Manuscript Digest: January – February 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
They’re the Top
Rare Book Monthly, January 2025
What topped the list of auction prices for books and such in 2024? From a US Constitution to the Ten Commandments and more, Rare Book Hub has the rundown.
• About the Ten Commandments
Ruby Slippers Shine at Auction
Smithsonian Magazine, December 10, 2024
After a wild ride and a $28 million auction sale, a storied pair of slippers from The Wizard of Oz has a new home. And as Dorothy said, “There’s no place like home.”
Dylan Lyrics Get the Last Word
Billboard, January 19, 2025
While fans lined up for the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, someone bought the drafts of the songwriter’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” for … more than a movie ticket.
An Autograph Cache Surfaces
The Guardian, December 21, 2024
Edmond de Rothschild collected autographs. Think letters from Elizabeth I. His stash just surfaced at his onetime home — a stop on the Manuscript Society’s upcoming UK tour.
Classified! When Secrets Stray
Washington Post, January 14, 2025
You’re paging through a collection when you spot a stamp: classified. What next? How the National Archives responded in 100 cases of classified documents in the “wild.”
• The 100
• The National Archives’ guidance
Hand of Lincoln: A Mystery Unfolds
MSN | Washington Post, January 19, 2025
Before cut and paste was a keyboard command, it was a sticky job. Prone to fingerprints. So are those Lincoln’s prints on his second inaugural address? Well, on the one hand …
Signed by an Eagle? How to Tell
Phillyburbs.com, January 27, 2025
With the Super Bowl coming up and a forgery case going on, collectors want to know: how can you tell if a Philadelphia Eagles autograph is real? A collectibles dealer shares tips.
Rare Pirates Card Up for a Cause
SI.com, January 24, 2025
When an 11-year-old found a 1/1 Paul Skenes baseball card, the Pirates made an offer he couldn’t refuse. But he did. He’s auctioning the card to benefit LA Fire Relief Funds.
Calling All Cursive Savants
USA Today, January 12, 2025
If you can read cursive, the National Archives wants you. Join the volunteers working to transcribe writing in the archives, from the Revolutionary War to the 1950 census.
•Why handwriting matters
Crack the Script, Get $1 Million?
BBC, January 16, 2025
Move over, Voynich manuscript. The Indus script has defied decoding, with few samples and no Rosetta Stone. Would a $1 million prize raise the level of play? Game on!
Also of Interest
Manuscript Mondays Coming soon: Jason Silverman on changes in research and manuscripts > View on demand
California Casualties: Archives, libraries, history, and culture lost to LA’s wildfires > Remember
