The Collation
Q & A: David McKenzie, Head of Exhibitions
Please join us in welcoming David McKenzie to the Folger as the Head of Exhibitions. In this role, David will oversee the creation of a new Exhibitions department which will focus on re-envisioning the scope, content, and implementation of a…
“What manner o’thing is your crocodile?”: August 2022
In this month’s Crocodile Mystery, the question is simple, but the image and its utility are not. What is the purpose of this picture? Come back next week when all will be revealed!
“What manner o’thing is your crocodile?”: July 2022
Whose fingerprint is it? Is it a reader’s, printer’s, or binder’s fingerprint? I’ve been asking myself this question since I saw this trace in a Reformation pamphlet https://catalog.folger.edu/record/79579?ln=en . It is placed in the gutter of the page and it…
“What manner o’thing is your crocodile?”: June 2022
Welcome to our June Crocodile Mystery! (Confused as to why it’s a “crocodile” mystery? Learn how it got that name.) Special collections libraries are full of strange and mysterious acronyms, abbreviations, and codes. For this month’s mystery, tell us, if…
Invitation to preview our new catalog
Psssst…. we’re working on a new online catalog for the Folger collection. Do you want to help out by having an early look? If so, please keep reading! The link is deliberately buried deep in this blog post because there’s…
“What manner o’thing is your crocodile?”: May 2022
Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Crocodile Mystery for May. This month, take a moment to examine this image from a 19th century printed text of Macbeth published as a promptbook for performance. What is odd about the disposition…
“What manner o’thing is your crocodile?”: April 2022
We’re back with yet another paleography puzzle for April’s crocodile: comment with your best guess about the below two items from this early modern list of accounts or charges, and as a bonus, tell us what they might have to…
Interview and excerpt: Simon P. Newman, Freedom Seekers: Escaping from Slavery in Restoration London
At the Folger, we are proud to sponsor research inquiry within a vibrant and intellectually generous community. Periodically, as that research is published, we circle back to talk with recent authors to showcase the role of collections-based inquiry on their…
“What manner o’thing is your crocodile?”: March 2022
As you’re waiting for the interminable month of February to finally expire, distract yourself with the following thought: Prints like this one were useful as well as decorative. What use did they serve? Leave your thoughts and guesses in the…
Interview and excerpt: Paul Dover, The Information Revolution in Early Modern Europe
At the Folger, we are proud to sponsor research inquiry within a vibrant and intellectually generous community. Periodically, as that research is published, we circle back to talk with recent authors to showcase the role of collections-based inquiry on their…
“What manner o’thing is your crocodile?”: February 2022
For this month’s crocodile mystery, please examine these words from different manuscript recipe books from our collections, and tell us what they have in common. We’ll be back next week with the answer.
Q & A: Ashley Buchanan, Associate Director for Fellowships, Folger Institute
The Folger Institute is pleased to introduce Dr. Ashley Buchanan, our new Associate Director for Fellowships. Dr. Buchanan received her Ph.D. in early modern history in 2018 from the University of South Florida and comes to the Folger with experience…