It’s not very often that you have the chance to look at 99 copies of the same book. However, among the Library’s vast collections are an extraordinary 99 copies of Ptolemy’s Geographia, divided between the Geography and Map Division and Rare Book and Special Collections. Book conservators in the Library’s Conservation Division, undertook a survey of every one of these 99 copies of Geographia, and found some fascinating things that provide context for the rich history of book binding and manuscript arts.
Pioneering 17th century natural scientist, artist, and engraver Maria Sibylla Merian traveled to Suriname to observe and collect insect specimens. In 1705, she published a book, Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium (Metamorphosis of Surinamese Insects) with large, vibrantly colored illustrations of exotic species that captivated natural history enthusiasts. Read about how a trans-disciplinary team from Preservation Research and Testing, Rare Books and Manuscripts and an Einstein Fellow worked together to examine the book and discuss research questions and goals.
By teaching Joe, my cat, about archives and preservation, I teach myself the best ways to communicate for each project or outreach event I participate in. Joe serves as my test audience, and while he might not directly tell me if I need to expand upon or parse out a section, presenting to him helps me analyze it for myself.
John Bertonaschi is a Senior Rare Book Conservator for the Conservation Division. In this post, John will speak about how he and other Conservation staff made plans on how to get the Law Library manuscript entitled 'Decretum Gratiani' ready for a sympathetic binding.
Micherlange Francois-Hemsley, a 2024 intern working on Identifying At-Risk Underrepresented Community Collections Learning from Our Collection: Assessing and Preserving At-Risk Materials, discusses her summer spent with the Preservation Research and Testing Division.
The following is a guest post by Meghan Hill, a preservation specialist in the Preservation Research and Testing Division of the Library of Congress. Conference season is upon us; a time to learn about exciting new initiatives in the preservation field and in turn to showcase our own work, to reconnect with colleagues from other …
Sarah Wyman Whitman (1842-1904) was one of the first American artists to make a career of book cover design. From 1880 to 1904 she designed around 300 book covers, mostly for Houghton, Mifflin and Company. Her covers sold books so well that the publisher mentioned her name as the cover designer in its advertisements.
