Shackleton's Expedition, 100 Years Later
A guest post by Webb Howell, FB&C's publisher

Collectors of polar literature no doubt already know that 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated expedition to walk across Antarctica from sea to sea. His efforts are remembered not for his success, but for his feat of survival and endurance, with Shackleton and his crew surviving 22 long months at the bottom of the planet before being rescued.

The accomplishment will be marked over the next two years with films, voyages, books, and more, none more interesting than a planned Woods Hole dive to search for the wreckage of Shackleton's ship, Endurance, in 2016.

What has perhaps kept Shackleton's story alive over the past century, though, has been the photographic images of a 29-year-old Australian photographer named Frank Hurley. Hurley lived from 1885 to 1962, a period of dramatic world events, including two World Wars, and he captured much of them on film. More impressively, perhaps, and little known, Hurley was an early experimenter with color photography, and many of the images we've seen of Shackleton's adventure in black and white were originally shot in color. Their drama speaks for themselves.

In news this week comes stunning accounts from NASA scientists about the disintegration of a large section of West Antarctica's ice, enough, some say, to raise sea levels by as much as four feet globally. If such changes come to pass, they will redraw maps and change the course of human history.

One hundred years ago, Frank Hurley scrambled through the hull of a ship that was crushed and sinking, plucking his glass plate negatives from slushy waters. On his evacuation from Antarctica, Hurley was only allowed to take only 150 of the more than five hundred images he had photographed because of the space limitations of his rescuers. Those images portray a different world, one frozen and beautiful, captured and remembered, and now melting away in time.
Endurance, Frank Hurley, antarctica, ernest shackleton, polar literature
Madeline at 75
Madeline75.jpgMadeline, that feisty French girl, turns 75 this year. In honor of that, Penguin releases tomorrow a 75th anniversary edition of Ludwig Bemelmans' classic children's book. This slipcased edition includes a full-color panoramic pop-up of Paris, where the Caldecott Honor-winning story is set. Penguin also published last month a handsome hardcover omnibus, A Madeline Treasury, with all of the original stories by Bemelmans plus an introduction by Anna Quindlen.

As part of the anniversary festivities, the New-York Historical Society will host an exhibition titled Madeline in New York: The Art of Ludwig Bemelmans, from July 4 through October 13. The exhibit will  feature more than ninety of Bemelmans' artworks, including drawings from all six Madeline books, murals from a Paris bistro, and panels from the Onassis yacht (Bemelmans, who died in 1962, was an author-illustrator and later, a serious painter). The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA, will also mark Madeline's 75th with an exhibit opening on November 15.

Image via Penguin Books.
anniversary edition, children's books, eric carle museum, ludwig bemelmans, madeline, new york historical society
Dickens Urania Cottage Letter at Auction
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A Charles Dickens letter coming up for auction May 21st at Chrisitie's offers a unique insight into the philanthropic side of the author.

In 1847, Dickens and his wealthy friend Baroness Burdett-Coutts established a home for "fallen women" called Urania Cottage in Shepherd's Bush, London. Dickens - fascinated by the possibility for reform - approached the management of the cottage with verve and gusto, fully involving himself with the minutiae of running the home.  Providing opinions on everything from flowers suitable for the garden to piano music suitable for the parlor, Dickens attempted to create an environment that was "steady and firm... cheerful and hopeful." (And well ahead of its time).

In a letter written in 1852, Dickens called upon the matron of Urania Cottage to admit Eliza Witken, a reformed prostitute, and to first send her new underwear and enough money for a bath or two.

"Will you send under-clothing to Eliza Wilkin ... with money for her to get a warm bath - or two would be better - and instructions when to do so, that she may be perfectly clean and wholesome; and make an appointment to call for her."

