Posts from Beyond the Reading Room

New Exhibit and Opening | Other Crusoes, Other Islands

map of Venezuela including several islands off the coast

The Special Collections Research Center announces a new exhibit, Other Crusoes, Other Islands: Mapping a Complex Legacy. On the 300th anniversary of the publication of The Life and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner, this exhibit interrogates the troubled legacy of Daniel Defoe’s seminal English novel. It also explores how creators have pushed back against the colonialist, hyper-masculine, and racist ethos of the text by using the castaway narrative to explore self-...

Special Collections After Hours: Fall 2019 Events

poster for the open house series

We are pleased to announce our fall line-up of open houses in our Special Collections After Hours series! On the second Tuesday of each month during the academic year, we display themed selections from our collections. All are welcome to stop by any time between 4-6pm to explore our collections, enjoy light refreshments and chat with staff.

Puzzling out Hrabanus Maurus' Encyclopedia: A Manuscript Tale

Upper part of Mich. Ms. f. 14r. Leaf fragment containing Hrabanus Maurus' De rerum naturis, 14, 27. Parchment. 210 x 150 mm. Spain. 14th c. Special Collections Research Center (University of Michigan Library)

When searching for manuscripts of Hrabanus Maurus' medieval encyclopedia De rerum naturis (On the Natures of Things) in the database Digital Scriptorium, I came across a leaf fragment held at Columbia University Libraries (Plimpton MS 128 ) which, in terms of its handwriting and style of illumination, was clearly connected to a leaf fragment held at the University of Michigan Library (Mich. Ms. f. 14).

A New Acquisition: 天経或問 Tenkei wakumon, an early Japanese reprint of a Chinese astronomy text

Woodcut depicting orbits of the earth, the sun, and the moon, with the earth as the center, from 天経或問 (Japanese: Tenkei wakumon; Chinese: Tianjing huowen).  Tōkyō: 1730

The Special Collection Research Center recently acquired an early Japanese astronomy book titled 天経或問 (Japanese: Tenkei wakumon; Chinese: Tianjing huowen:"Questions and Answers on Astronomy"). Printed in 1730 in Tōkyō, it was a republication of a Chinese astronomy work supplemented with Japanese reading marks. Chinese Studies Librarian Liangyu Fu introduces us to this new acquisition.

New Exhibit | A Revolution Worth Having: Emma Goldman at 150

Black and white photograph of Emma Goldman sitting at a desk surrounded by books

The Special Collections Research Center is thrilled to announce the opening of our latest exhibit, “A Revolution Worth Having: Emma Goldman at 150,” on view from June 3rd to August 1st. This exhibit pays tribute to one of the most distinctive figures represented in our collection, and is dedicated to the memory of the friends and comrades who have nourished and sustained the relationship between Emma and the Labadie Collection over the years.

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