Costumes, Horn-books, and Chaucer - November 2022 Highlights

[Cabinet of Fashion Excerpts from Lady's Monthly Museum]. London: [Published by Vernor & Hood], 1798-1803.
I'll admit when I first looked at this book I had no idea what it was. It had none of the typical hallmarks we've come to expect from our books. No title or title page, no publication or copyright information, and [...]

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Kelmscott Press, Private Presses, and Facsimiles - October 2022 Highlights

Caxton, William. The History of Reynard the Foxe. Hammersmith, London: Kelmscott Press, 1892.
As Great Britain was in the middle of the Industrial Revolution there was a growing movement that harkened back to the days of handcrafted items that were made with skill and purpose. This movement, known as the Arts & Crafts Movement believed the mechanization and [...]

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Edges, Elephants, and Ads - September 2022 Highlights

Moule, Joseph, Andrew Crichton, James Duncan, and Robert Hamilton. Lives of Eminent Naturalists: with Engraved Portraits Accompanying Each. Edinburgh: W.H. Lizars, 3 St. James' Square, 1840.
This book contains a series of essays about naturalists Hans Sloane, Pliny the Elder, Abraham Gottlob Werner, Peter Camper, John Hunter, and Maria Sibilla Merian. However, like so many of these [...]

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Kate Greenaway, Aquatints, and Dominion Glass - August 2022 Highlights

Greenaway, Kate. Almanack for 1883. London: George Routledge and Sons, 1883.
This almanac is the work of Kate Greenaway, an English artist part of the Aesthetic Movement which focused on the beauty of art and championed the idea of "art of art's sake." At this point in her career Greenaway was working with printer Edmund Evans, who [...]

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A project in preservation: archiving digital documents, articles and images

Originally published in yFile: York University’s News.
An important aspect of YFile‘s 20th anniversary is preserving its archived content for future generations at York University. What does the process involve when considering a digital publication with such a lengthy history? What should University community members consider when thinking of archiving their digital records?
To find out, YFile [...]

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Drill, Volvelles, and Plate marks - June/July 2022 Highlights

Coffin, N. A System of Drill, for the Militia, of Upper-Canada. York: Printed by Robert Stanton, 1830.
Published before Confederation, and even before the incorporation of Toronto in 1834, this short work outlines instructions for equipment and movement drills, and battalion and platoon exercises. These exercises were important in a time when precise movements were needed on the [...]

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