Dickens's letter will be offered at auction on May 21st at Christie's in London (Sale 1550, Lot 27) with an estimate of $6,700 - $9,900.
Dorothy Wordsworth's 'Cottonian Bindings'
94.jpgDorothy Wordsworth, bibliocrafter? Yes, says auction house Dreweatts & Bloomsbury of London. These three books belonged to English poet William Wordsworth, and the auctioneer believes that Wordsworth's sister re-bound them. The catalogue copy states, "Wordsworth too seems to have liked the idea of giving his more dilapidated books decorative cloth coverings (a task often performed by the ladies of the house) in order to improve their aesthetic qualities; the sale catalogue of Wordsworth's books mentions that there are 'many, indeed, in quaint Cottonian coverings.'" One, Henry Holland's Some Account of the Life and Writings of Lope Felix de Vega Carpio, 1806, bears a presentation inscription with Wordsworth's signature. It will be offered alongside John Dunton's two-volume The Life and Errors of John Dunton, 1818, once belonging to Wordsworth's friend and contemporary Robert Southey (who is said to have prized 'cottonian bindings'). The trio is estimated to fetch $800-1,200 at auction next week.
     The British Library holds a copy (shelfmark c61b14) with similar provenance that it believes was bound by Dorothy as well.

Image Courtesy of Dreweatts & Bloomsbury.
 
auction, bibliocraft, bookbinding, cottonian bindings, dorothy wordsworth, dreweatts and bloomsbury, william wordsworth
Paolo Veronese Among 17th Century Book Publishers, Art Collectors, & Printmakers

477px-Paolo_Veronese,_avtoportret.jpgScholar and book collector Maureen Mulvihill has once again turned her eye toward art and its intersection with seventeenth-century books and printing in a long review of Paolo Veronese: A Master and His Workshop in Renaissance Venice, recently on view at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida. (Her last project covered a Rubens exhibit at the same venue.) According to the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, Mulvihill's illustrated essay, the lead piece in the Spring/Summer 2014 issue of Seventeenth-Century News, "educates readers on Veronese's legacy in the 17th century among book publishers, printmakers, and (mostly) Stuart art connoisseurs." The ILAB website also provides a direct link to the full text of the review.

Paolo Veronese (1528-1588), Self-portrait, c1558-1563.
Oil on Canvas, 63 x 50.5 cm. The Hermitage, St Petersburg.

ILAB, Ringling Museum of Art, maureen mulvihill, paolo veronese, renaissance printmaking
Bright Young Librarians: Katie Henningsen
Our Bright Young Librarians series continues today with Katie Henningsen, Archivist & Digital Collections Coordinator at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington:

photo 3-1.JPGHow did you get started in rare books?

I became interested in rare books while completing my M.Phil. in Reformation and Enlightenment Studies at Trinity College Dublin.  There, I took a yearlong course on the history of the book, partially taught by Dr. Charles Benson, Keeper of Early Printed Books.  These sessions included working with materials from the collection, tours of the Early Printed Books room and facilities, and one exciting, but very cold January day spent in an unheated building working on a 19th century printing press.  I began the M.Phil. program believing I wanted to be a history professor, by the end of it I knew I wanted to spend my days working with rare books. 

Where did you earn your MLS/advanced degree?

I earned an MSLIS with a concentration in Rare Books and Special Collections at the Palmer School, Long Island University.  Attending the Palmer School provided the opportunity to meet and learn from members of the rare book world in New York.  I was fortunate to study under Dr. Deirdre Stam, a wonderful mentor and advocate for her students.

What is your role at your institution?

My official title is Archivist and Digital Collections Coordinator.  I am responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Archives & Special Collections as well as chairing the digital projects committee.  As the first full time and sole special collections librarian at my institution I do a bit of everything; instruction, reference, outreach, collections management, digitization, acquisitions, and community outreach.

My time is increasingly spent on the public service aspects of my position. As faculty and students are becoming more aware of the Archives & Special Collections, there has been an increase in student researchers and requests from faculty for class sessions.  I am thrilled that there is such an interest in using the materials.

Favorite rare book / ephemera that you've handled?

This is such a difficult question.  Every time a new item arrives or I discover something in the collections, I get excited, though there are two items that I always come back to.

The first is an item I acquired for the collections shortly after arriving at Puget Sound.  It is a tattered pamphlet by Charles Herle, printed in 1642 at the start of the English Civil War.  I have taught with it a few times, and each time students comment on its condition, a perfect segue to our discussion of its use and the value of the item as a historic artifact.

