledge Through Research: Clements Library Donors Help Make History," January 10, 2011.

Maine Antique Digest: "Clements Library Buys Strachey Papers at Third Copley Library Sale," by Jeanne Schinto, February 2011.

Lecture by Clayton Lewis: "Architecture, Art, and Artifacts at the Clements," February 3, 2011

2011-01-24T09:00:00.011-05:00

Architecture, Art and Artifacts at The Clements
Thursday, February 3, 2011
4:00 p.m.

Please join Graphics Curator, Clayton Lewis, for an informative lecture on The Clements Library, and the curious art and artifacts found within the Library’s walls. The great Clements collection of printed and manuscript Americana also includes important historical artwork and artifacts, all housed in an architectural jewel. This talk will focus on aspects of the Clements Library architecture, well-known and obscure artwork in the collection, and some of our interesting and unusual artifacts.

Free and open to the public. For more information, call the Clements Library at 734-764-2347.

In the News: "Brit Would Turn Over in His Grave if He Knew"

2011-01-20T15:34:00.000-05:00

Laura Berman of the Detroit News has written an article about the Clements Library's acquisition of the Henry Strachey papers."Brit would turn over in his grave if he knew" describes the Library's decades-long efforts to obtain the papers and the successful bid at Sotheby's in October.

The Latest Quarto: The Civil War Revisited

2011-01-18T02:00:00.040-05:00

The Fall-Winter 2010 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. If you would like more information about membership, please contact Ann Rock at annrock@umich.edu or 734-358-9770.

This is the second issue to focus on the Civil War collections of the Clements. Topics include photography, regimental histories, culinary history, and women nurses. The next library exhibit, opening February 28, will focus on the first year of the Civil War.

Contents of the Fall-Winter 2010 issue of the Quarto:

"The Civil War Revisited," by J. Kevin Graffagnino, Director of the Clements Library.
"Point of No Return," by Barbara DeWolfe, Curator of Manuscripts. A history of the months preceding the attack on Fort Sumter.
"Wartime Photography," by Clayton Lewis, Curator of Graphic Materials.
"'Learning How to Cook and Kill at the Same Time': Cookery in the American Civil War: The Alexis Soyer and Florence Nightingale Connections," by Janice Bluestein Longone, Curator of American Culinary History.
"Reading the Civil War," by Emiko Hastings, Curator of Books. Regimental histories and personal narratives in the James S. Schoff Civil War Collection.
"Angels of the Battlefield," by Terese M. Austin, Library Assistant. The letters of women nurses during the war.
"Developments," by Ann Rock, Director of Development. Acquisition of the Henry Strachey Papers and other news.
Calendar of Events

"A Feast for the Mind," Michigan Alumnus Magazine Interview with Jan Longone

2011-01-10T13:05:00.001-05:00

Jan Longone, the founder of the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive at the William L. Clements Library, was recently interviewed for the winter issue of Alumnus Magazine. Watch this video of the interview to learn more about the culinary collection and Jan's role in developing it.

Twas the Night Before Christmas

2010-12-24T09:00:00.132-05:00

In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore penned the lines of the classic Christmas poem, "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas," which begins with the immortal lines:

"Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse."

Publication History

The poem was first published anonymously in The Troy Sentinel on December 23, 1823. Many of the features that we now associate with Santa Claus, including his appearance, the night of his visit, and his eight reindeer, originate with the lines of this well-loved poem. It was frequently republished in succeeding years, although it was not until 1837 that The New-York Book of Poetry first published the poem with Moore identified as the author.

The New-York Book of Poetry (1837), edited by Charles Fenno Hoffman. Moore's Christmas poem appears on p. 217.

Reindeer Names

The 1837 edition, edited by Charles Fenno Hoffman, is also notable for changing the spelling of two of the reindeer names from "Dunder and Blixem" to "Donder and Blixen." When Clement Moore issued his own book of poems in 1844, he further altered "Blixen" to "Blitzen," the spelling which is usually seen today.

The First Independent Publication

The Clements Library is fortunate to possess one of the few known copies of the first independent publication of the poem: A Visit from St. Nicholas, by Clement C. Moore, with original cuts designed and engraved by Boyd (New York, Henry M. Onderdonck, 1848). Two other copies are described in the 1964 "The Night Before Christmas": An Exhibition Catalogue, one of which is now in the New York University Fales Library and Special Collections.

Theodore C. Boyd did the woodcuts that illustrate the volume, and his model for St. Nicholas is reported to have been a local Dutch handyman. Although somewhat different from our modern concept of Santa Claus, the illustrations are clearly a recognizable precursor.

The poem closes with: "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night." The first known appearance of "Merry Christmas" in the poem was in an 1862 edition published by James G. Gregory.

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night"

Other Editions

The Clements book collection includes several other 19th century printings of the poem, which vary greatly in size and style. One version printed in the 1860s, only four inches tall, is an accordion-style book:

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night, by Clement C. Moore (1860s).

Another late 19th century version is lavishly illustrated with chromolithographs:

Visit of St. Nicholas, by Clement C. Moore (late 19th century).

The multiple editions of this poem provide evidence of its enduring popularity in American culture. Even today, it continues to be reprinted, adapted and parodied in many forms, from literature to music to film. Spoof versions have included James Thurber's "A Visit from St. Nicholas in the Ernest Hemingway Manner," which originally appeared in The New Yorker, December 24, 1927.

Further reading:

"The Night Before Christmas": An Exhibition Catalogue. Compiled by George H.M. Lawrence; foreword by Anne Lyon Haight. Pittsburgh: The Pittsburgh Bibliophiles, 1964.
VisitFromStNicholas.com, a large collection of scans of historical editions of the poem.

From the Stacks: Jefferson's Library

2010-12-15T09:00:00.143-05:00

"I cannot live without books." ~ Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson's Libraries is a project based at Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia, to compile information about Jefferson's libraries and his books. Jefferson read extensively and collected many books over his lifetime. In 1815, he sold a collection of books to Congress to replace the library burned by the British during the War of 1812.

Books once owned by Jefferson are now held in many different institutions across the country. This project reunites them in the virtual world. Researchers can search Thomas Jefferson's Library, part of the Libraries of Early America project in Librarything. This catalog contains entries for "the books Thomas Jefferson owned, desired to own, read, recommended or presented to others throughout his lifetime." It currently includes over 5,000 entries, drawn from sources such as Jefferson's book lists, auction catalogs, and correspondence.

Included are 29 titles from Jefferson's library now owned by the William L. Clements Library. These may be found in LibraryThing with notes added by the Jefferson Libraries project about each book's provenance and history. Below, links to the catalog entries in the Clements Library catalog:

Vertot, abbé de. The history of the revolutions that happened in the government of the Roman Republic (London, 1721). Clements Library has vol. 1 only.

Jefferson, Thomas, A manual of parliamentary practice (Washington, D.C., 1801)

Sampson, William, Memoirs of William Sampson (New York, 1807)

Dufief, N.G., Dictionnaire nouveau et universel (Philadelphia, 1810)

Tracts Physic (bound volume of pamphlets):

Pope, Joseph, [Manuscript letter and nine manuscript essays on scientific subjects] [181-?]
Cuvier, Georges, Analyse des travaux de la classe des sciences mathématiques et physiques de l'Institut Imperial, pendant l'année 1812 (Paris, 1813)
Clinton, DeWitt, An introductory discourse, delivered before the Literary and Philosophical Society of New-York (New York, 1815)
Journal de physique, de chimie et d'histoire naturelle, v.LXIX, October, 1809
Journal de physique, de chimie et d'histoire naturelle, v.LXIX, November, 1809
Bowditch, Nathaniel, On the eclipse of the sun of Sept. 17, 1811 [Boston, 1811?]
Bowditch, Nathaniel, Elements of the orbit of the comet of 1811 [Boston, 1812?]
Bowditch, Nathaniel, Estimate of the height of the White Hills in New Hampshire [Boston, 1812?]
Bowditch, Nathaniel, On the variation of the magnetical needle [Boston, 1812?]
Bowditch, Nathaniel, On the motion of a pendulum suspended from two points [Boston, 1812?]
Hosack, David, Observations on the laws governing the communication of contagious diseases (New York, 1815)

Natural History (bound volume of pamphlets):

Peyroux de la Coudrenière, Mémoire sur les sept espèces d'hommes, et sur les causes des altérations de ces espèces (Paris, 1814)
Hosack, David, Syllabus of the course of lectures on botany, delivered in Columbia college (New York, 1814)
Cels, Francois, Catalogue des arbres, arbustes, et autres plantes de serre chaude, d'orangerie et de pleine terre (Paris, 1817)
Rafinesque, C.S., Circular address on botany and zoology (Philadelphia, 1816)
Clinton, DeWitt, Remarks on the fishes of the western waters of the state of New-York [18--]
Linnaean Society of New England, Boston, Report of a committee of the Linnæn society of New England, relative to a large marine animal, supposed to be a serpent ( Boston, 1817)
Humboldt, Alexander von, Ideas sobre el límite inferior de la nieve perpétua, y sobre la geografía de las plantas [Havana, 1804]
Bigelow, Joseph, Some account of the White mountains of New Hampshire [Boston, 1816]
Clinton, DeWitt, A memoir on the antiquities of the western parts of the state of New-York (Albany, 1818)
McCulloh, J.H., Researches on America: Being some attempt to settle some points relative to the aborigines of America (Baltimore, 1817)
Cooper, Thomas, Introductory lecture on mineralogy [1817]
Meason, Gilbert Laing, De la plantation du melèze (Pinus larix) [Paris, 1821?]
Maclure, William, Observations on the geology of the United States of America (Philadelphia, 1817)
Fischer von Waldheim, Gotthelf, Essai sur la turquoise et sur la calaite par Gotthelf Fischer (Moscow, 1816)

Staff Favorite: Helen Ledyard Drawing Book

2010-12-08T16:00:00.001-05:00

Helen Ledyard Drawing Book, 1881-1891.

Barbara DeWolfe, Curator of Manuscripts, has worked at the Clements Library since 1999. One of her favorite items from the Manuscripts Division is the drawing book of Helen Ledyard, a young woman who lived in New York in the late nineteenth century. This volume is filled with watercolor, pencil, and ink drawings, depicting many scenes of everyday life. Viewed through one girl's eyes, these ordinary activities take on an air of liveliness and fun. The lively images and witty captions are a wonderful source for understanding the experience of a young woman growing up at the end of the nineteenth century.

