Manuscript Digest – May 2020 – This complimentary e-digest, launched in 2012, covers significant acquisitions and sales, manuscripts lost and found, rare books and ephemera, document conservation, and more.

In the News

On the Market
Fine Books & Collections, April 9, 2020
Amid news of events postponed, canceled or taken online, ILAB held a webinar on how COVID-19 is affecting the rare book trade. Hear what dealers had to say.

Slice of van Gogh
Art Newspaper, April 2, 2020
A young van Gogh copied poems and hymns into his landlady’s album. Later, someone snipped up the pages and sold the pieces. Where are they now, and what’s missing?

Wild Life
The Guardian, April 24, 2020
Manuscripts from Scott’s last expedition to the Antarctic just landed at the UK’s National History Museum. You may never think of penguins the same way again.

Arm Wrestling
Smithsonianmag.com, April 8, 2020
Newly found sketches point to some arm wrestling over the Statue of Liberty. Seriously, take a look at the original design: That was some arm Lady Liberty had on her.
• See for yourself

Dutch Diaries of WWII
New York Times, April 15, 2020
Anne Frank wasn’t the only one writing a diary in WWII Netherlands. Thousands heeded the call to keep journals. Volunteers are transcribing their words of fear and isolation.

Flu Scripts
Smithsonianmag.com, April 13, 2020
Inventor. Businessman. Librarian. Housewife. Teenager. Physician. Farmer. What can their diaries from the flu outbreak of 1918 tell us about a pandemic — and journaling?

The Cocktail Cure
Atlas Obscura, April 3, 2020
An art historian, a culinary researcher, and a distillery founder walked into a bar. Make that an archive. They came out with a modern version of 17th-century plague water.
• Quarantine-friendly cookery from WWI

Healthy Interest
BillyPenn, April 25, 2020
Not getting enough health news? Check up on a Philadelphia medical school’s archives, with records going back to the early 1800s.

Books on Books
Book Riot, April 29, 2020
Book history, lost books, a book thief, a writer’s library… Get a read on 10 titles that could change the way you look at books.
• Check out more books about books

Batter Up!
The New Yorker, April 10, 2020
Take me out to the ballgame? Not this year. But New York’s Met Museum can walk you through 15,000 vintage baseball cards online. Bring your own peanuts and Cracker Jack.
• Take a look

From Our Blog

Nathan Raab: The Hunt for History

Manuscript Society member Nathan Raab shares chapters from his career as a historical manuscript dealer in The Hunt for History. Whether it’s the first report of Napoleon’s death or a letter from Einstein to a curious soldier, every piece in the book comes with a story of search and discovery. Collectors and history lovers will appreciate his tales from the hunt.

68 Curated Collections: For online viewing > Binge

7 Luscious Libraries: With virtual tours > Enter