Tag Archives: burns library blog

Flann O’Brien and the Irish Typewriter

Posted on September 19, 2022 by burnslibrary

The turn of the 20th century brought with it the invention of the first “modern” typewriter, produced by the Underwood Typewriter Company in 1900. Prior to the release of the Underwood, typewriters were not as widely used nor easily accessible … Continue reading →

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Fields, Rinks, Courts, & Diamonds: Historic Locations of BC’s Athletic Contests from the University Archives

Posted on September 13, 2022 by burnslibrary

Boston College has opened several new athletic facilities over the last few years, investing hundreds of millions of dollars in the Margo Connell Recreation Center, the Harrington Athletics Village, the Fish Fieldhouse, and the (soon-to-be) Hoag Basketball Pavillion.  In the … Continue reading →

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The Many Editions of Gulliver’s Travels

Posted on March 28, 2022 by burnslibrary

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 →

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Then and Now: Irish Folklore Studies

Posted on March 14, 2022 by burnslibrary

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 →

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Bloch Publishing Company

Posted on February 2, 2022 by burnslibrary

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 →

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Reconsidering Witchcraft This Halloween

Posted on October 31, 2021 by burnslibrary

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 →

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Puzzling Out Ownership

Posted on October 18, 2021 by burnslibrary

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 →

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DC One Million

Posted on September 27, 2021 by burnslibrary

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 →

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The Vietnam War at the Burns Library: The Tip O’Neill Congressional Archives (Part Two)

Posted on June 5, 2017 by burnslibrary

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 →

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Irish Women Rising: Mollie Gill (1891–1977)

Posted on February 13, 2017 by burnslibrary

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 →

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