"'Hoe Mow and Co' go to church in their good clothes."

Excerpts from the finding aid for this manuscript collection:

"Helen Lincklaen Seymour Ledyard, daughter of George Strawbridge Ledyard, was born on May 2, 1869 in Cazenovia, Madison County, New York. She came from a large family; Helen had five siblings and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. Her main residence was a large house in Cazenovia called "The Meadows" which was built in 1826. Helen spent also a good deal of time in Philadelphia where her Strawbridge relations lived. Helen was married on November 7, 1901 at St Peter's Church in Cazenovia. She died in 1945."

"The drawing book contains 85 pieces, most of which are done in bright watercolors. Others are of ink, pencil and colored pencil. The art in this book depicts Helen, her family, friends and surroundings from 1888-1891. There are paintings of Helen and others making ice cream, picnicking, riding horses, camping, hiking, swimming and playing games like backgammon, tiddly winks and tilting. Other pieces capture social events like dinner parties, teas and "the Barclays' Ball," which is a beautiful depiction of a large group of people in fancy dress entering a hall for a ball."

"We are very late for the Barclay's Ball."

Today in History: Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

Guest post by JJ Jacobson, Curator of American Culinary History

If Americans have any one person to thank for the Thanksgiving holiday, it is Sarah Josepha Buell Hale. Hale waged a decades-long campaign for the establishment of a national Thanksgiving Day on the last Thursday of November.

She was born Sarah Josepha Buell on October 24th, 1788 in Newport, New Hampshire.
She was educated at home, with tutoring in Latin, philosophy, English, and classical literature by her brother while he was a student at Dartmouth. She remained a strong proponent of education for women throughout her life. When she was widowed in 1822, she turned to literature as a means to support herself and her children. She established her reputation in 1827 with the novel Northwood, in which we already see a Thanksgiving theme emerging: a Thanksgiving holiday forms the background for part of the action, and the Thanksgiving meal is given a chapter of its own.

From 1837 to 1877 Hale was the editor of Godey's Lady's Book, a wildly successful magazine for women which achieved a circulation of 150,000 by 1865. Hale used her monthly editorial to advocate for the causes to which she was committed. While she was especially enthusiastic about education for women, she also agitated for women's employment, a monument on Bunker Hill, making Mount Vernon a national shrine, the elevation of housekeeping to a profession, and of course Thanksgiving.

Hale's campaign to have Thanksgiving declared a national holiday began in the 1840s. She wrote an editorial about it every year from 1846 on, and corresponded with state and territorial governors, members of congress, and presidents to promote the last Thursday of November as the official day. A typical editorial, from October 1858, said:

"The last Thursday in November falls, this year, on the twenty-fifth. May we not hope that our nation will unite, on this day, in keeping the festival? The Governors of the States and Territories might, by uniting on this day, make the year memorable in our annals to the end of time. Will not the editors of newspapers lead the way in this union of hearts, at our national festival? Then the last Thursday in November would soon come to be considered the American's Thanksgiving Day, and wherever our countrymen dwelt the day would be a festival."

The custom gathered force, due in part to Hale's promotion of it, with many states and territories declaring a holiday on the appointed day. Hale's efforts finally met with success in 1863, when Lincoln, in a proclamation of October 3rd, proclaimed the last Thursday of November as a national holiday. Subsequent presidents followed suit, and in 1941, a Congressional Joint Resolution officially set the fourth Thursday of November as a national holiday for Thanksgiving.

Hale contributed largely to periodicals besides her own and published more than forty volumes of poetry, fiction, plays, biography, household management, and cookery. The Clements has a number of her works, including the 1873 revised edition of her Mrs. Hale's new cook book : a complete cookery book for all classes with rules and illustrations for household management and full directions for carving, arranging the table for parties, etc. : together with preparations of food for invalids and for children.

The book contains recipes the modern cook would recognize for the central dishes of the Thanksgiving meal: roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie. It is also a platform for a certain amount of editorializing.

Hale had high aspirations for women as a moral force in the world. She felt women should not directly involve themselves in politics, and therefore opposed suffrage. Rather she advocated women working in their domestic sphere (and in suitable occupations such as teaching) to influence those under their care. The preface to Mrs Hale's new cook book claims the influence of women in the home as significant work in an important sphere of action:

"Cookery, as an Art, ranks in the highest department of useful knowledge, connected, as it is, with the welfare of every human being.
When understood in all its bearings and conducted on scientific principles, it promotes health and happiness, moral and social improvement, and adds the charm of contentment to every-day life."

This is a familiar theme for the proponents of Domestic Science, a term Hale coined: women were to make the world a better place by creating an environment that would foster virtue, whereupon virtuous action would diffuse from the home into society.

Hale, like many of the writers and teachers who espoused this idea, was not herself averse to acting on a wider stage, with her editorials, letter writing, and other campaigns for the causes she undertook. If she had been, our Thanksgiving holiday might look very different.

Afternoon with the Curators at the Clements Library, December 7, 2010

2010-11-22T09:00:00.004-05:00

Afternoon with the Curators at the Clements Library
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Please join the staff of the Clements Library as they highlight the current exhibit, Sugar in the Atlantic World: Trade and Taste, 1657-1940. (Exhibit runs until February 18, 2010, Monday-Friday, 1:00-4:45 p.m.)

Free and open to the public. For more information, call the Clements Library at 734-764-2347.

Current Exhibit: Artistry and Politics in Nineteenth-Century Sheet Music

2010-11-15T14:10:00.017-05:00

Selections from the William L. Clements Library

A new exhibit from the William L. Clements Library showcases examples from the library’s collection of sheet music, which is currently being cataloged thanks to a grant from the Gladys Krieble Delmas foundation.

The publication and circulation of sheet music expanded quickly throughout the 1800s. Music publishers were quick to embrace new printing technologies as they developed, and sheet music became a relatively fast and inexpensive means of circulating news, information, and ideas, as well as feeding the public's growing hunger for access to popular music to perform at home. The examples on display are drawn from the first half of the century.

Popular song has always served as a vehicle for broadcasting social and political trends. Vocal groups such as the Hutchinsons became popular performers closely associated not only with their distinctive vocal style but with their progressive politics as well, and the issuance of sheet music with their name and image brought their music and beliefs into the homes of thousands of people.

The music publishing industry was quick to respond to current events: elections, battles, and the advent of new technologies such as the installation of the Atlantic telegraph cables were all documented, musically and visually, in sheet music.

Sheet music publishing also became a vehicle for visual arts; publishers became aware that they could earn more money from visually attractive items. On display are some artfully hand-colored examples, as well as some stunning examples of early color lithography.

Now on display in the center cases of the Main Room at the Clements Library. Regular exhibit hours: Monday through Friday, 1:00 pm to 4:45 pm.

Other current exhibits in the Main Room: Sugar in the Atlantic World: Trade and Taste.

Lecture by J. Kevin Graffagnino: "A Hard Founding Father to Love: Ira Allen of Vermont," November 11, 2010

2010-10-25T09:00:00.014-04:00

"A Hard Founding Father to Love: Ira Allen of Vermont"

J. Kevin Graffagnino, Director of the Clements Library

4:00 PM, Thursday, November 11, 2010

Main Room, Clements Library

909 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI

Every American frontier has attracted ambitious individuals with grand dreams of empire, complicated get-rich schemes, and remarkably flexible ethics, and Ira Allen is the Green Mountain archetype of the breed. Please join Clements Library Director Kevin Graffagnino as he delves into Ira Allen’s checkered career.

Free and open to the public. For more information, call the Clements Library at 734-764-2347.

Recent Acquisition: Strachey Papers Purchased at Copley Auction

2010-10-20T09:00:00.001-04:00

William L. Clements Library Purchases Significant Collection of Revolutionary War Papers:

Sometimes good things really do come to those who wait--and who never give up

Image from New York Times article about the Strachey papers.

On October 15, the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan purchased the Sir Henry Strachey Collection, an important British figure who was a leader in Revolutionary War peace negotiations and diplomacy. The collection was purchased at the Sotheby's auction of the James S. Copley Library. As a research library, the Clements is pleased that these important papers will be available to the public for research and examination. Our archives are open to the public and we welcome those who are interested in researching the Strachey papers and the insights they shed on this defining time in our nation’s history.

The William L. Clements Library houses original resources for the study of American history and culture from the fifteenth to the early twentieth century. Its mission is to collect and preserve primary source materials, to make them available for research, and to create an environment that supports and encourages scholarly investigation of our nation's past.

The Strachey Papers are a significant acquisition for the Clements Library. It is rare today to see a large collection of American Revolution manuscripts come on the market, and adding the Strachey material to the voluminous primary sources already at the Clements makes the Library even more attractive as a destination for all researchers working on Revolutionary War topics.

In purchasing the Strachey papers on October 15, we have closed the book on an acquisitions hunt that began more than 70 years ago. Randolph G. Adams, first director of the Clements Library, saw the Strachey collection in England in the late 1920s , but he was unable to persuade Henry Strachey's descendants to part with them. The Clements bought half of the papers at auction in 1982, but the other half went to the Copley Foundation six years later. Now the two halves are reunited, making a rich array of unpublished material on Anglo-American relations and events of the American Revolution, English investments in North America, and the social history of the late 18th-century available for the first time to researchers.

The purchase of the Strachey papers at Sotheby's auction was a remarkable collaborative effort. The Clements Library is grateful to many individuals who donated funds to the initiative, including the anonymous donor who created the successful Copley Challenge, the University of Michigan administration for its strong support and the Board of Governors of the Clements Library Associates for their individual and collective assistance. Since its founding in 1923 the Library's collections have grown in large part through the generosity of our friends and supporters, and the Strachey acquisition is further proof that Americana collectors and scholars alike see the Clements as the kind of institution Augustine Birrell had in mind when he wrote, 'A great library easily begets affection, which may deepen into love.'"

The Strachey papers document his work in attempting to negotiate peace between the colonies and England in 1775-1776 and during the negotiations that led to the 1783 Treaty of Paris and the end of the Revolutionary War. The newly-purchased Strachey material complements our holdings. We are particularly strong on Anglo–American history from 1763-1783. Strachey’s papers give a perspective from the British side, at the highest level of strategy and negotiation.