The second is a letter in the New York Chamber of Commerce records at Columbia University.  While studying for my MSLIS, I worked at Columbia University as a bibliographic assistant on the New York Chamber of Commerce records.  The collection sounded quite dry initially, but as we went through the 300+ boxes we discovered a wealth of documents on the early development of New York City and correspondence from Thomas Edison, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., General William T. Sherman, Theodore Roosevelt, and many more.  The letter I am referring to was written by A.B. See, an outspoken member of the Chamber, he sent a single sheet of paper to Charles Gwynne, secretary of the Chamber, with one line, 

"Can a leopard change its spots, Mr. Gwynne?"  

The letter lacks a salutation or signature, which is unusual for See; all of his other letters are written on his company letterhead, addressed and signed.  If See intended to send this letter anonymously he made a crucial mistake; he included a return address on the envelope.  I didn't have time while processing the collection to look through the correspondence and minutes of the Chamber to discover what prompted See to send this letter, but six years later I am still thinking about it!

Tell us about your Behind the Archives Door series:

The Behind the Archives Door series has been a lot of fun to develop and host.  The series features brief presentations by faculty and students who are using materials from the Archives & Special Collections in their teaching and research. The series is informal, after a brief presentation, we tend to have a lively Q&A, followed by the opportunity for the audience to take a closer look at the material under discussion.  During the academic year, we meet twice a month.  We are just wrapping up our first full year and have seen our attendance grow significantly, particularly among students and members of the community.

What do you personally collect?

In my personal collection I have a few pieces that relate to my M.Phil. research on early modern military academies and I hope to build on that in the future.

What excites you about rare book librarianship?

Everything!  I started making a list and attempted to narrow it down, but I enjoy 99.9% of what I do on a daily basis.  I love working with the students and having classes come to the Archives & Special Collections.  Each time I prepare for a class I discover new and exciting items in the collections.  The constant discovery and the opportunity to learn something new each day are wonderful aspects of the job and I hope to always feel a sense of wonder and excitement about what I get to do on a daily basis.

Thoughts on the future of special collections / rare book librarianship?

This is an exciting time for special collections; there are so many opportunities for increased access to our collections, both physical and digital.  Facilitating undergraduate research and faculty teaching with the materials has been my priority for the past few years.  I see our undergraduate students as future advocates for special collections.  Some of these students will go on to become academics, hopefully drawing on their institutions' special collections for their teaching and research.  Those that do not stay in academe will have the power to advocate for our collections through local, state, and national legislation.  My goal is that their time in the Archives & Special Collections leaves them excited about the resources we hold and the importance of ensuring they are available for future generations.  

Any unusual or interesting collection at your library you'd like to draw our attention to?

The Abby Williams Hill papers are a little known and under used resource.  Abby was a painter and social activist in the early 20th century.  She traveled extensively throughout the United States and completed a number of commissions for the railroads featuring scenes of the national parks.  We have her letters, diaries, photographs, and the vast majority of her paintings.  

In addition, students working in the Archives & Special Collections regularly add items they come across to our Tumblr.

Any upcoming exhibitions at your library?

We have a very active exhibition schedule!

Currently we have up "Stan!," featuring the collection of Lyle "Stan" Shelmidine (1906-1966), a popular Puget Sound professor of Near and Far East history who travelled extensively, collecting books and artifacts.  Four art history students drew on Stan's books, artifacts, and papers to create the exhibition, which they discussed as part of our Behind the Archives Door series.

Each summer we host the annual exhibition of the Puget Sound Book Artists', on display from June 5 to July 31, 2014.  In August we will co-host an international juried exhibition of book art focusing on social and political issues, "Book Power Redux," with 23 Sandy Gallery in Portland, Oregon.

In October we will open "Sparking Imaginations," an exhibition on the history of electrical science and electrical power, curated by faculty in the Physics and the Science, Technology, & Society departments.  This exhibition will span multiple buildings on campus and feature scientific instruments, our history of science collection, and (hopefully) some live experiments.

