Women Authors: Fanny Kemble and Katherine Milhous

This week, we will be highlighting four women authors from our collection in honor of their birthdays. These authors wrote on a range of subjects, from gardening to slavery, and show the many different areas in which the Rare Book and Manuscript Library holds important histories. Fanny Kemble was born on this day in 1809 […]

On the Origin of Turkeys

Turkeys are a staple of the western holiday dinner table, especially associated with Thanksgiving in the United States. First domesticated in Mexico, the turkey was a central food of Mexican cuisine since 800 BC or earlier, and has appeared in the diet of Native North Americans since around 1100 AD. There is no clear answer […]

Elijah P. Lovejoy, “Liberty’s Martyr”

Elijah Lovejoy was a reverend and printer in Alton, Illinois, in the 1830s. He was the editor for the Alton Observer, a religious newspaper with a pro-abolition stance. His journey to Alton was not a smooth one. He had three printing presses destroyed before he settled in Alton—all three times the vandalism was in response […]

The Menace Behind the Magick: A Halloween Pop-Up Exhibit at the RBML

25 October – 07 November 2018 Curated by Taylor Fisk Henning & Kellie Clinton Twenty years ago, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was first published in the United States. The book, followed by six more volumes in the Harry Potter series, soon became a cultural phenomenon which led to eight films, numerous […]

First Appearances: Jane Eyre, Moby-Dick, and Winnie-the-Pooh

by Katie Funderberg, Xena Becker, and Kellie Clinton Jane Eyre Significantly impacting the genre of prose fiction, Jane Eyre, originally subtitled An Autobiography, was first appeared on October 16th, 1847 under the pen name Currer Bell. Speculation over the author’s identity and the novelty of a book commenting on issues such as religion, class, and […]

This Just In: Happy Birthday H.G. Wells!

Herbert George Wells was born on this day in 1866 and we want to take the occasion to celebrate his life and work. The Rare Book and Manuscript Library is proud to serve as the steward for the author’s papers and correspondence, as well as a large collection of manuscripts and print editions of Wells’ […]

Ballad of Birmingham: 55 Years Later

55 years ago, on September 15th, 1963 , white supremacists bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four young girls and injuring 23 other children. It was Youth Day at the church and the children were gathered in the basement when the bomb went off. The church was a hub of activity […]

Building a Library: The Cavagna Sangiuliani Collection at Illinois

Building a Library: The Cavagna Sangiuliani Collection at Illinois On display September 14 – December 14, 2018 Curated by Chloe Ottenhoff In 1921, the University of Illinois purchased the Cavagna Sangiuliani Collection of Italian imprints and manuscripts from the descendants of Count Antonio Cavagna Sangiuliani di Gualdana (1843-1913) as part of a wider effort to […]

On This Day: Charlotte Brontë Dies, 1855

On this Day: Charlotte Brontë dies, 1855 Perhaps no family has left the same kind of mark on English literature as the Brontë sisters. Charlotte (1816-1855), Emily (1818-1848), and Anne (1820-1849) were all accomplished poets and authors, best known for Charlotte’s Jane Eyre (1847), Emily’s  Wuthering Heights (1847), and Anne’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848).  The […]

Proust and the Great War (Part 2)

Selected Letters at the University of Illinois by François Proulx, Assistant Professor, Department of French and Italian Time Regained, the final volume of Marcel Proust’s novel In Search of Lost Time, is among the most famous literary depictions of World War I. Yet most of Proust’s letters from the war period have never been translated into […]