Library Blog
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Wednesday, June 8, 2022
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Monday, October 19, 2020The most notorious book about witches ever published is Malleus Maleficarum, most often translated as The Hammer of Witches. Tucked away in Special Collections, the Library’s copy of the 1580 edition has its own unique history.
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Thursday, September 24, 2020Perhaps best known for her binding designs, Armstrong also created beautiful illustrations.
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Tuesday, February 4, 2020
We're sharing our illustrated collections online this week as part of #ColorOurCollections! We've made one coloring book for you to enjoy at home or in the Library, based on book covers from our current exhibit The Book Beautiful: Margaret Armstrong & Her Bindings.
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Thursday, April 26, 2018
One hundred and ninety-six years ago, Lord Byron wrote a letter to Sir Walter Scott discussing the death of his daughter, Allegra, and detailing an account of an imbroglio between members of his entourage and a dragoon, a member of the Italian mounted infantry. Dated May 4th, 1822 from Pisa, the letter provides an interesting look into Byron’s personal life, and what he chose to share with his close friends. He devotes only three sentences to the death of his young daughter, Allegra, writing, “… but I have just lost my natural daughter Allegra, by a fever.
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Wednesday, August 9, 2017July 18th marked the 200th deathiversary of beloved and renowned author Jane Austen (December 16, 1775 – July 18, 1817). Wanting to note the occasion somehow, I went digging through our collection looking for something with an eye to post about it. I was delighted to discover that the Library holds a first American edition of Emma, a tricky but brilliant novel.
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Monday, May 8, 2017
You might not realize this, but American publishers’ bindings have quite a long and storied history in the book world. Last year, I attended a symposium at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on American publishers’ bindings, where the enthusiasm for the history and production of bindings was contagious. This conference introduced me to the artist Margaret Armstrong and her influence on American commercial book cover design, and I am more than pleased to have ‘discovered’ many of her cover designs in the stacks at NYSL.