With the addition of the Strachey collection from the Copley auction, we are bringing together important papers that will provide a treasure trove for scholars and researchers.

To learn more about the Henry Strachey papers, read the Sotheby's auction catalogue of the collection.

Current Exhibit: "Sugar in the Atlantic World: Trade and Taste," October 18, 2010–February 18, 2011

2010-10-19T13:24:00.000-04:00

Sugar in the Altantic World: Trade and Taste
October 18, 2010 - February 18, 2011
Main Room, Clements Library
909 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI
Monday through Friday, 1:00-4:45 pm

Curated by JJ Jacobson

A new exhibit at the Clements Library showcases a selection of its materials for studying sugar's social, economic, political and culinary history. "Sugar in the Atlantic World: Trade and Taste" opened to the public on October 18, 2010 and will be on display through February 18, 2011.

Sugar was originally known to Europe as a rare and costly spice, but the growth of sugarcane production, first in the Mediterranean and then in the Atlantic regions, made it ever more available. Between the middle of the 1600s and the middle of the 1800s, sugar was transformed from a luxury to a widely consumed commodity in Great Britain and the United States. By the late 1800s, it was a thoroughly common article of diet, even a necessity, for most consumers.

This exhibit examines sugar two ways: as a commodity and as a consumable. The first part, using materials from the library's book, graphics, map, and manuscript collections, tells the story of the colonial sugar trade in the British West Indies: production, business, and politics. The second part uses cookbooks, confectioners' equipment catalogs, and advertising ephemera to tell the culinary and gastronomic story of how sugar (as ingredient and foodstuff) was consumed as its availability grew, thereby driving the sugar trade.

Open to the public in the Main Room of the Clements Library Monday through Friday from 1:00 pm to 4:45 pm. The Clements Library is located on the campus of the University of Michigan at 909 South University Avenue, Ann Arbor. For further information please call 734-764-2347.

Lecture by Jan Longone: "The Old Girl Network": Charity Cookbooks and the Empowerment of Women, October 19, 2010

2010-10-12T12:00:00.001-04:00

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 University of Michigan Clements Library. In this talk, she'll explore the roles that charity cookbooks played (and continue to play) in women's empowerment.

Before mass media, communication, and transit, the first wave of the women's movement was already active via the most ordinary of objects: the lowly cookbook. In this talk, Ms. Longone explores the politics just under every woman's nose (and, often, behind many men's backs!).

This lecture features cookbooks on many themes with an emphasis on female empowerment. Many of the compilers worked hard to published these books (with scant funding) in hopes of raising more women to the level they had already attained. The books demonstrate how women worked together to help themselves, other women, and the outside world.

University of Michigan
Lane Hall
204 S. State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1290
http://irwg.research.umich.edu
(734) 764-9537

For more information about the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive, see the Clements Library website: http://www.clements.umich.edu/culinary/index.html

"The Old Girl Network": Charity Cookbooks and the Empowerment of Women was an exhibit curated by Janice Longone at the Clements Library in 2008. A selection from that exhibit is available online, as well as a webcast of the lecture given for the opening of the exhibit.

Today in History: Columbus Day

2010-10-11T15:00:00.061-04:00

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 Columbus letter is considered "the cornerstone of every great library of Americana," an essential starting point for the collector of early American history. Mr. Clements, the founder of the library, purchased this book in 1913 for $1,650. He wrote, "I am very glad to get this letter, for while it is not the rarest possibly of the two Rome editions, it will, I believe, maintain its value." (Margaret Maxwell, Shaping a Library: William L. Clements as Collector)

In addition to the original printed letter in the Rare Book Room, the Clements Library has an excellent collection of facsimiles, translations and scholarly works concerning the Columbus letter. Search for "Columbus letter" in the Mirlyn Catalog to browse our holdings on this topic.

International Spelling Reform Day

2010-09-30T14:31:00.000-04:00

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 16th century, there have been numerous proposals for spelling reform of the English language. These met with varied success; while some proposed changes entered into general use, others were largely ignored.

Supporters of reform have pointed out the many inconsistencies and irregularities of English spelling. Mismatches between spelling and pronunciation of words make English a difficult language to learn. Arguments against reform include the difficulties of instituting great changes to a language that is used worldwide, the variety of regional accents which make standardized pronunciation impossible, and resistance to losing the etymological roots of words from other languages.

In 1768, Benjamin Franklin wrote a pamphlet titled, "A Scheme for a New Alphabet and a Reformed Mode of Spelling," in which he proposed a phonetic system for spelling English. Noah Webster, author of the famous Webster's Dictionary, responded to Franklin's proposal in 1789 with his book, Dissertations on the English language : with notes historical and critical : to which is added, by way of appendix, an essay on a reformed mode of spelling with Dr. Franklin's arguments on that subject. In the appendex, Webster discussed the necessity of reforming spelling, while also addressing potential objections. Of Franklin's proposal, Webster wrote, "This sage philosopher has suffered nothing useful to escape his notice. He very early discovered the difficulties that attend the learning of our language; and with his usual ingenuity, invented a plan to obviate them."

The Book Division of the Clements Library contains several other works on American spelling reform, including books written in phonetic alphabets:

David Lyon, The analitical American spelling book : containing appropriate spelling and reding lessenz, including the rudiments ov the Inglish languij; and uther useful matter, progressivly arranjed (Oxford, N.Y., 1834).

Andrew Comstock, The phonetic minstrel: consisting of original songs, in Comstock's perfect alphabet, as well as in the old alphabet; set to popular air (Philadelphia, 1847).

Ezekiel Rich, Thrten lcturs, on a nw, slf-suportng systm of jnrl & librl education, fr both sxs, espsly femals. To which is add, an esa, aplyng this systm to the education of a stat r nation ... Also, som stps fr litrry rform (Rochester, 1848).

American Phonetic Society, The fonetic olmanac and rejistur of the spelling and writing reform, together with a list of the American phonetic society, for the year of our Lord 1853 (Cincinnati, 1852).

International Talk Like a Pirate Day: The Pirate Atlas

2010-09-19T09:00:00.103-04:00

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' contributions to the Library.

The original September 1979 Quarto announcement:

"As you may have already noticed from widespread newspaper and television coverage, the library has committed itself to purchasing one of the most important historical volumes ever acquired. William Hack's late seventeenth-century manuscript "South Seas Atlas," copied from a Spanish derrotero captured by the English pirate Bartholomew Sharp, documents a crucial chapter in American history recorded in no other source. . . . An effort is now underway to raise $50,000 to complete payment for the new treasure, and assistance on the part of all friends of the library will be most welcome in the coming months. The atlas, which is as beautiful as it is historically important, will be on display at the October 16 meeting of the Associates."

The Quarto for March 1980 contained a special supplement entirely devoted to the Hack Atlas, the history of its creation and an evaluation of its importance by Dr. George Kish of the Geography Department. Professor Kish served as part-time Curator of Maps under the first Clements Library Director Randolph Adams in the mid-1940s.

The entry in One Hundred and One Treasures from the Collections of the William L. Clements Library provides the historical background:

"In 1680, a motley crew of pirates crossed the Isthmus of Panama, looting Spanish settlements along the way. They captured several vessels on the Pacific side, one of which was named the Trinity and which they made the flagship of the expedition. Since the voyage of Sir Francis Drake a century before and a few brief visits by Dutch ships earlier in the seventeenth century, no non-Spaniard had sailed in American Pacific coastal waters, and the Spanish settlements were entirely unprepared to defend themselves.

For more than a year, squabbling among themselves much of the time, the pirates explored and raided settlements and shipping up and down the coast from Acapulco to Chile, finally sailing around Cape Horn and back to the Caribbean where they divided their spoils. Twenty-two of the pirates associated with the voyage then took passage to England on two different ships, arriving in March 1682, where they created a diplomatic crisis between England and Spain. At the urging of the Spanish ambassador, several were tried for piracy and murder, but all were acquitted. They brought back sufficient treasure to pay handsomely for the voyage, but the real prize of the expedition was a set of sea charts captured on July 29, 1681."

The buccaneer Bartholomew Sharp described the capture of this book:

"In this ship . . . we took also a great book full of seacharts and maps, containing a very accurate and exact description of all the ports, soundings, creeks, rivers, capes and coasts belonging to the South Sea, and all the navigations usually performed by Spaniards in that ocean. . . . The printing thereof is severely prohibited, lest other nations should get into those seas and make use thereof." (Quoted in the Quarto, March 1980)

Sharp added in another account, "they were going to throw it overboard, but by good luck I saved it--the Spaniards cryed out when I got the book, farewell South Seas now."

After returning to England, Sharp turned the maps over to William Hack, a leading English mapmaker. Hack produced a series of fourteen copies, of which the Clements Library copy is the most extensive. Sharp and Hack presented the first copy to Charles II.

The Atlas includes 184 manuscript maps and extensive notes on provisions, landmarks, and sailing hazards. There is even a mention of sunken Spanish treasure. In the waters off Panama, it is noted that "on this shoal was lost the Almirant of the King of Spain, in the year 1631, in which was vast treasure."

In evaluating the Hack Atlas, Professor Kish concluded,

"Hack's atlas is a landmark in the maritime history of England. It provided, for the first time, a detailed and reliable source of information on Spanish possessions in western South America. The age of buccaneers was already drawing to a close when Charles II was presented with this priceless guide to seas until then unknown. It served not only navigators, but also compilers and publishers of detailed sea charts of the eighteenth century."

Current Exhibit: Banned Books Week

2010-09-16T09:00:00.036-04:00

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 actual or attempted censorship by governments, social organizations, and private citizens. The topics of controversy, from witchcraft to abolitionism to adultery, show how societies' values have changed over time as subjects that are taboo in one generation become commonplace in the next.

Now on display in the center cases of the Main Room at the Clements Library. Regular exhibit hours: Monday through Friday, 1:00 pm to 4:45 pm.

To learn more about this display, view the full online exhibit created for last year's Banned Books Week.

Other current exhibits in the Main Room: "Fine Tuning a Great Collection: The How and Why of Recent Acquisitions" and Adopt-A-Piece-of-History.

