Labor Day weekend is an omen of the new school year. It’s an exciting time of year for those who love books. Last fall Lindsay Debach shared this adventure on the campus of Cornell University when she toured the unique collection of manuscripts and rare books. This fall Lindsay begins her graduate students in English Literature in the UK. We wish her well in her new venture. And for our readers, celebrate Lindsay’s love of (old) books with this post of hers from a year ago. Remember creating time capsules in elementary school? Perhaps you had to imagine what you would place inside: a front page of the daily newspaper, a cassette tape, or maybe a favorite toy? Such a capsule exists at the special collections department at Cornell University-but instead of relying on a shoebox full of ancient knick knacks, this awe-inspiring collection of literary material uses books to tell a story of our past. The Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, located in the climate-controlled lower level of Cornell’s Kroch (pronounced “Crock”) Library, boasts 70 million maps, manuscripts, and photographs and over 400,000 rare books. Fulfilling my bibliophile dream, I had the opportunity to view a smattering of these well-persevered beauties up close upon a recent visit to the collection. My tour guide is reference and instruction librarian, Lance Heidig, “The physical artifact is so important,” he explains while gently unpacking a 500-year old specimen.”It tells a story. Obviously the contents of the book are important, but the…
Remember creating time capsules in elementary school? Perhaps you had to imagine what you would place inside: a front page of the daily newspaper, a cassette tape, or maybe a favorite toy? Such a capsule exists at the special collections department at Cornell University-but instead of relying on a shoebox full of ancient knick knacks, this awe-inspiring collection of literary material uses books to tell… [Read More]
Filed Under: A.D. White, Cornell Libraries, Cornell Rare & Manuscript Collections, Rare Books, Uris Library
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It seems fitting that the People of the Book, known for these words of wisdom—“essen epes” (eat something)—should open a book fair with a banquet. The 28th annual Austin Jewish Book Fair, held November 3-12 at the Austin Jewish Community Center (JCC), started with the Book Lovers Luncheon, featuring five-time National Book Award nominee, Melissa Fay Greene, discussing her memoir: No Biking in the House… [Read More]
In 2009, when my boss offered me tickets to see the musical “Parade,” I of course said “yes.” I knew that “Parade” retells the story of Leo Frank, the German-Jewish superintendent of Atlanta’s National Pencil Factory, who was convicted of slaying 13-year-old factory worker, Mary Phagan, in 1913. Later, when Frank’s death sentence was commuted to life in prison, an angry mob sprung him from… [Read More]
Journalist Cathryn Prince signs book contract with Palgrave Macmillan. Stalin’s Last Torpedo by Cathryn J. Prince—the little known story of history’s largest maritime disaster—is under contract with Palgrave Macmillan. Prince plans to write it largely through the perspective of the surviving eyewitnesses. At the end of World War Two, Soviet torpedoes sank the Wilhelm Gustloff—a cruise liner turned escape ship—sending roughly 9,000 German refugees to… [Read More]
The question is, what can’t Media Bistro do? Welcome to the first post of our Media Bistro series! If you’ve not yet explored this multi-faceted journalism and social media resource, then now is the time to CHECK IT OUT! With everything from Morning Media News Feeds, to Twitter Resources, to a lengthy list of online writing courses, Media Bistro is the ultimate resource for writers,… [Read More]
Filed Under: Boot Camp courses, Laurel Touby, Media Bistro, Social Media, writing courses, writing resources