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From the desk of our Archives staff, an example of why original folder titles aren't always useful when describing collections. Based on this folder title, would you be able to guess what's inside? #ArchivesMonths#MarbledMonday #SpecialCollectionsA novel by author and ghost expert Elliott O'Donnell (1872-1965)Construction on our building is wrapping up and we're happy to announce that we're back in the Reading Room!Follow us on Twitter!
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Tag Archives: boston college
Puzzling Out Ownership
Most of the books at Burns Library have passed through the hands of many owners before arriving on our shelves. Discerning a book’s sequence of owners, or provenance, is fascinating, and the inevitable comparisons to puzzles and mystery solving are … Continue reading
Posted in Rare books
Tagged boston college, burns library blog, provenance, RareBooks
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The Campus of the Future? The Chestnut Hill Campus, Real and Imagined
The Chestnut Hill campus of Boston College (BC) has beautiful architecture, views, greenspaces, and recreation areas. Construction projects occasionally add less peaceful notes to the scene, but the resulting disruption is a sign of growth. As the university develops, new … Continue reading
Remembering Brian Burns: A Lasting Legacy at Burns Library
As we begin this new academic year, we are saddened by the recent loss of our primary benefactor, Brian P. Burns, and fondly recall his warm friendship and the vital roles he played in establishing Burns Library and providing ongoing … Continue reading
Posted in BC History, Irish Studies
Tagged boston college, brian burns, burns library
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John Louis Bonn, the Bard, and Boston College Theater in the 1940s
John Louis Bonn, SJ, who taught theater at Boston College between 1930-1949 and directed the School of Dramatic Arts from 1937-1943, made a lasting impression on Boston College’s theater culture. Bonn directed many student plays and documented … Continue reading
Boston in the Early Republic
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
The Vietnam War at the Burns Library: The Tip O’Neill Congressional Archives (Part Two)
In Part One I looked at the change of heart Congressman Tip O’Neill experienced in 1967 regarding the Vietnam War. Formerly a supporter of the Executive branch’s military policy, O’Neill, encouraged by a stream of constituents’ anti-war letters, shifted to … Continue reading
Irish Women Rising: Maud Gonne (1866 – 1953)
In a letter to her suitor, William Butler Yeats, who complained that he was unhappy without her, Maud Gonne wrote “Oh yes, you are, because you make beautiful poetry out of what you call your unhappiness and you are happy … Continue reading
Philip Caraman, SJ: the Travelling Jesuit
Philip George Caraman, S.J., Jesuit priest and author, was born in 1911 in London, England, to René André Caraman and Betina Pasqua. Both parents were Armenian Catholics and instilled strong religious beliefs in their nine children; their sons, Philip and … Continue reading
Mary Boyle O’Reilly: World War I Journalist
Mary Boyle O’Reilly was born on May 18, 1873 in Charlestown, Massachusetts. Her father, John Boyle O’Reilly, was a noted poet and Irish nationalist, and her mother, Mary Smiley (Murphy) O’Reilly, was a journalist. In 1913, O’Reilly accepted a position … Continue reading
