Manuscript Digest: November – December 2024 – This complimentary e-digest, now published bi-monthly, covers significant acquisitions and sales, manuscripts lost and found, rare books and ephemera, document conservation, and more news in this digest.
In the News
Census Reveals Civil War Losses
New York Times, November 19, 2024
The number of Civil War deaths has always been a question mark, especially for the South. Newly released census data gave scholars another shot at a definitive figure.
• Read the research brief
When Ballots Steered the Vote
Smithsonian Magazine, November 2024
Forget yard signs. During and after the Civil War, illustrated ballots doubled as propaganda. What that meant for the vote at a time of sketchy literacy.
Unknown Prince Emerges
CNN, November 22, 2024
Only 10 first editions of Machiavelli’s The Prince are known. Make that 11. A privately held copy just surfaced. Its margin notes speak volumes about politicians and power.
Nazi-Looted Hebrew Text Returned
Newsweek, October 9, 2024
Eighty years ago, the Di Gara Text was looted from the Budapest Rabbinical Seminary. Where the 16th-century manuscript turned up — and how a telltale sign identified it.
• 13th-century Italian manuscript leaf goes home
Kafka Cashes In
Yahoo! | DPA International, November 23, 2024
Franz Kafka’s manuscript of “First Sorrow,” with cover letter, has sold at auction. For how much? Safe to say a lot more than Kafka was paid for the story back in 1922.
Lost Horror Returns
Artnet, October 22, 2024
Deep within the archives at the National Library of Ireland, horror lurked. A lost story penned by Dracula author Bram Stoker. A chilling tale unearthed by — a pharmacist?
Do We Hear a (Chopin) Waltz?
Seattle Times | New York Times, October 27, 2024
The whole score just about fits onto an index card. No wonder the tiny waltz escaped notice all those years. Then a Morgan Library curator saw the label “Chopin.”
• Take a look between the lines
Medieval Women Have Their Say
Smithsonian Magazine, October 24, 2024
A new exhibition at the British Library lets medieval women tell their stories in their own words. We’re talking Joan of Arc, writer Christine de Pizan, mystic Margery Kempe …
Scientists Revive a Seasonal Scent
BBC, October 5, 2024
Researchers at Cambridge have recreated an incense recipe jotted in the margin of a ninth-century manuscript. And they say … It’s beginning to smell a lot like Christmas.
Dogged Pursuit Reunites Books, Owner
Chicago Sun-Times, November 24, 2024
A Chicago man walking his dog found rare books strewn on the sidewalk. A shaggy-dog story? Hardly. But hunting up the owner took some serious sleuthing.
From Our Blog
See Hidden Troves of Cambridge and Oxford – September 10–18, 2025
Join the Manuscript Society this fall on a member study trip to the great English university cities of Cambridge and Oxford. Over a week, we’ll get an insider’s view of college, public, and private collections. An add-on trip to London extends the stay to September 21 for those who opt in. Act now to secure a spot.
Of Additional Interest
Manuscript Mondays: Vietnam War in manuscripts > View
Cultural Center: Inside the Boston Athenaeum > Tour