Lecture by Wes Cowan: "Collecting Americana," September 30, 2010

2010-09-01T16:14:00.000-04:00

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 artifacts and rare old prints.

(Please note: Wes will not be offering appraisals, only his lively commentary on collecting American history.)

Open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

To learn more about Wes, see the article about him in the Fall 2009 LSA Magazine.

New Clements Library Fellowships Announced

2010-08-06T09:00:00.017-04:00

Details and application instructions and forms for all Clements Library fellowships are now available on our website. For further information contact: clements-fellowships@umich.edu 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 offered annually by the Library since 1995. The new fellowships have been made possible by the generous support of the Earhart Foundation, the Frederick S. Upton Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. William G. Earle, and the UM Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.

It is particularly appropriate to announce these fellowships in this issue of the Quarto since two of them support advanced research on the Civil War. The Earhart Foundation Fellowships on Civil War America and The Upton Foundation Fellowships on Civil War America each offer $4,000 per month stipends for one to five months' residence at the Clements for scholarly research on American history between 1830 and 1877. Preference will be given to projects on Civil War topics.

The Howard H. Peckham Fellowship on Revolutionary America supports research on American history between 1764 and 1783. It provides one grant of $10,000 for a project involving a residence of two months or more at the Library. The Earhart Foundation Fellowship on American History offers one $10,000 stipend for scholarly research on any aspect of American history prior to 1900. This fellowship comes with the expectation of a residence of two months or more at the Clements.

In the News: "Businessmen with a Passion for Books"

2010-07-26T09:00:00.020-04:00

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, read this previous post on the challenge grant for the upcoming Copley auctions.

Help Us to Meet the Copley Challenge!

2010-07-22T13:48:00.000-04:00

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 making a gift before September 15 to help acquire these rare primary documents. Give online by selecting "Acquisition" on the Clements Library Online Giving page, or mail your gift using this form [download PDF]. If you would like more information, please contact Ann Rock at annrock@umich.edu or 734-358-9770.

Read the previous post about the Copley Challenge.

Clements Library open for Art Fair, July 21-22

2010-07-21T09:00:00.025-04:00

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. Clements Library or the Clements Library Map Portfolio, a collection of 5 reproductions of maps from Europe and the Americans, 1486-1606. All winners will also receive a free one-year membership in the Clements Library Associates.

You may also be interested in browsing our list of publications for sale. Orders may be placed online by contacting clements.library@umich.edu.

From the Stacks: Gone Fishin'

2010-07-15T09:00:00.013-04:00

"The whole purpose of summer fishing, the Old Man said, is not to worry about catching fish, but just to get out of the house and set and think a little." --Robert C. Ruark, The Old Man and the Boy

Fishing, a popular American pastime, is well-represented in the collections of the Clements Library. Once exclusively a subsistence activity, fishing became a leisure sport for the upper and middle classes in 19th century America. In the post-Civil War era, publishers began to produce popular magazines focused on field sports, including Forest and Stream (1873) and The American Angler (1881), the first magazine devoted entirely to fishing.

Browsing through the Clements Library collections provides a glimpse into a variety of materials documenting different aspects of fishing in American history. The first item of note is from the Rare Book Room:

First American book on angling

John J. Brown, The American angler's guide. Being a compilation from the works of popular English authors, from Walton to the present time; together with the opinions and practices of the best American anglers (New York, 1845).

John J. Brown, a New York fishing tackle dealer, wrote this book in 1845. The book cover has a fisherman tooled in gilt. The frontispiece illustration is "Trout fishing in Sullivan County, N.Y."

Fishing tackle catalog

To prepare for a fishing excursion, you need to buy the proper equipment. This fishing tackle catalog from 1870 offers "Fine quality goods at lower prices than any other house in America."

James F. Marsters, Manufacturer of Fine Fishing Tackle for Fresh and Salt Water Fishing (Brooklyn, ca. 1870)

The fish hooks for sale include styles such as the Yankee Doodle, Snap and Catch "Em," Eagle Claw, and the Pearl Weak Fish Squid.

Guide to fishing spots near Philadelphia

Andrew M. Spangler, "Near by"; Fresh and Salt Water Fishing, or Angling Within a Radius of One Hundred Miles of Philadelphia: Where to Go; When to Go; How to Go (Philadelphia, 1889)

"There are thousands of persons, who, having only an occasional holiday, would gladly indulge in a day's out with rod and reel accompaniment, if they but knew where to go, when to go and how to go where there would be a reasonable probability of finding fish. . . . it was with a view to meeting that want, this little volume was written, with the hope that the information it contains would benefit somebody." A.M. Spangler's helpful little volume for the Philadelphia fisherman includes discussions of the different species of fish to be found in the area, how to fish for them, and a map at the back with fishing spots marked.

An artistic endeavor

Joshua Benjamin journal, 1716-1734

Joshua Benjamin, an American sailor, kept a journal of his various sea voyages with different ships. He drew several fish on a blank page following his entries for the Brigandine Dolphin (Boston to Portugal, 1714).

"That eccentric angler Randolph G. Adams"

The Reverend Dr. Cotton Mather His Fish Story: Wherein is Made Abundantly Clear for the First Time the Proper Answer to That Most Antient & Confusing of Questions: What Makes the Fish Bite? (London, 1934)

The Clements Library itself has a distinguished connection to the topic through the 1934 publication of a small pamphlet by the first director of the library, "that eccentric angler Randolph G. Adams." It is an excerpt from Cotton Mather's Magnalia Book vi, p. 9, which purports to answer the question, "What makes the fish bite?" The first 20 copies of the pamphlet were printed in London by James Tregaskis and Son on authentic Dutch paper from c. 1700. Concerning the first copy, Mr. Adams wrote, "Note the genuine wormhole on [A3]. Nationality, date, and christian name of worm is unknown."

Further reading: Colleen J. Sheehy, "American Angling: The Rise of Urbanism and the Romance of the Rod and Reel," in Hard at Play: Leisure in America, 1840-1940 (Amherst, 1992)

The Latest Quarto: Researching the Civil War

2010-06-29T15:00:00.002-04:00

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. If you would like more information about membership, please contact Ann Rock at annrock@umich.edu or 734-358-9770. To become an Associate, download the membership application and mail it to: Library Associates, William L. Clements Library, 909 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1190.

In addition to news and announcements about the Clements Library, this issue features several essays about the Civil War collections of the Library, including manuscripts, sheet music, culinary history, and maps. The next issue of the Quarto will focus on the Civil War as well.

Contents of the Spring-Summer 2010 issue of the Quarto:

"The Civil War," by J. Kevin Graffagnino, Director. An introduction to the Clements Library holdings on this subject.
"The War in Their Own Words," by Cheney Schopieray, Assistant Curator of Manuscripts. Manuscript collections of the Civil War, including soldiers' letters and diaries.
"The Songs of the Civil War," by Clayton Lewis, Curator of Graphic Materials. Popular music of the war.
"The Food and Society Database," by JJ Jacobson, Curator for American Culinary History. A description of the forthcoming database for finding culinary references in the collection, and how it can be used to research aspects of the Civil War.
"Maps from the Front," by Brian Dunnigan, Curator of Maps and Head of Research & Publications. Printed and manuscript maps of the Civil War.
"Developments," by Ann Rock, Director of Development.The James S. Copley auction and challenge grant.
Announcements.

Current Exhibit: "Fine-Tuning a Great Collection: The How and Why of Recent Acquisitions," June 14 - October 8, 2010

2010-06-23T09:00:00.000-04:00

A new exhibit at the Clements Library showcases some of the best of its recent acquisitions and uses these rare books, manuscripts, maps, and graphic materials to explain the Library’s policies for adding to its outstanding holdings. "Fine Tuning a Great Collection: The How and Why of Recent Acquisitions" opened to the public on June 14 and will be on display through October 8.

The Clements Library opened its doors in 1923 as the first rare books and special collections library at an American public university. The building and its books were a gift to the University of Michigan by William L. Clements, an alumnus and industrialist from Bay City. The collection was soon broadened to include other primary historical source materials, such as manuscripts, maps, and graphics. Today the Clements Library is one of the great repositories of primary source material on the history of the Americas and welcomes scholars from the university and around the world.

The Library's holdings have grown steadily since 1923, both in quantity and quality. Materials are acquired by gift and by purchase, and the Library collects actively. The exhibit features a wide variety of items that have been added since 2004, including a circa 1740 plan of the French fortress town of Louisbourg in Nova Scotia, a portrait print of Haitian leader Toussaint Louverture, a letter written by women's suffrage leader Susan B. Anthony, correspondence from soldiers of the Civil War and War of 1812, selections from the culinary history archive, and a rare, 1856 illustrated atlas of America.

"Fine Tuning a Great Collection" is open to the public in the Main Room of the Clements Library Monday through Thursday from 1:00 pm to 4:45 pm. After September 7 the exhibit will be open Monday though Friday.

The Clements Library is located on the campus of the University of Michigan at 909 South University Avenue, Ann Arbor. For further information please call 734-764-2347.

$150,000 Challenge Grant Announced

2010-06-15T15:00:00.004-04:00

Help us to purchase important documents of the early history of the United States

by doubling the value of your donation.

A generous anonymous donor presented a remarkable opportunity that will benefit the Clements Library in many ways for years to come. One of the nation's greatest private collections of Americana is being auctioned off 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 need to raise $150,000 to fully take advantage of this gift, and we have already received more than $40,000.

These remarkable documents are part of holdings of James S. Copley, a newspaper publisher and a collector of considerable stature who amassed a first-class collection of Americana during the 1960s and 1970s. After Mr. Copley's death in 1973 his family established the James S. Copley Library to hold his marvelous collection. Beginning in April 2010 and continuing through April 2011, Sotheby's will auction the Copley treasures, which have an estimated value of $10-15 million. Read an article about the James S. Copley auctions in the New York Times.

The Sotheby's description states that these materials offer "an incredible survey in original manuscripts of American history and worldwide literary, artistic and scientific achievement. The core of the collection is its remarkable range of handwritten letters, documents, and other manuscripts which trace this history of America from the earliest incursion of Jesuit missionaries into California through the archive of letters sent by General Eisenhower to his wife from the battlefields of Europe."