Hawthorne on Other Writers' Houses
152478_0.jpgIf only Nathaniel Hawthorne had a better address book! In this brief letter, dated March 4, 1852, Hawthorne writes to William H. Adams at Amherst College, providing direction as to where to find the residences of historian George Bancroft, poet Fitz-Greene Halleck, and satirist/Secretary of the Navy James Kirke Paulding. He writes, "Bancroft and Halleck live in New York, and so, I think, does Paulding. I do not know where Mayo (?) resides, but a letter would probably reach him through his publisher, G.P. Putnam, of New York. Duane (?) lives in Boston, except during the _____? season."

According to PBA Galleries, which is offering the note at auction tomorrow for an estimated $5,000-8,000, it is "a letter significant for its associations, one of the leading American authors of the 19th century making reference to the homes of his literary associates."

Coincidentally, according to John Hardy Wright's book, Hawthorne's Haunts in New England, Hawthorne finalized his purchase of the Alcotts' home in Concord, Massachusetts, only four days later. Were other writers' houses on his mind? He had been living in the borrowed West Newton, Massachusetts, home of Horace Mann and Mary Peabody Mann while writing The Blithedale Romance. In June, the Hawthornes moved out to "The Wayside," which the family kept until 1870.

Image via PBA Galleries. 
PBA Galleries, auction, autograph letter, literary association, nathaniel hawthorne, the wayside, writers houses
Cover Reveal for Charlie Lovett's Second Novel
Charlie Lovett is no stranger to our readers.  Lovett's first novel, The Bookman's Tale, was reviewed on our blog last May and his first-class Lewis Carroll collection was profiled in our spring 2014 issue.  Today we are happy to reveal the cover for his second novel, First Impressions, due out in October from Viking:

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From the publisher:

Book lover and Austen enthusiast Sophie Collingwood has recently taken a job at an antiquarian bookshop in London when two different customers request a copy of the same obscure book: the second edition of Little Book of Allegories by Richard Mansfield. Their queries draw Sophie into a mystery that will cast doubt on the true authorship of Pride and Prejudice - and ultimately threaten Sophie's life.

In a dual narrative that alternates between Sophie's quest to uncover the truth - while choosing between two suitors - and a young Jane Austen's touching friendship with the aging cleric Richard Mansfield, Lovett weaves a romantic, suspenseful, and utterly compelling novel about love in all its forms and the joys of a life lived in books.



Thoreau's Spring
Henry David Thoreau springs eternal. His is a literary legacy that continues bright and strong, season after season. Reprints of his best work, editions of annotated essays, books of his quotes, biographies, even comics -- Thoreau remains a force of nature. So in commemoration of his death day, May 6, 1862, let's consider three new books, published in just the last six months, that honor his life and work.

Walden Warming.jpgIn Walden Warming: Climate Change Comes to Thoreau's Woods, author Richard B. Primack uses Thoreau's Walden, as well as the nineteenth-century naturalist's unpublished notes, to track the effects of a warming climate on Concord's flora and fauna. In one example, Thoreau records the first open blueberry flowers on May 11, 1853; Primack finds that after the record-breaking warm season of 2012, blueberries in Concord began flowering on April 1. Thoreau biographer Robert J. Richardson Jr. writes, "Primack's book is important in three ways: it is a report on what global warming has already done to a much-loved bit of American space--Walden Pond; it is a detailed warning about what we are now facing; and it is a stirring call to arms, especially to young Americans and students about how they can help."

Walden Shore.jpgWalden's Shore: Henry David Thoreau and Nineteenth-Century Science by Robert M. Thorson depicts Thoreau as a man whose brain 'toggled [between] poetic and scientific.' The University of Connecticut professor takes a fresh approach by looking at him as a geologist--a rock collector who was able to interpret his landscape as both a poet and a field scientist. Jeffrey S. Cramer, editor of the Portable Thoreau and curator of collections at the Thoreau Institute at Walden Woods wrote, "Walden's Shore has no predecessor in the field of Thoreau studies. It is a welcome addition and a needed reassessment of an iconic figure."

