Category Archives: Rare books

A Rare Vellum Printing

Posted on September 24, 2018 by

A book may be interesting on the basis of its physical features, its intellectual content, or its history of ownership. Here we have the trifecta: a book of unusual, even beautiful, material construction, containing a text of scholarly interest, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Cataloger's Corner, Irish Studies, Jesuitica, Rare books, Recent Acquisitions, Staff Posts | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Swift, Satire, and BC Students

Posted on September 10, 2018 by

Does Swift’s searing satire lose its keen edge as the story is re-represented over time, country and culture?  This was a question that arose last spring as students in Colleen Taylor’s English Literature class, Satire and Society, explored editions of … Continue reading →

Posted in Irish Studies, Rare books, Staff Posts | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dreams of Art & Glory: Book Craft by the Roycrofters

Posted on August 27, 2018 by

One of the many advantages of working in a special collections library is the opportunity to browse in the stacks. I regularly browse while checking the climate control monitors throughout the building. During one such walk-through, a suede binding resembling … Continue reading →

Posted in Exhibits & Events, Fine Press, Rare books, Recent Acquisitions, Staff Posts | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Internal Context: A Look Into the Inclusion Files

Posted on April 9, 2018 by

One of the most rewarding aspects of rare book cataloging is seeing and decoding the various markers of history that make their way into the pages. Most of these markers are permanent – bookplates, sellers’ and binders’ tickets, annotations, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Cataloger's Corner, Rare books, Staff Posts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The many business endeavors of Pamela Colman Smith

Posted on March 26, 2018 by

You’ve probably encountered the artwork of Pamela Colman Smith before, even if you didn’t realize.  Colman Smith drew the images for the most well-known tarot deck, and these popular images are still commonly reprinted and used on tarot decks today. … Continue reading →

Posted in Fine Press, Rare books, Staff Posts | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Medicine in the Middle Ages: Rare Books in the Burns Library

Posted on March 12, 2018 by

While working in the library catalog, I set to searching one of my favorite topics, the Medieval period. Trying to narrow the search results, I added the term medicine to see what would come up. There were a number of … Continue reading →

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Boston in the Early Republic

Posted on January 22, 2018 by

The John J. Burns Library’s Boston collection houses approximately 4,500 works about the city and its neighboring municipalities. While the majority of this collection encompasses material from the 19th and 20th centuries, as a result of the remarkable growth in … Continue reading →

Posted in Featured Collections & Books, Rare books, Student Posts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment