Tag Archives: Rare Books

Civil War History: General Benjamin Franklin Butler

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By Janice Schulz

Our latest installment in the Archives & Rare Books Library’s commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War focuses on Benjamin Butler, a controversial Union general whose command of New Orleans earned him the nickname, “The Beast.” As commander of Fortress Monroe, Butler coined the phrase “Contraband of War” to refer to slaves that had crossed over to Union territory and were retained by the Union Army. His successful protection of Baltimore and command of the Department of Eastern Virginia earned him the command of the Department of the Gulf, where he took control of the captured city of New Orleans early in 1862. But the accolades ended here, and the rest of his military career was marked with controversy and strife. Eventually he was relieved of his command in the Gulf and of his subsequent command of the Department of Virginia and North Carolina. Continue reading →

Historical Cincinnati Maps

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A map of Cincinnati in 1869 from The Queen City in 1869 by George E. Stevens

By Janice Schulz

The Archives & Rare Books Library has digitized some historical Cincinnati maps dating from 1802 – 1929 and has made them available for research on our website. The maps are all located in materials from our Rare Books Collection and are scanned at a high resolution to provide detail for researchers.

The maps provide both geographical and social information about the City of Cincinnati through the years. Several of the maps included keys or labels indicating buildings and landmarks and can show trends in public services and the development of particular communities. Continue reading →

Raymond Walters Redux

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By Kevin Grace

Former University of Cincinnati president Raymond Walters (1932-1955) has been on our minds recently because of UC naming changes.  In June, the Board of Trustees voted to change the name of its branch campus, Raymond Walters College, to UC-Blue Ash in order to bring consistency to university branding and degree programs (UC-Clermont is the other branch campus).  However, as the university moves into a new era of semesters, admissions requirements, and academic challenges, its history isn’t forgotten as the Blue Ash campus will rename one of its major buildings to maintain its recognition of Walters.

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Civil War History: The Battle of Bull Run

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By Janice Schulz

Bull Run - Battlefield of the Morning, July 21, 1861

The first major land battle of the Civil War was fought near Manassas Junction, Virginia, on the banks of Bull Run Creek on July 21, 1861. It was intended by the advancing Federal army to demonstrate their strength and was expected to bring the war to a swift end. It did no such thing. As the conflict began, both sides had confidence in their own superiority over the enemy. Northern civilians went so far as to travel to Bull Run complete with picnic baskets and parasols to watch their glorious army beat the rebels back. Early on it appeared that the Union would come through victorious, but surprise reinforcements arriving for the Confederacy resulted in a Union retreat. Continue reading →

ARB's Historical Textbook Collection

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By Jameson Tyler, Archives & Rare Books Intern

One of the most recent collecting areas in the Archives & Rare Books Library is the Historical Textbook Collection, transferred from the Curriculum Resources Center (now the CECH Library).  Created by former CRC librarian Gary Lare, the Historical Textbook Collection is comprised of American textbooks from the 19th century to the end of the 20th.  As part of the 2010-2011 ARB intern project, the collection will be organized and fully inventoried, and a collection development policy will be developed.   An online exhibit has been initiated (http://www.libraries.uc.edu/libraries/arb/exhibits/historic-textbooks/index.html) to showcase select volumes as well as to provide a “textbook timeline” in the United States and to give a brief history of textbook publishing in Cincinnati.  There are, of course, McGuffey readers, along with spellers, science books, history texts, social studies volumes, and the entire range of K-12 education textbooks.  It is the aim of this project to position the collection for full cataloging and formal naming. Continue reading →

Artist Justin Green

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By Kevin Grace

In the past few weeks, the Archives & Rare Books Library has had some interesting visits from Justin Green, one of the pioneers of underground comics in the 1960s and 1970s.  Green is probably best known for his groundbreaking and controversial graphic novel, Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary, originally published in 1972 and re-issued in 2009 by McSweeney’s Books, one of the great innovative publishers in America.  In 2003, Last Gasp Press of San Francisco issued Justin’s incredible Musical Legends material that was first published in Pulse! Magazine.

Over the decades, Justin’s art has extended well beyond the heady days of the counterculture.  In recent years, he has created a wide range of notable watercolors and signage.  And, his blogs show his explorations into other areas of graphic illustration, such as his research in ARB in emblem books from the 15th to the 17th centuries.  His blog explains the importance of emblems in the history of book art and publishing: http://depression09.blogspot.com/2011/04/botanical-emblem-book.html and http://justingreencartoonart.blogspot.com/2011/02/forgotten-genre.html.

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50 Minutes-1 book

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Cover of With JazzBy Kevin Grace

The next 50 Minutes – 1 Book lunchtime talk in the Archives & Rare Books Library will be Thursday, April 14, in the Schott Seminar Room, 814 Blegen Library at 12:00 noon.

Following up on March’s presentation about the world’s smallest book, and miniature books and bindings, with CCM librarian Mark Palkovic, in April we are calling on Gabrielle Fox, UC’s world-class conservator and binder.   Gabrielle’s binding artistry is well-represented in private collections as well as the holdings of the Archives & Rare Books Library, and she is recognized for her work in national and international exhibits of book bindings. Continue reading →

Archives & Rare Books Commemorates the Start of the Civil War

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Stephen Foster's Civil War song, “Was My Brother in the Battle?”

By Janice Schulz

On April 12, 2011, our country will recognize the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War and to commemorate it, the Archives & Rare Books Library has mounted an exhibit highlighting our materials related to the war and the corresponding time period. Documents in the exhibit have been chosen from several of our collecting areas, including Rare Books, Urban Studies, and Local Government Records.

Examples from our collection of composer Stephen Foster’s material begin the exhibit. With stirring titles such as “Was My Brother in the Battle?” and “Willie’ll Roam No Moer,” his Civil War songs have been published with full color drawings that offer a visual image of their themes, providing a combination that must have appealed powerfully to Northern sensibilities. Continue reading →

Viewing Egypt

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By Kevin Grace

An Eqyptian Bey

In the early weeks of 2011, the uprisings in the Arab world increased from the beginning protest in Tunisia that toppled a government to the Mideast – Yemen, Jordan, and Iraq.  The protests continue, but none have been so prolonged and so pronounced as those in Egypt and in the Maghreb, particularly the rebellion in Libya.

The revolt in Egypt was certainly one of the most dramatic ones – the continual protest and action in the streets resulted in the end of the Mubarek regime.  During the uprising, a University of Cincinnati professor and a UC student were there in the middle of it.  One effect of these protests and armed rebellions is that to this time, we have been relatively uninformed about that area of the world.  Now, with instant internet coverage, tweets, blogs, Facebook and other social media, we are presented with fresh images of the countries and the cultures of North Africa.  Despite this extensive news coverage, we still lack an historical understanding of the Arab nations along the Mediterranean rim, even though media reports and commentaries provide substantial looks at current situations. Continue reading →

The Terrific Register, or, Record of Crimes, Judgments, Providences, and Calamities, Vol. 1

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London: Published by Sherwood, Jones and Co. and Hunter, Edinburgh, 1825. Printed by T. Richardson, 98, High Holborn.

Article by Lilia Walsh

Resuscitation

Resuscitation

A while ago, Kevin Grace asked me to pick a favorite book from the Archives and Rare Books collection and write a blog post about it. I felt daunted by the prospect of choosing a favorite from all the volumes in our collection, and other projects came up, allowing me to put off picking a ‘favorite child’, for a while at least. Now that I have completed those other projects, and am in my last week of working at the Archives and Rare Books library, the question has inevitably come back around.

I thought about all the books that had stuck out for me, the volumes that had distracted me from my shelving and inspired me to spend a few minutes paging through an interesting looking volume. I thought about the folio of Aubrey Beardsley’s work, the book on ‘American Aborigines”, the tiny book with the dramatic latch closure, and the block covered with cuneiform writing. Ultimately though, I just couldn’t choose one. Continue reading →