Many of the Copley items have great appeal for the Clements. The historic documents relating to the American Revolution and the Civil War that are now at the Clements have formed the basis for important scholarship by such distinguished authors such as Carl Van Doren, Fred Anderson, David McCullough, James T. Flexner, Gerda Lerner and Richard B. Morris. The Copley collection is rich in primary sources on both conflicts, and the Sotheby's sales will also feature extraordinary documentation of the birth and expansion of the United States.

At the first Copley auction on April 14, the Library purchased six outstanding manuscript items—letters of Governor George Clinton, General Thomas Gage, General Nathanael Greene, General Israel Putnam, Governor Thomas Hutchinson, and President John Tyler. We were delighted to add these pieces and their insights into the Revolution, colonial American politics and slavery in antebellum American to our collections. These items were purchased with our own funds and if we meet the challenge we will have $300,000 available for the upcoming Copley auctions.

Many more treasures remain in the Copley sales, and by bringing them to the Clements we can ensure that they remain accessible for students of our national heritage.

Each donor will be recognized on a plaque that will be displayed in the Great Room. Once purchased, we will host an exhibit of acquisitions with a reception for donors.

There are many ways you can donate. Give online by selecting "Acquisition" on the Clements Library Online Giving page, or mail your gift using this form [download PDF]. If you would like more information, please contact Ann Rock at annrock@umich.edu or 734-358-9770.

Thank you for considering a gift that will help to make these unique letters and documents available to students and researchers for generations. All who contribute will be able to take pride in knowing that their gift helped to purchase some of the most notable additions to our collection.

UPDATE: As of July 22, 2010, we have raised $75,000! Thank you for your support.

Highlights from the Culinary Archive on Display in the Audubon Room

2010-06-09T15:00:00.000-04:00

From the University of Michigan Record Update for Wednesday, June 9, 2010: Jan Longone and Provost Theresa Sullivan at a reception to honor the Longones' donation of their culinary collection to the William L. Clements Library. Materials donated by Daniel and Janice Longone form the core of the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive, a collection of primary sources devoted to the subject of food history in America.

At the reception sponsored by the Provost at the Hatcher Graduate Library on June 8, guests had an opportunity to view four books from the culinary collection. These books are on public display in the Audubon Room of the Hatcher Library until June 28, 2010.

Excerpts from exhibit brochure (view full brochure [pdf]):

Tractatus de Vinea, Vindemia, et Vino
Venetiis, 1629, Prospero Rendella
The most significant 17th century book on wine

This rare and beautiful work covers all there was to know about wine from the classic period until its own day, as an English translation of the title page suggests: “In which things that pertain to the care and culture of vineyards, to the work of the grape harvest, and the instructions of the vintner, as well as many questions and laws are considered and lucidly explained. And not only the many types of wine but also about the trade in wine and the attention required for its skilled use are put forth. It will be especially useful and necessary for all the judges as for those occupied in the forum and also for those who attend to agriculture. With an index of chapters and a notation of worthy matters which are contained in the work with license and privilege of the Higher-Ups.” The author, a jurisprudent, discusses viticulture, how to care for vines, diseases, vinification, harvests, cellar work, commerce and legal matters. There are interesting details on various wines (Falernian, Lacrima, and numerous wines of the Naples region), religious rites in connection with wine, blessing of the harvest, sacred feasts, divine origin of the grape, wine for the mass, bacchanals, etc. There are discussions of casks and tools of the press and the harvest, and of jokes during the harvest. There are sections on an interpretation of the first codex about military rationing of food (how much wine was rationed to soldiers and how frequently) as well as the code of Constantine on military rationing of food.

Antiquitates Culinariae; or Curious Tracts Relating to the Culinary Affairs of the Old English
London, 1791, Rev. Richard Warner (1763-1857)
First and sole edition of one of the most beautiful works on early English recipes

Richard Warner was a prominent English antiquarian and divine. This book was one of the first works to examine the history of early English cookery, at the forefront of a scholarly movement that developed over the last three decades of the 18th century. The book contains Warner’s detailed introductory notes; “The Forme of Cury,” copied from an ancient vellum roll thought to have been compiled about 1390 by the master cooks of King Richard II; “Ancient Cookery, A.D. 1381,” another collection of recipes from the same vellum roll; “Ancient Cookery,” a collection of recipes from a 15th century manuscript but which almost certainly dates from a much earlier period; “Ancient Receipts to Preserve Fruits,” from the mid-17th century; an account of the enthronization feast of George Neville as Archbishop of York in the reign of King Edward IV; and of the enthronization feast of William Warham as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1501. The double-page colored plate titled “A Peacock Feast” which is present in this volume, was removed from most copies, owing to a dispute with the original publisher.

A Domestic Cook Book
Paw Paw, Michigan, 1866, Mrs. Malinda Russell
Only Copy Known of First African-American Cookbook

Malinda Russell was born in Tennessee a free woman of color. On her way to Liberia at age 19, she was robbed in Virginia by a member of her party. She immediately began to work as a cook, companion and laundress. She married, had a son and was widowed after four years; using her maiden name for the rest of her life. After her husband died, she returned to Tennessee and kept a boarding house on Chuckey Mountain for 3 years, then a pastry shop for 6 years, and “by hard labor and economy, saved a considerable sum of money for the support of myself and my son.” Then, in 1864, for the second time in her life, her money was stolen, by a guerrilla party who threatened her life if she revealed who they were. “Under those circumstances, we were obliged to leave home, following a flag of truce out of the Southern borders.” Hearing that Michigan was the Garden of the West, she moved there. Forced to leave the South because of her Union principles, she wrote this book “hoping to receive enough…to enable me to return home.” It is quite astonishing this fragile and unique copy of A Domestic Cook Book has survived. For years, my husband Dan and I tried to discover more about her, spending our 48th wedding anniversary in the South, trying to uncover further details. Several times we felt we had come close, but in the end, we could not be certain we had located her. Not yet! Who was this indomitable woman, who never gave up? Her story is an African-American story; it is an American story. She has overcome.

Favorite Recipes
Charlottesville, 1912, The Ladies of Virginia
A rare American survivor - To honor Provost Sullivan

This fragile book, one of only three copies known, represents the thousands of charity or fundraising cookbooks issued by ladies’ organizations from the mid 19th century. Essentially begun as a legacy of the Civil War, the trickle of these early books published in the 1860s and ‘70s quickly became a flood that continues into our own time, as thousands of charity cookbooks have been produced in the United States to benefit every conceivable cause. These had been an under-utilized and are now becoming an increasingly-used resource for the study of American history. The popularity and rapid spread of the charity cookbook phenomenon is considered a prime example of female bonding and collective civic virtue. At a time when women were without full political rights and representation, they found these books one very effective way to participate in the public life of the nation. This particular charity was chosen to honor current U-M Provost Teresa Sullivan - from The Ladies of Virginia to the New Lady, soon to be President of the University of Virginia. Much can be learned from examining this small book. There are advertisements for the University, explaining that tuition in Academic Departments is FREE to Virginians. There is an ad for a School for Girls, run by a woman, which offers a College Preparatory program ($300). There is a list of Prominent Boarding Houses. And, a recipe for Reception Patties (for 100 guests) which uses 21 sweetbreads and six bottles French mushrooms. Perhaps in the future President Sullivan will serve this historic dish.

Staff Favorite: 1743 Book on Longitude by Woman Scientist

2010-06-04T09:00:00.003-04:00

A proposal to determine our longitude, by Jane Squire. London, 1743.

Rare Book Cataloger Oksana Linda, who came to the Library in 1998, is particularly fond of this little-known book on longitude by Jane Squire. Bound in calf leather, this volume is beautifully embellished with a centerpiece onlay of black leather, tooled with figures relating to formulae printed in the text. Such elaborate decoration is unusual for such an obscure work, self-published by a female scientist in the 18th century.

Even more intriguing than the binding is the story behind the book itself. In 1714, The British government formed the Commissioners for the Discovery of the Longitude at Sea to encourage innovators to develop an accurate method for measuring longitude.They offered prizes from £10,000 to 20,000 for a working method or device, as well as smaller awards for those making significant contributions or working towards a promising solution. The measurement of longitude, essential to cartography and ocean navigation, was a scientific problem that occupied many of the greatest minds of the day.While early navigators could measure latitude with reasonable accuracy, there was no reliable method for determining longitude on long sea-voyages. Errors in navigation could result in several weeks' delay, starvation, or shipwreck. France, Spain, and Holland also offered prizes for longitude solutions.

Jane Squire (1671-1743) was the only woman to try for the prize. In 1731 she published an 11-page pamphlet, "A proposal to determine our longitude" and submitted it to the commissioners of the British longitude prize. Despite her persistence, her proposal did not gain acceptance. Her 1742 book, A proposal for discovering our longitude, further elaborated on her theory and struggles to promote it. With parallel texts in English and French, the book included her original pamphlet, copies of letters written and received regarding her proposal, and a complex explanation of the unique system she developed for measurements. The Clements Library holds a copy of the second edition of this work, printed in English in 1743 and titled A proposal to determine our longitude.

Jane Squire's scientific approach was unusual, to say the least. Rejecting the traditional approaches, she proposed a new system of dividing the globe into a million "cloves," each with its own "zenithal" star to calculate astral and local time. She developed her own terminology and measurements, and used a prime meridian based on the city of Bethlehem. Indeed, it is not surprising that her ideas were dismissed by the commissioners and contemporary scientists. An analysis printed in The Observatory in 1915 concluded, "The central idea of the proposal is rooted in a remarkable confusion of thought."

Despite serious flaws in her proposal for determining longitude, Squire valiantly asserted her right to compete along with the other scientists of her day. Against the objection that "Mathematicks are not the proper Study of Women," Squire asserted that "to count, to measure, &c. which are now generally suppos'd to be included in [Mathematics]; are so naturally, the Properties of every reasonable Creature, that it is impossible to renounce them."

Squire continued, "Hence, Sir, it has ever appeared to me ; that to study the Law of God Day and Night, is my proper Business ; Philosophy, my Amusement ; and Mathematicks, my Play-things. . . . I do not remember any Play-thing, that does not appear to me a mathematical model ; nor any mathematical Instrument, that does not appear to me a Play-thing : I see not, therefore, why I should confine myself to Needles, Cards, and Dice." Regarding her right to seek the prize, she declared that it appeared to her "as fair a Prize, as any Plate given to be run for at Newmarket or elsewhere ; the Pursuit more entertaining, the Victory more glorious, and the Attempt free to all."

