Blaeu, Willem Janszoon, 1571-1638. Sphaera stellifera. Amsterdam, early 17th century.

51-2459

Houghton Library, Harvard University

The tryals of Major Stede Bonnet, and other pirates. London : Printed for Benj. Cowse, at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul’s Church-Yard, M.DCC.XIX. [1719]

AC7 B6438 719t

Houghton Library, Harvard University

Drawings of constellations from Tabula stellarum fixarum, manuscript, circa 1425.

MS Typ 43

Houghton Library, Harvard University

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G is for Grrrr

…Or Good Dogs! This is one of many clever and elegantly designed decorated initials found in the 1522 Johannes Froben printing of Erasmus’s version and translation of the New Testament.

Novvm testamentvm omne, tertio iam ac diligentius ab Erasmo Roterodamo recognitum. Basileae: Johannes Frobenius, 1522.

A little pretty pocket-book : intended for the instruction and amusement of little Master Tommy, and pretty Miss Polly. Printed at Worcester, Massachusetts : by Isaiah Thomas, and sold, wholesale and retail, at his bookstore, 1787.

EC7 A100 744ℓg

Houghton Library, Harvard University

A two-volume collection of erotic art engraved on gemstones from classical antiquity, published as a suite of handcolored engravings in 1771. Digitized at the links below.

Priapi uti observantur in gemmis antiquis

Veneres uti observantur in gemmis antiquis

Houghton Library, Harvard University.

One of our most frequently asked questions (sometimes asked with varying levels of politeness online) is “Should you be wearing gloves?” We made a video to discuss why for most things, the answer is no. You can see the full video, and some more examples of when we do and don’t use gloves to handle our collections on YouTube.

Also a shoutout to our @upennmanuscripts colleagues and their excellent educational work on this subject.

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Just Another Mystic Monday

Illustrations for this 1700 collection of writings by Christian mystic, Jacob Böhme, do not disappoint. In addition to the striking, full page eye, we have an otherworldly garden with flowers, a heart nailed to a cross, and a swarm of bees. (But did the librarian need to apply the ownership stamp right there?)

Böhme, Jakob. Der für die einfältigen epitomirte nicht tunckel, sondern klar und deutlich, redende hocherleuchtete Jacob Boehme; oder Seraphinisch Blumen-Gärtlein. Amsterdam [Wetstein?] 1700.

Life and death contrasted, or, An essay on woman. [London] : Printed for & sold by Bowles & Carver, [not before 1793]

2020-951.1

Houghton Library, Harvard University

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In celebrating National 3-D Day today, we’re posting stereographs from our Special Collections. Stereographs were very popular in the United States and Europe from mid-1850s to 1900s. First demonstrated in 1832 by English physicist Sir Charles Wheatstone, then improved by Sir David Brewster in 1849, stereographs were the original virtual reality! As you can see from the first image, two photos of the same subject are shown side by side, then the image is viewed through the lenses as shown in the second image. The two images of the same subject are brought together as one image that has an illusion of three-dimensionality by the effort of the human brain.

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