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Digest – January & February 2024
Manuscript Digest: January – February 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 […]
Recent Posts
Forgotten No More: Honoring Revolutionary War Veterans
Like many collectors, the Covid-19 pandemic forced me to stay home more than usual. I’ve re-read favorite books, completed nagging home projects, and delved deep into researching letters and documents in my collection.
Six Medieval Illuminations that Amaze
Medieval Illuminated Manuscript - credit: AJF and Almay Stock Photo Illuminations – 6 that will amaze you Beautiful Illuminations : A picture can indeed say more than a thousand words, and the humans of Medieval Europe knew this well! Works of religion, prayer, bestiaries, or herbaria all found [...]
2021 Award Winning Biography: General John A. Rawlins: No Ordinary Man
The Manuscript Society announces, Allen Ottens, society member and past president, has won the 2021 Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award for his biography, General John A. Rawlins: No Ordinary Man. Allen Ottens The AHF Distinguished Writing Awards program established in 1997, recognizes authors who make a [...]
MM On-Demand: Dead Letter Office Photos – The Civil War’s Lost Sentiments (07/05/22)
Benton Barracks-Dead Letter 1044 During the Civil War years, hundreds of thousands of young soldiers wrote letters home. The soldiers, often poorly educated, had never even addressed a letter. The recipient’s name and address on the envelopes were undecipherable. Sweeping changes to postage requirements and the interruption of [...]
2022 Officers and Trustees Elected
Board of Trustees and Officers 2022-2023 At the first in-person meeting since 2019, the May 2022 business meeting was held in Williamsburg, Virginia. The attending membership approved the new officers and the new members of the Board of Trustees. Here are the Officers and Board of Trustees of The Manuscript [...]
MM On-Demand: Etiquette Your Mother Never Taught You (06/06/2022)
Etiquette Your Mother Never Taught You: Special Collections, Museums and Rare Book Rooms Bradley D. Cook - Curator of Photographs, Indiana University One of the many privileges of being a member of a professional organization is the “behind the scenes” tours we are offered by museums, libraries, and [...]
New York City Auction Regulations Repealed
To the surprise of even auction houses, New York City has repealed its regulations that applied to book and art auctions. According to city officials, the actions were taken as a way to make New York City more conducive to business. Yet, did not the regulations give confidence to auction [...]