Jane Squire must have been a remarkable woman, and yet little is known of her beyond her published works. A brief biographical entry in The feminist companion to literature in English summarized her proposal and notes that "the scholar Thomas Rawlins admired her." Rawlins' letter to George Ballard in 1743 indicated a deep respect for her character and work:

"Mrs. Jane Squire author of ye Treatise very lately published for determining ye Longitude. She was a Lady excellently well versed in Astronomy, Philosophy, & most pts of polite Literature. She had a most moral Life. She dyed April 4th. 1743 wth. a just Resignation to ye Will of God (a Roman Catholick) & in a firm Hope of Salvation. It is a great Loss to Navigators yt she has not lived to finish her Catalogue of Stars, describing their Longitude, Latitude & Place in both Hemispheres, in a manner entirely new, & more certain than any ever done before." [Letter reprinted in the edited edition of Ballard's Memoirs of several ladies of Great Britain, 1985]

In the News: Longones to be Honored for Culinary Archive

2010-05-17T09:00:00.007-04:00

The University of Michigan Record Update features an article by Frank Provenzano, "Donors of American Culinary History Collection to be Honored." Janice and Daniel Longone, donors of the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive at the William L. Clements Library, will be honored on June 8 in a ceremony at the Hatcher Graduate Library.

Select items from the culinary collection will be on display in the Audubon Room at the Hatcher Graduate Library, June 1-28, include the first cookbook authored by an African-American woman.

32nd Annual Ann Arbor Antiquarian Book Fair, Sunday, May 16, 2010

2010-05-03T09:00:00.025-04:00

Thirty Second Annual
Ann Arbor Antiquarian Book Fair

Sunday, May 16, 11:00-5:00

Admission: $5.00

Location: Michigan Union
Ballroom, 2nd Floor
530 S. State St.

List of booksellers planning to attend the fair.

For more information call:
West Side Book Shop (734) 995-1891
annarborbookfair.com

Sponsored by the Ann Arbor Antiquarian Booksellers Association

A benefit for the William L. Clements Library

Staff Favorite: Tapa Cloth from Captain Cook's Voyages

2010-04-28T12:00:00.102-04:00

Alexander Shaw, A catalogue of the different specimens of cloth collected in the three voyages of Captain Cook, to the southern hemisphere (London, 1787).

Clements Library conservator Julie Fremuth has worked at the Library for 21 years. One of her favorite items from the collection is this book of Polynesian tapa cloth samples, gathered during the voyages of the 18th century English explorer Captain James Cook. As an artist, Julie finds inspiration in the vivid colors, patterns, and textures of the cloth, still beautifully preserved in this volume after more than two hundred years.

The Library acquired the book in 1958. As reported in the June 1958 issue of The Quarto (no. 41), "This volume we had always lacked, until we found an extraordinary example which we felt we must obtain to complete our collection on Cook ... This is the largest of the sample books known and probably unique."

The book is described in greater detail in One Hundred and One Treasures from the Collections of the William L. Clements Library, including the history of this particular copy:

"When Captain Cook's Discovery returned from the third voyage of 1780 -- Cook having been killed two years earlier by natives at Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii, and buried in a sea coffin -- the ship carried with it plants, specimens, and artifacts of great fascination. Among them were many rolls of tapa cloth which the Polynesian women made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree. Alexander Shaw, a London merchant, was able to obtain specimens of the textured cloth with its striking patterns and designs and put together A Catalogue of the Different Speciments of Cloth Collected in the Three Voyages of Captain Cook, to the Southern Hemisphere; with a Particular Account of the Manner of Manufacturing the Same in the Various Islands of the South Seas. He printed his list as a pamphlet in 1787, bound it with a selection of 45 to 60 swatches of the cloth, two or four to a page, and distributed copies to friends. The book is a great rarity, and the Clements Library copy is uniquely special.

Thomas Pennant (1726-1798) was one of the most admired naturalists of the eighteenth century, and when he saw a copy of the book, he called on Shaw and obtained every existing sample, both from Shaw and apparently other sources, cut them to full page size, and bound them with Shaw's essay. To supplement the printed identification, he sought out and interviewed several of Cook's sailors, writing on blank interleaves where, when, and by whom each sample was acquired, and how the different types of cloth were used by the natives. The result was a fat book containing 92 samples and a unique body of ethnological information." (101 Treasures, p. 99-100)

The Clements Library collections include a number of other books and maps related to Captain Cook's explorations, including the first printed account of Cook's first voyage, A journal of a voyage round the world, in His Majesty's ship Endeavour (published anonymously in 1771), and the official published accounts of all three voyages:

John Hawkesworth, An account of the voyages undertaken by the order of His present Majesty for making discoveries in the Southern hemisphere (London, 1773). 3 vols.
James Cook, A voyage towards the South pole, and round the world (London, 1777) 2 vols.
James Cook, A voyage to the Pacific ocean (London, 1784). 3 vols. and atlas.

From the Stacks: Japanese Books and Manuscripts at the Clements Library

2010-04-19T09:00:00.140-04:00

Regular contributor Emiko Hastings, Assistant Curator of Books, will be on vacation in Japan for the next two weeks.

While American history (broadly defined) is the main focus of the Clements Library collections, researchers may be surprised to discover materials representing other cultures here as well. Such items might come to the Library as part of larger collections or because of connections to American history that may not be readily apparent. One example of this is the small but significant collection of Japanese materials in the Library. Spanning more than one hundred years of history, these items include a variety of manuscripts, maps, books, and images documenting Japanese culture and historical encounters between Japan and the United States. Some of these items record the experiences of Americans traveling abroad in Japan or Japanese coming to America. Others provide insight into 19th century Japanese knowledge of the United States, both before and after the official opening of trade relations between the two nations in 1853-54.

Manuscripts

Japanese Manuscript Collection, 1832-1861. This collection of 4 Japanese manuscripts from the 19th century provides insight into important cultural encounters between Japan and the West. The manuscripts include an illustrated book of costumes of the world, an account of the famous John Manjiro's travels to America, instructions for receiving the first American envoy to Japan, and a diary kept by a member of the first Japanese embassy to the United States.

Thomas C. Dudley Papers, 1852-1856. The Thomas C. Dudley papers are comprised of 83 letters written by Dudley to his young sister, Fanny, during the Caribbean cruises of the U.S.S. Powhatan in 1852 and Matthew Calbraith Perry's expedition to Japan, 1853-1854, and a 219 page memoir of his experiences during the United States Navel Expedition to Japan, written in 1855.

Kan Nakamura Journal, 1942-1943. The Kan Nakamura journal is a translation of a journal kept by a young Japanese officer during the Second World War while serving with one of the regiments stationed on Guadalcanal.

Maps

Abe, Yoshitô. Chikyû bankoku zenzu. [1840?] Wood block print. World map based on a French map of 1835; annotated. In Japanese; includes Chinese translations of place names.

[Guide to leading stores in the foreign market, Yokohama]. Pictorial map of part of Yokohama printed as part of an eight-page pamphlet. Text presumably provides information relative to the stores and contains references to Commodore Perry. Includes list of geisha houses authorized to entertain foreigners.

[Street plan map of Yokohama, 1869]. Street plan with nearly all information given in Japanese characters. Locations are numbered and a few places are identified in English. A note with the map states: This map was especially prepared to serve as a guide to foreign establishments in the newly opened port. The American consul appears as no. 97 on the map.

Graphics

"Landing of Commodore Perry, officers, & men of the Squadron in 1854," after painting
by Heine. Color lithograph by Saxony, N.Y.

[Views of Tokyo, Yokohama, and Uraga area at Commodore Perry’s second visit.] Names and crests of Japanese lords; procession of American Navy personnel; view of Tokyo Bay with American ships; detail of American steamships. Color woodcut.

Books

Kaigai ibun [Strange information from abroad. New information from America. The experiences of Hatsutarô and twelve other Japanese castaways and what they saw and heard when rescued by a Spanish boat and taken to California and Mexico from 1841 to 1843. Edited by Seifuen Juô. New edition.] [Tôkyô, 1854] 5 vols.

Kaigai shimbun besshû [Collection of materials from foreign newspapers, governmental edition. Translation of the New York Times, nos. 103-303, relating to the Civil War.] [Tôkyô, Rôsôkaku, 1862] With copy 2 of v. 1 is a picture of Joseph Heco, Japanese castaway who became an early US consul to the Japanese and who may have edited this work. There is also, laid in, a letter relating to Heco from Eleanor Temple (copy).

Uryû, Masakazu. Seiyô shinsho. [A new book on the western world, including an outline of geography and the history and customs of American and European countries.] [Tôkyô, Hôshû-dô, 1872] Contents include: Voyages across the Pacific; Hawaiian Islands; San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and the White House; Hongkong; Paris, Marseille, Europe, Biographies of Columbus, Washington and Napoleon; locomotives; telegraphs; steam engines; policemen, museums; libraries; exhibitions; hospitals; Congress; Civil war; Franco-Prussian war; France and Britain at war. 10 vols.

Adopt a Piece of History: Recent Acquisitions and Conservation

2010-04-12T15:00:00.002-04:00

"Tradition fades but the written record remains ever fresh."

Our Adopt a Piece of History asks people to fund purchases and conservation at the Clements Library. There are many books, manuscripts, maps, and visual materials that we should add to the collection, and some of our holdings require expert repair because of fragility and age. Please consider a gift to the Clements Library to purchase an item or to conserve an item so that you can adopt a piece of history. Your contribution will strengthen our collections and make them available to researchers and students for generations to come.

American Encounters

Our current exhibit highlights the Clements Library's holdings related to Native American history, including books, maps, manuscripts, prints, and photographs that document more than four centuries of history. These primary sources illustrate cultural encounters over the course of American history and feature some of the library's greatest materials. Exhibits such as this one and scholarly research based on our collections are possible only with the gifts from loyal supporters.

