Tag Archives: Events

Charles Dickens, the Serial Man

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By Kevin Grace

Edwind Drood CoverPart of Charles Dickens’ immense success as an author in the 19th century was due in no small measure to the changes in book production and readership brought on by the Industrial Revolution.  Steam printing increased book production.  Cheap availability of books, along with the development of libraries and public schooling, led to increased readership.  Coming into his own in writing his novels, Dickens took advantage of a growing demand on the part of readers for fiction.  And, as the consummate marketer of his works, Dickens had his finger on the pulse of all of this.

By 1836, he had compiled his writings that formed Sketches by Boz into a single volume, realizing that he could build his popularity and create a market for his fiction by publishing serial chapters.  The next year, 1837, Dickens became the editor for Bentley’s Miscellany and began issuing chapters of Oliver Twist.  Acutely aware of his reputation and the acclaim given him by the reading public, Dickens made at least four separate arrangements with publishers to serialize his work.  Continue reading →

Please Sir, I Want Some More, or, a Dickens of a Celebration

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By Kevin Grace

Oliver TwistThis month marks the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens, a man who once remarked on an 1842 visit to Cincinnati that the Irish marchers in a temperance parade behaved quite nicely.  Of course, that visit was in January so the St. Patrick’s Day parade was still two months away.  Dickens’ bicentennial is February 7, and throughout the month the Archives & Rare Books Library will be commemorating this notable event.  “Why?”  is the question we hear being whispered across campus.  It is because ARB holds a very fine collection of Dickens – Dickens in parts, Dickens first editions in single and multiple volumes, Dickens in collected works, Dickens, Dickens, Dickens.  It is the Dickens, we say.  Continue reading →

50 Minutes-1 Book

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By Kevin Grace

Drawing from Don QuixoteThe next “50 Minutes-1Book” lunchtime talk in the Archives & Rare Books Library will be Thursday, January 19, at noon.  Jerry Newman has graciously agreed to talk about his favorite book, Don Quixote.  Originally published in two volumes a decade apart,  in 1605 and 1615, El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha (The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha), is one of the cornerstones of Western literature.  Jerry has spent decades exploring Miguel de Cervantes’ masterpiece, reading and re-reading it, and studying its history.  His informal talk will look at the novel as a cultural event and its lasting influence.  He’ll discuss the personalities and relationship of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, as well as the book’s publication history, some of the unusual and unique attributes of it, as well as the lasting fame and adventures of Don Quixote’s characters, and their influence in Western culture. Continue reading →

Notice: Archives and Rare Books Library Renovation

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By Kevin Grace

Notice: On January 9, the Archives & Rare Books Library will begin moving our offices and reference/reading room to the north end of the 8th floor in Carl Blegen Library in Room 814.  This move will allow the final phase of renovation of the Archives & Rare Books Library through a grant from the Schott Foundation.

Two years ago, the north end of the floor was renovated with fresh paint, new carpeting, creation of the Marge Schott Seminar Room, a small book arts room, and exhibit cases.  This final phase on the south end will also see fresh paint and new carpeting, and the relocation and building of a new reference desk, all to better meet the needs of students and researchers.

It is anticipated that the renovation will take three months, but there will be no disruption in reference and research services.  However, ARB’s reference holdings will not be available during the project.  All other archival materials and rare books can still be accessed.  Room 814 will serve as our office space and our reading room, as well as continuing to be the venue for our monthly “50 Minutes-1 Book” lunchtime lecture series.

For further information, please call 556-1959 or email us at archives@ucmail.uc.edu.

50 Minutes-1 Book

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By Kevin Grace

Last Thursday we had a wonderful turnout for the monthly 50 Minutes-1 Book lunchtime talk.  Greg Hand, UC’s Associate Vice President for Government Relations and University Communications, spoke on the 1943 Cincinnati Guide in the federal Writer’s Project program.  It was an excellent presentation that put this seminal Cincinnati book in the context of the Great Depression, national politics, and local history.

Please join us next month, January 19th, to hear Jerry Newman talk about a key book in Western literature, Miguel Cervantes’ Don Quixote. February’s presentation will be on Oscar Wilde’s Salome. The 50 Minutes-1 Book lunch talks are held in the Schott Seminar Room, 814 Blegen Library, Archives & Rare Books Library from 12-12:50.

50 Minutes-1 Book

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By Kevin Grace

The first 50 Minutes – 1 Book lunchtime talk for this academic year will be held Thursday, December 8, in the Archives & Rare Books Library, in the Schott Seminar Room, 814 Blegen Library at 12:00 noon.

Greg Hand will discuss the book variously known as “The Cincinnati Guide” or “The WPA Guide to Cincinnati,” although its actual title is Cincinnati: A Guide to the Queen City and its Neighbors, published in 1943 and written by the workers of the Federal Writers Project. In the seven decades since publication, it has become an essential starting point for historians of Cincinnati. For this discussion, Hand will talk about the Great Depression and the WPA in Cincinnati and Ohio. He will review the development of the guide, its reception on publication, and a great deal about the post-WPA life of its editor.

Last year, the 50 Minutes – 1 Book series featured presentations on the world’s smallest book, a book bound in human skin, the work of local bookbinder and designer Gabrielle Fox, and Barry Moser’s magnificent Pennyroyal Caxton Bible.  As we renew the lunchtime presentations, we look forward to more wonderful discussions about books.  January’s talk will be on Cervantes’ Don Quixote, presented by Jerry Newman.

Please join us on December 8 for another casual noon get-together.   Bring your lunch, order in, or just come to listen, look, learn, and converse.  All students, faculty, and staff are very welcome.

Langsam Exhibit Celebrates Harriet Beecher Stowe

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The year 2011 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of writer Harriet Beecher Stowe. To celebrate this milestone, an exhibit highlighting the life and publishing career of Harriet Beecher Stowe is on display on Langsam Library’s 5th floor. A timeline noting important events in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s life is displayed along with samples of some of her writing.

Continue reading →

50 Minutes-1 Book

Posted on by

By Kevin Grace

The first 50 Minutes – 1 Book lunchtime talk for this academic year will be held Thursday, December 8, in the Archives & Rare Books Library, in the Schott Seminar Room, 814 Blegen Library at 12:00 noon.

Greg Hand will discuss the book variously known as “The Cincinnati Guide” or “The WPA Guide to Cincinnati,” although its actual title is Cincinnati: A Guide to the Queen City and its Neighbors, published in 1943 and written by the workers of the Federal Writers Project. In the seven decades since publication, it has become an essential starting point for historians of Cincinnati. For this discussion, Hand will talk about the Great Depression and the WPA in Cincinnati and Ohio. He will review the development of the guide, its reception on publication, and a great deal about the post-WPA life of its editor.

Last year, the 50 Minutes – 1 Book series featured presentations on the world’s smallest book, a book bound in human skin, the work of local bookbinder and designer Gabrielle Fox, and Barry Moser’s magnificent Pennyroyal Caxton Bible.  As we renew the lunchtime presentations, we look forward to more wonderful discussions about books.  January’s talk will be on Cervantes’ Don Quixote, presented by Jerry Newman.

Please join us on December 8 for another casual noon get-together.   Bring your lunch, order in, or just come to listen, look, learn, and converse.  All students, faculty, and staff are very welcome.