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Category: Rare Books and Special Collections

Photograph inside a factory with bottle and boxes of catsup being inspected by working. Photo take circa 1920

Playing Ketchup: A Condiment and the Pure Food Movement

Posted by: Jennifer Harbster

Today, our beloved bottles of ketchup are consistent and shelf-stable thanks to the work of Katherine and Arvill Bitting who examined over 1,600 bottles of ketchup, visited 40 canneries producing tomato pulp, and toured 20 ketchup factories to come up with a method to make a safe and preservative-free ketchup.

Silver stylized owl with radiant circles around its head, surrounded by a gold frame

Peter Parley Explains the Moon to Children, Part 1

Posted by: Ellen Terrell

Today’s guest post is by Jacqueline Coleburn and Anthony Mullan. Jackie is a rare book cataloger at the Library of Congress and is cataloging the Library’s rare children’s books.  Peter Parley books are a particular interest of hers. These books, which were very popular in the 1830s, 40s, and 50s, offer insight into the evolution …