In need of conservation are:

Exhibit Case 4:
A William Penn's Treaty with the Indians; broadside engraving (1857): $150

Exhibit Case 8:
B Charles McCormick document (1785): $200

Exhibit Case 11:
C   The Cherokee Phoenix & Indians' Advocate newspaper: $50/issue
D   Map Showing the Lands Assigned to Emigrant Indians West of Arkansas & Missouri (1836): $200

Exhibit Case 14:
E   Dictionary of the Otchipwe Language, Explained in English (1853): $250

Other Adoptable Items
(currently located in the Adopt a Piece of History display case in the Main Room)

Represented below are items for which we need help to either purchase or conserve.

1. Laws of the Choctaw Nation : made and enacted by the General Council from 1886 to 1890 inclusive (Atoka, I.T. : Indian Citizen Print, 1891). $500

2. The Constitution and Laws of the Cherokee Nation, passed at Tah-Le-Quah, Cherokee Nation, 1839 (Washington : Printed by Gales and Seaton, 1840). $2,250

3. Integrated school group. Daguerreotype, circa 1850s. $850

4. Bridge across the west branch of the Raritan river. Ink drawing by David Claypoole Johnston, circa 1840s. $1,500

5. Civil War ephemera. Pull-tap envelope, by David Claypoole Johnston. $500

Uncle Tom's Cabin performance advertising ephemera (E. Wharton & Co.):

6. Rial & Draper's Ideal Uncle Tom's Cabin. $65

7. Rial & Draper's Uncle Tom's Cabin. $75

8. Anthony & Ellis' Famous Ideal Uncle Tom's Cabin. $150

9. Emma Francis Voris, The New Columbian White House Cookery (Philadelphia, 1893). $100

10. Regulations for the Medical Department of the C.S. Army (Richmond, 1863). $3,500

11. A.W. Wilde's daybook, 1849-1863. $1,800

12. Francis Francis, Jr., Saddle and Mocassin. $350

13. George Catlin, Nord-Amerikas Indianer (Stockhold, 1848). Swedish translation of: Letters and notes on the manners, customs, and condition of the North American Indians. $1,250

14. Map of North America. Printed on cotton between 1836 and 1845. It features an enlarged area for Texas, extending from the Rio Grande to the Canadian border and westward to the Rocky Mountains. Only known copy. Purchase price $4000 Estimated conservation cost $600

15. George Catlin, Die Indianer Nord Amerikas (Brussels, 1851). German translation of: Letters and notes on the manners, customs, and condition of the North American Indians. $1,500

16. Helen Campbell, Women Wage-earners : Their past, their present, and their future (Boston, 1893). $225

In addition to personal gifts, we welcome gifts in honor of a person or a special occasion, in someone’s memory, or to celebrate a special event. Each book will receive a bookplate to honor the donor. All contributions will be recorded in our electronic catalog with the name of the donor. Your support for our recent acquisitions will help to offset the cost of these additions to our library while those in need of conservation have been in our collections for many years.

For more information, please contact:

Ann Rock
William L. Clements Library
University of Michigan
909 S. University
Ann Arbor, MI 48109=1190

annrock@umich.edu
(734) 358-9770

Founder's Day Celebration: Happy Birthday, Mr. Clements!

2010-04-01T09:00:00.193-04:00

On April 1, the Clements Library celebrates the birth of our founder, William L. Clements (1861-1934). This tradition was first recorded in the Clements Library Annual Report for 1937-1938:

"Our new period started with the ceremony which in years to come we hope may become one of the Library's traditions. On April 1, 1938, the anniversary of Mr. Clements' birth, there was a formal meeting at the Library of members of Mr. Clements' family, some of his own intimate friends, and representatives of the University book men and the administration."

Over the years, the Library has observed Founder's Day in a variety of ways. Past celebrations have included a Founder's Day Tea attended by friends of the Library, guest speakers on topics related to Mr. Clements' interests, and even a dance performance. In 1953, Richard S. Wormser spoke on the subject of "Literary Hoaxes" and revealed a humorous episode in Clements Library history:

In 1944, Dr. Randolph Adams, first director of the Clements Library, was the target of an elaborate prank by his assistant Howard H. Peckham. Peckham, then at work on his biography of the Ottawa chief Pontiac, knew that Adams' knowledge of the Ottawa language was limited to one word: Pontiac's Indian name Obwandiyag.

Peckham recalled, "Around the Clements Library we had bits of blank eighteenth-century paper, and I owned a printing press that was a couple steps above a toy. I don't know how I happened to think of trying to print a bookplate for Chief Pontiac in the Ottawa language." He called a specialist in the Ottawa language to find out the translation of "his book" or "ex libris," and found a phrase that could be translated as "from his bookcase." Peckham then printed up a few bookplates on the authentic paper and gave one to an autograph dealer who was visiting Adams, explaining the hoax. The dealer handed the bookplate to Adams, who examined it and recognized the name of Pontiac.

Peckham, standing nearby, cheerfully suggested, "It must be something a Detroit trader had printed for him. Why don't you call Greenman. He knows Ottawa and Chippewa." When Adams called and received the translation, he exclaimed, "My God! It's his bookplate!" At this, Peckham and the autograph dealer could no longer contain their laughter, and Peckham confessed to the hoax.

The entire story is recounted in Charles Hamilton's Great Forgers and Famous Fakes (1980). The bookplate itself, which can be found in the Clements Library Forgery Collection, was featured in a Library of Congress exhibit in 1950 on "Forgeries, Facsimiles, and Questioned Documents." For more information, see one of the original bookplates by Howard Peckham, the replica printed for Founder's Day in 1953, and a guide to the Facsimiles and Forgeries exhibit by the Clements Library.

Caption from Library of Congress exhibit:

PONTIAC. Forgery. Ogima Obwandiyag omasinaigani-tessabang [Chief Pontiac from his Book case]. 1 page, oblong 16mo.
*** Pontiac owned a book; ergo, he had a bookplate. Exhibited by Colton Storm, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

After the 1970s, the tradition of Founder's Day was discontinued for a number of years, before the Library decided to reinstitute it in 2009.

The 2010 Founder's Day celebration will feature Nicholas Basbanes, author of A Gentle Madness, with a talk entitled "Further Adventures Among the Gently Mad." Today in the Main Room of the Clements Library, 4:00 pm.

Pamphlet copies of the 2009 Founder's Day address by Professor Martha S. Jones, "Confessions of an Archives Rat," will be available.

From the Stacks: The Hooke Journal’s Catch Tunes

2010-03-21T20:55:00.033-04:00

In the 18th century, paper was scarce. Journals and diaries were commonly used, and re-used, for multiple purposes and by multiple people. One of my favorite examples of this practice is the Hooke journal, which belonged to a British Army officer named George Philip Hooke, who served with the 1st Battalion Grenadiers. From 1779-1780, Hooke recorded his battalion’s movements from New York to Georgia, describing their landing at St. Simons Island, Georgia, and Siege of Charleston. While the military records were the journal’s primary purpose, what caught my eye were the 30 “catch tunes” copied in the back of the book.

A catch tune, according to the Oxford Companion to Music, is a humorous 3 or 4 voice round that was popular in England in the 17th and 18th centuries. Typically for male voices, they were “designed to work well even if sung badly,” and were not intended for a formal audience. They were commonly sung in pubs and singing societies such as the Noblemen’s and Gentlemen’s Catch Club in London, established in 1761.

The Hooke journal has catches composed by the physician and amateur musician, Henry Harington, and by the great English baroque master, Henry Purcell. Unlike many catches of the day, which were often obscene with lyrics full of drinking and carousing, the Hooke examples celebrate love, marriage, and laughing.

Two examples are pictured. The example above, marked Grazzioso (gracefully), is by Henry Purcell with the words by John Dryden from the opera King Arthur.

Fairest Isle, all isles excelling,
Seat of pleasures, and of loves;
Venus here will choose her dwelling,
And forsake her Cyprian groves.

To the left is a comical 8 bar round called “Nose,” where the protagonist seems to promise his love that he will stop drinking:

Nose Nose, Nose, Nose,
Shall I never see thee Red
Oh Marry, that thou shall
if that you’ll stay
(unattributed)

The Hooke journal was cataloged as part of a grant funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities to create access for many of the Clements Library's most important manuscript collections. We would like to thank the NEH for its generous support.

Founder's Day Talk by Nicholas Basbanes, April 1, 2010

2010-03-18T09:00:00.009-04:00

Nicholas Basbanes

The William L. Clements Founder’s Day Lecture

"Further Adventures Among the Gently Mad"

April 1, 4:00 p.m.
Main Room, Clements Library
909 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI

Nicholas Basbanes, an internationally syndicated columnist and author, on the joys and adventures of antiquarian book collecting. He will talk about the world of antiquarian books—collecting, curating, and the “gentle madness” that drives people to covet, accumulate and cherish old books. Nicholas Basbanes writes books about books, including the best-selling A Gentle Madness. Well-known for writing about books, bibliophiles, and various aspects of book culture, he has worked as an award-winning investigative reporter, a literary editor, a lecturer, and a syndicated columnist.

This event is free and open to the public.

Mister Clements and His Magnificent Library: A Documentary about the Clements Library

2010-03-15T09:00:00.007-04:00

In 2007, the Clements Library commissioned a documentary, Mister Clements and His Magnificent Library, to commemorate the retirement of John C. Dann, the third director. Highlighting the achievements of the Library's founder and past directors, the documentary provides a history of the Library and its rich collections of historical materials.

In addition to the brief 8-minute version shown here, the longer 30-minute version was originally shown at John C. Dann's retirement event, and has aired periodically on the Michigan Channel. Created by Metrocom International, the film was made possible by the generosity of the Mosaic Foundation of Rita and Peter Heydon, James and Joanna Schoff, James and Millie Irwin, the Frederick S. Upton Foundation, and David and Linda Upton.

Lecture by William Cronon, Environmental Historian, March 25th, 2010

2010-03-11T09:00:00.010-05:00

Prof. William Cronon
“The Portage: Time, Memory, and Storytelling
in the Making of an American Place”

Thursday, March 25, 4:00 pm
Main Room, Clements Library

William Cronon is the Frederick Jackson Turner Professor of History, Geography, and Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Cronon is recognized for his work as a commentator in Ken Burns’ The National Parks: America’s Best Idea and author of Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England, which was awarded the Francis Parkman Prize of the Society of American Historians.

Professor Cronon will talk about his current research project on the history of Portage, Wisconsin, to explore ways of integrating environmental and social historical methods with non-traditional narrative literary forms.