Adventures.jpg
In his new biography, The Adventures of Henry Thoreau: A Young Man's Unlikely Path to Walden Pond, Michael Sims recounts the author's younger years --from Harvard to the excursion at Walden--and uncovers a "hidden" Thoreau,  rowdier perhaps than we would expect. Many critics have lauded Sims for his fresh take on Thoreau. Booklist called it a "
surpassingly vivid and vital chronicle of Thoreau's formative years - See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/the-adventures-of-henry-thoreau-9781620401958/#sthash.pNH6jEyi.dpuf
surpassingly vivid and vital chronicle of Thoreau's formative years." 
a previously hidden Thoreau--the rowdy boy reminiscent of Tom Sawyer, the sarcastic college iconoclast, the devoted son who kept imitating his beloved older brother's choices in life - See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/the-adventures-of-henry-thoreau-9781620401958/#sthash.pNH6jEyi.dpuf
a previously hidden Thoreau--the rowdy boy reminiscent of Tom Sawyer, the sarcastic college iconoclast, the devoted son who kept imitating his beloved older brother's choices in life. - See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/the-adventures-of-henry-thoreau-9781620401958/#sthash.pNH6jEyi.dpuf
a previously hidden Thoreau--the rowdy boy reminiscent of Tom Sawyer, the sarcastic college iconoclast, the devoted son who kept imitating his beloved older brother's choices in life. - See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/the-adventures-of-henry-thoreau-9781620401958/#sthash.pNH6jEyi.dpuf


Images via University of Chicago; Harvard University Press; Bloomsbury USA.

Adventures of Henry Thoreau, Henry david Thoreau, Michael Sims, Richard B. Primack, Robert M. Thorson, Walden Warming, Walden's Shore
Bird Books for Kids
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HAVE YOU HEARD THE NESTING BIRD images ©2014 Kenard Pak. Reproduced with permission from HMH Books for Young Readers

Have You Heard the Nesting Bird? By Rita Gray, illustrated by Kenard Pak; HMH Books for Young Readers, 32 pages, ages 4-8.

Bird books are wonderful reasons to employ onomatopoeia, and Rita Gray's latest foray in nonfiction joyfully employs this device. Written in rhyming call and response format, the story is at once active and calm, asking readers to step back and listen to the distinctive and musical sounds of neighboring nesting birds. Dreamworks artist Kenard Pak debuts as a book illustrator with lovely watercolors and digital media. Double page spreads of crows taking flight and robins sitting on their eggs evoke the soft, first-blush colors of spring. A mock interview with a mother bird ("A Word with the Bird") explains nesting bird behavior as well as best practices for human-avian interaction.   


mama-built-a-little-nest-.jpg

MAMA BUILT A LITTLE NEST  images © 2014 Steve Jenkins. Reproduced with permission from Beach Lane Books 


Mama Built a Little Nest, by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Steve Jenkins; Beach Lane Books, 40 pages, ages 4-7.

Veteran nature writer Jennifer Ward (I Love Dirt!) teams up with Caldecott Honoree Steven Jenkins (What Do You Do with a Tail Like This?) to showcase the different ways birds build nests using all sorts of tufted materials. Each spread features a different bird with a read-aloud rhyme on the left page, and supporting information for grownups and older readers on the right page. Jenkins' masterful collages of woodpeckers, weaverbirds and wrens are large, bright and inviting. The author's notes elaborate on the architectural ingenuity of nest building and also include resources for further backyard birdwatching.


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 NEST images ©2014 Jorey Hurley. Reproduced with permission from Simon & Schuster

Nest, by Jorey Hurley; Simon & Schuster, $16.99, 40 pages, ages 0-5.

Debut children's book author and illustrator Jorey Hurley has crafted a lovely seasonal book about the life cycle of a robin while also explaining in the simplest of terms how birds raise families. Starting in spring, two robins build a nest, lay an egg, and the family grows alongside blooming leaves and blades of grass.  Hurley's illustrations are sharp visual feasts, rendered entirely in Photoshop yet looking very much like paper collage.  Most illustrations are double spreads with one word defining the action.  Like many great children's books nowadays, this one includes author's notes where robin nesting and incubation habits are explored in greater detail for adult readers.

Beach Lane Books, Birds, HMH Books for Young Readers, Simon & Schuster