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The 7th stanza of Irish poet John Boyle O'Reilly's "The Exile of the Gael," written in 1887, and O'Reilly's calling card, from the Boston College collection of John Boyle O'Reilly.We are enjoying the details in this cover decoration of American writer Alice Cary's "A Lover's Diary," published in 1868. Cary (1820-1871) and her sister Phoebe (1824-1871) were both well-known poets.G is for Garden, from "A Poet's Alphabet" by Welsh writer W.H. Davies (1871-1940). Davies was also the author of "The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp."The cover of London Lyrics by English poet Frederick Locker-Lampson, published in NY in 1891.Follow us on Twitter!
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Tag Archives: burns library blog
The Many Editions of Gulliver’s Travels
One of the things that the Burns Library is known for is our extensive Irish collection and Anglo-Irish author, Jonathan Swift is no exception. Though known widely for his satirical essay, “A Modest Proposal,” undoubtedly his most famous work is … Continue reading
Then and Now: Irish Folklore Studies
Walking through the stacks that contain the Williams Ethnological Collection, it is quite easy for one to be distracted by the sheer amount of titles that deal with folklore of different nations and peoples. Yet knowing that often the material … Continue reading
Posted in Irish Studies
Tagged boston college, burns library blog, folklore, irish folklore, irish myths
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Bloch Publishing Company
The Williams Ethnological Collection is one of our more diverse collections of published materials, assembled by the Jesuit missionary and ethnologist Joseph J. Williams, SJ and largely focused on Africa & the Caribbean. Many of the volumes are White European … Continue reading
Reconsidering Witchcraft This Halloween
The leaves are changing, the air finally has that crisp New England bite, and Halloween is finally upon us here at Boston College. Even just being in Burns Library makes me feel like I am at Hogwarts with our Gothic … Continue reading
Posted in Rare books
Tagged burns library blog, demonology, halloween, maleficarum, witches, witchhunt
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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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DC One Million
In 1998, as many long running DC Comics such as Action Comics and Detective Comics were approaching their 750th issues, the writers at DC speculated what the universe would look like when issue one million was published. This gave birth … Continue reading
Posted in Comic Books
Tagged aquaman, batman, burns blog boston college, burns library blog, Comic Books, comics, DC One MIllion, flash, hourman, martian manhunter, starman, wonder woman
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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: Mollie Gill (1891–1977)
Mollie (or Máire, in Irish) Gill is the first woman featured in our Irish Women Rising blog series who did not come from the well-to-do, Anglo-Irish class. Hailing from an Irish family, Mollie Gill’s life is representative of thousands of young … 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
“Through Adversity to the Stars”
Louis Belloc was the son of British Catholic author Hilaire Belloc. He served in the Royal Air Force during World War I and tragically lost his life. The above certificate was sent to his family after his death. “Before Cambrai” … Continue reading
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