Jointly Sponsored by the Department of History and the William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan.

Talk by Julie Fremuth: "Preserving History: Engaging Today's Youth Through Historical Documents," March 11, 2010

2010-03-04T12:00:00.001-05:00

March 11, 2010
12:00pm - 1:30pm
Main Room, Clements Library

Julie Fremuth, a paper conservator and rare book binder at the University of Michigan's William L. Clements Library, uses the inspiration she gets from the amazing items in the library's collection to create projects she can teach young students. These projects teach the children historical origins as well as getting them to use their hands and minds creatively.

Her presentation will show not only original items from the Clements, but also project-models made by the students.

This event, part of the MLibrary Conservation Detective Series, is hosted by the Clements Library. For more information, see the MLibrary Events page.

Online Exhibit: "Honest Independence": The Life of Norton Strange Townshend

2010-03-02T15:02:00.001-05:00

Norton Strange Townshend: An Online Exhibit at the William L. Clements Library

A new online exhibit featuring the papers of Norton Strange Townshend is now available on the Clements Library website. (For a list of other library exhibits, see the main Exhibits page.)

From the introduction to the exhibit:

Norton Strange Townshend (1815-1895) had a long and multi-faceted career in politics, medicine, social reform, and agricultural education. His accomplishments included antislavery activism, politicial involvement at the local level and in the U.S. House of Representatives, work on the Underground Railroad, a role as a Medical Inspector in the Civil War, and advocacy of scientific training for farmers. The latter earned him the nickname, "the father of agricultural education in the United States" and allowed him to shape Ohio State University as a co-founder and its first Professor of Agriculture. He also participated in the women's suffrage movement, had a deep interest in botany and archaeology, and was a co-founder and trustee of the Ohio State Asylum for Idiotic and Imbecile Youth, which educated and trained children with intellectual disabilities. Focusing his daunting energy and ever-present practicality on achieving reform in many arenas, he was able to bring his deeply humane and progressive views to bear on nineteenth century society.

This online exhibit illuminates many aspects of Townshend's career and life through biographical information and digitally scanned manuscripts, images, and printed materials from the Norton Strange Townshend Family Papers. The papers include a wealth of primary sources, such as the diaries of Townshend and his wife, Margaret Bailey Townshend, essays and lectures by Townshend on dozens of political, social and personal topics, correspondence between Townshend and his family members and colleagues such as Salmon P. Chase, printed matter, and rich visual resources, including daguerreotypes by Thomas M. Easterly, who was Townshend's brother-in-law. The materials document not only Townshend's life and work, but also the everyday lives of his immediate family and descendants, and this exhibit highlights many of its treasures.

Current Exhibit: "American Encounters: Sources for the Study of Native American History at the Clements Library," March 1 - June 4, 2010

2010-03-01T14:00:00.009-05:00

Now on display in the Great Room of the Clements Library, until June 4, 2010. Open to the public Monday through Thursday, 1:00-4:45 or by appointment.

AMERICAN ENCOUNTERS

Sources for the Study of Native American History at the Clements Library

American Encounters highlights the great range and depth of the Clements Library’s collections related to Native American history. The exhibit features items drawn from many areas of the collection, including books, maps, manuscripts, prints, and photographs, which document over four centuries of history. These artifacts illustrate different types of cultural encounters over the course of American history and feature some of the library’s greatest strengths. Included are printed accounts of early encounters between indigenous peoples and European explorers, manuscripts and maps that record a long history of warfare and diplomacy, wampum and trade silver, peace medals, portraits of native leaders, and photographs of Indian schools. Many of these sources are filtered through a European perspective, representing those views and biases rather than the direct voices of Native Americans themselves. Where possible, we will attempt to provide context for such materials to explain the circumstances of their creation.

This exhibit highlights sources for further study, which we hope will enhance inquiry and scholarship on the University of Michigan campus and elsewhere. Much research remains to be done with these materials. The Native American experience is central to an understanding of American history as a whole.

Lecture by Leonard Walle: "Chasing the Light: 19th Century Astronomical Photography," February 27th, 2010

2010-02-18T09:00:00.013-05:00

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2:00 P.M.
Clements Library, University of Michigan
909 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1190

The work of 19th century photographers, painters, and astronomers interwove to capture and document astronomical events and record the fascinating workings of astronomers themselves. Leonard Walle shares this history and his fine collection of early astronomical photographs in a talk in the Great Hall of the Clements Library.

This event is co-sponsored by the Michigan Photographic Historical Society and the Clements Library, and is free and open to the public.

Today in History: Valentine's Day Cards

2010-02-14T09:00:00.006-05:00

Saint Valentine's Day was first established in 496 A.D., and became associated with the celebration of romantic love in the Middle Ages. In the United States, mass-produced paper valentines were first sold in the mid-1800s.

The Ephemera collection at the Clements Library includes a variety of greeting cards for many occasions. A sampling of some of these cards shows the great diversity and creativity of 19th century Valentines. While the earlier cards are simple handmade items, the later commercial ones include embossed paper lace, pop-ups, and a profusion of flowers, hearts, and winged Cupids.

One of the most interesting early examples comes from the Mifflin family papers.This handmade card from the early 1800s has a poem that wraps around the cut-out shape of a Celtic knot. It reads:

"This is love & worth commending, still beginning never ending like a willy [sic] net ensnaring in a round shuts up all squaring; out & in goes every angle more and more does still entangle, keeps a measure still in moving never light but always loving twining arms exchanging kisses each partaking others blisses; laughing, weeping still together blessing one is worth in other never breaking ever bending."

Other examples from the collection:

Further reading on collections of 19th century valentines:

The Book Patrol has a post featuring cards from the University of Oxford's Bodleian Library display of valentines from the John Johnson Collection of Printed Ephemera.

The American Antiquarian Society has an excellent posting on 19th century valentines with human hair.

Black History Month at the Clements

2010-02-11T12:00:00.006-05:00

The Clements Library has a wealth of materials on African American history, documenting many aspects of slavery, the abolitionist movement, the Civil War, and beyond. Much research remains to be done with these materials, to more fully explore the African American experience in the United States. Some highlights from the different Divisions include:

Book Division:
Narrative of James Williams, an American Slave (1838)
The American Anti-Slavery Society published this controversial account of James Williams' escape from enslavement in Virginia. African American engraver Patrick Reason created the striking portrait of Williams which appears in the book. (Currently on display in the Clements Library exhibit Reframing the Color Line, which closes February 19, 2010.)

Culinary Division (Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive):
Malinda Russell, A Domestic Cook Book (1866)
Printed in Paw Paw, Michigan, in 1866, this is the earliest cookbook authored by an African American. The Clements Library possesses the only known copy of this important work.

Manuscripts Division:
Weld-Grimké papers (1822-1898)
These papers document the lives of Sarah M. Grimké, Angelina E. Grimké Weld, and Theodore D. Weld, prominent abolitionists and women's rights advocates. The collection includes a considerable amount of material on their involvement in the anti-slavery movement and correspondence with other prominent activists such as William Lloyd Garrison and James G. Birney.

Map Division:

"Map showing the proportion of the colored to the aggregate population: Compiled from the returns of population at the ninth census of the United States 1870, by Francis A Walker."
Census maps such as this one, depicting the proportions of the African American population in 1870, can be of great value in understanding historical patterns and themes.

Print Division:
"Come and Join Us Brothers: Supervisory Committee for Recruiting Colored Regiments"
This print was a recruiting poster for black Union soldiers in the American Civil War.

Staff Favorite: First Map of the State of Vermont

2010-02-01T15:00:00.003-05:00

Here at the Clements Library, we are sometimes asked, "What is your favorite item in the collection?" In a library full of great treasures, there is no easy answer to this question, and the answer will probably vary for each person. Starting with this post, the Clements Library blog will occasionally feature one of these favorite items, selected by a library staff member. These may not always be the most famous objects in the library, but the choices will reveal something of what we do here at the library and why we find this work so rewarding.

A Choreographical Map of the Northern Department of North-America, by Bernard Romans (Amsterdam: Covens, Mortier, & Covens, Jr.; engraved by H. Klockhoff, 1780)

Library director Kevin Graffagnino came to the Clements Library from his home state of Vermont. As he often says, his favorite item in the collection is this 1780 map by Bernard Romans, which hangs on the wall of his office. In his book The Shaping of Vermont, Kevin describes its significance:

"In the furious war of words that marked the early years of Vermont's independence, Bernard Romans's "Choreographical Map of the Northern Department of North-America" was a unique and impressive piece of propaganda for the supporters of the fledgling republic. As the first printed map to display the words "State of Vermont" for the area between the Hudson and Connecticut Rivers, Romans's work added something to the air of legitimacy that the beleaguered Green Mountain State's leaders were trying to establish for their new creation. Although the map also included parts of Canada, New York, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, Romans's emphasis was on Vermont, and to contemporary outsiders interested in the twists and turns of American developments during the Revolution, his map probably spoke as persuasively on the Vermont situation as any pamphlet or broadside from the pen of Ira Allen."

The Quotable Ethan Allen, January 28th, 2010

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Kevin Graffagnino
The Quotable Ethan Allen

Based 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, 2010
4:00 p.m.
William L. Clements Library
909 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Free and open to the public

For more information, contact the library at 734-764-2347 or clements.library@umich.edu

The Fall-Winter 2009 Quarto is Here

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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. If you would like more information about membership, please contact Ann Rock at annrock@umich.edu or 734-358-9770. To become an Associate, download the membership application and mail it to: Library Associates, William L. Clements Library, 909 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1190.

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 collection of published Indian captivity narratives.
"To Bring the Tribes Together There," by Brian Leigh Dunnigan, Curator of Maps and Head of Research & Publications. Indian nations in the region of eighteenth-century Detroit.
"Expressions of Assimilation?" by Barbara DeWolfe, Curator of Manuscripts. Kiowa student drawings and letters in the Hilon A. Parker papers.
"The Art of James Otto Lewis," by Clayton Lewis, Curator of Graphic Materials. Portraits of Native American leaders.
"Native American Food and Food Ways," by JJ Jacobson, Curator for American Culinary History.
"Developments," by Ann Rock, Director of Development. Summary of 2009 outreach activities.
Announcements.