The Archives & Rare Books Library announces a new monthly lunch-time series that will focus on one item from the collections to talk about its history and importance. Relaxed and informal, these presentations are set for one Thursday each month through the academic year, and will be held in the Schott Seminar Room, 814 Blegen Library at 12:00 noon.
The first talk is on Thursday, January 27, and will feature ARB’s anthropodermic binding (that is, human skin!). Find out how these bindings became curiosities of the book world, particularly in the 18th century; why most major research libraries have at least one example of the morbid things and how UC obtained its copy; and, the process involved in determining its authenticity. Continue reading