Manuscript Digest: May – June 2025 – 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
Lincoln Presidential Foundation Sells Treasures
Daily Mail, May 22, 2025
In 2007 the foundation borrowed to buy a major Lincolniana collection. The highlights recently went on the block and raised $7.9 million. Was it enough?
Harvard Magna Carta Was a Magna Bargain
Popular Science, May 15, 2025
In 1946 Harvard paid $27.50 for a copy of Magna Carta. A bargain? Indeed. Seems this is one of seven originals penned in 1300. How scholars made the ID.
• Harvard Law examines the history
Clements Revisits the ‘Bloody Work’ of Revolution
WEMU, May 5, 2025
Thomas Gage led the British army in North America in 1775. Two hundred fifty years later, his papers are on show at U‑M’s Clements Library. Turn the pages with the curator.
Letter ‘On Board RMS Titanic’ Fetches Titanic Price
Smithsonian Magazine, April 30, 2025
“It is a fine ship,” the passenger wrote, “but I shall await my journey’s end before I pass judgment on her.” His note survived — and just sold for $400,000. As for the writer …
Pilfered Manuscript Returned to Paraguay
Chelsea News, April 21, 2025
A 16th-century manuscript, taken from the National Archives in Asunción a decade or more ago, is back where it belongs. See where it had it been — and how the cold trail got hot.
• Smithsonian repatriates manuscripts to China
How Shaky Provenance Rattles Institutions
Observer, May 13, 2025
Stolen artifacts. Smuggled treasures. Ethical blunders. In a global market, provenance is key — and tricky. Do museums and libraries have the tools to protect their reputation?
Who’s Leading the Library of Congress?
USA Today, May 12, 2025
Carla Hayden is out as librarian of Congress. Deputy AG Todd Blanche is in, on an acting basis. His previous job: Donald Trump’s criminal defense lawyer.
Ancient Papyrus Poses a Taxing Problem
CBC Radio | As It Happens, April 16, 2025
Around 2,000 years ago, two men thought they’d found a way to game Rome’s tax system. Wrong. New analysis of an old document shows how times have changed. Or not.
Autographs Prove the Power of the Pen
Country Life, April 30, 2025
Pliny the Elder had an autograph collection including Julius Caesar’s. Now celebs like Ringo Starr are saying no to signing. But autographs still appeal. Why? It’s personal.
Schools: Don’t Count Out Cursive
The Conversation, May 6, 2025
Research suggests learning cursive can help kids read and write better. Is cursive due for a comeback? The director of the Iowa Reading Research Center pencils in some thoughts.
• The Morgan steeps students in the art of bookmaking
Happenings
Manuscript Mondays: Managing a Large Donated Collection – June 9, 8 p.m. ET With Robert Hopper > Watch live
Online Talk @ Getty – Cracking the Voynich Manuscript -June 13, 3 p.m. ET -With Lisa Fagin Davis > Register free
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Six times a year, the Digest brings news from the world of manuscript and autograph collecting, compliments of the Manuscript Society. Join our mailing list to subscribe.
