Posts filed under 'Exhibits'
Today (March 1) is World Book Day. In celebration of this day, the Bodleian Library is holding a one-day exhibition featuring Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows. If you are lucky enough to be in Oxford today, you can view Grahame’s letters to his son Alastair, the original manuscript of the book, and much more.
If, like me, you cannot visit the Bodleian in person, you can visit the exhibit virtually.
Although I have said very little about the Google Books Library Project (or, for that matter, much about anything lately) on this blog, I must give credit to the Inside Google Book Search blog for the content of this post. Not only did I learn about World Book Day and the Bodleian exhibit from a post on their blog yesterday, I also discovered that it is possible to view the full-text of the New York Public Library’s copy of the 1908 edition of The Wind in the Willows.* Joy!
* As a cataloger-in-waiting, I must note that the text about the Library of Congress, Pforzheimer, and the Bruce Rogers Collection on the book summary page does not apply to the digitized copy. It is copy-specific information for the copy at the Library of Congress.
** Apr. 30, 2007 — Now, the Google Books record links to the WorldCat record for a more recent edition instead of the 1908 edition. This solves the problem of LC copy-specific information being pulled into the Google Books summary description; however, from a bibliographic viewpoint, this solution is somewhat disappointing.
March 1st, 2007
This summer I am in the mood for unplanned excursions and spontaneous adventures, so yesterday morning, when I read the May 30th entry on Joan of Arc in Helen Dean Fish’s Children’s Almanac of Books and Holidays (1934), I knew that I had to explore that theme. Since I have a backlog of reading material at the moment, I could not follow Fish’s advice to read E.M. Wilmot-Buxton’s The Story of Jeanne d’Arc. Instead, I decided to see the Jean of Arc exhibit at the Boston Public Library.
“10,000 Joans: Treasures from the Joan of Arc Collection of the Boston Public Library” is not about children’s literature, but children’s literature enthusiasts and anyone fascinated by collectors and collecting will delight in this exhibit. The exhibit is in recognition of the 30th anniversary of the donation of the collection to the BPL by Cardinal John Joseph Wright in 1976, and it shows the many ways the legendary saint has been depicted in print and popular culture over the centuries. A wide range of objects are on display, from posters and early printed books to decorative plates to cigarette cards and prayer cards. Children’s books and prints are scattered throughout the exhibit, but there is one freestanding case devoted to depictions of the saint for children.
The exhibit also reveals the growth and development of a topic collection. For Cardinal Wright, his collection was a lifelong passion. He became fascinated with Joan of Arc as a child when his curiosity was sparked by hearing soldiers returned from France after WWI singing the popular song “Joan of Arc, They Are Calling You”. This interest was further fueled by the gift of a book about Joan of Arc from a teacher. Now, the 6,000 items from his collection form the heart of one the largest and most comprehensive collections on Joan of Arc.
The exhibit runs until June 15, 2006, so if you are in the Boston-area, there are still a few weeks to catch it. Guided tours are available on Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. There will also be a guided gallery tour with the exhibition curators on Wednesday, June 7 at 6 p.m. Admission is free and the exhibit is open the same hours as the library.
May 31st, 2006
The 16th Annual Children’s Book Illustration Exhibit opened yesterday, December 3, at the R. Michelson Galleries in Northampton, MA. This year’s exhibit features illustrations from the new book Happy Feet by Richard Michelson and E.B. Lewis–a book about Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom and inspired by the swing dancer Frankie Manning. Works by Alice Provensen and Jane and Brooke Dyer also are on exhibit.
Unfortunately, the Lindy Hop demonstrations were only at last night’s opening party. The exhibit, however, runs from December 3 through January 30, 2006. For more information, see the gallery’s website, which includes a reprint of the November 27, 2005 Boston Globe article about the exhibit.
December 4th, 2005
I wondered why this weblog was receiving so many hits for the search terms “Beatrix Potter in America”, and now I know the answer. Earlier this week Grace Glueck reviewed the exhibit for the New York Times Arts section.
In celebration of the end of Banned Books Week and the beginning of my third (eek!) decade as a children’s literature connoisseur, j (of j’s scratchpad fame) and I journeyed to Amherst on October 1 to visit the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and view the exhibit. J, who is much more on top of things blog-wise, posted her impressions of the exhibit and the museum shortly after our trip.
Exhibition catalogue buff that I am, I purchased Lolly Robinson’s delightful catalogue, Beatrix Potter in America: An Exhibition at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. I also purchased the Ashley Bryan exhibit catalogue, Painter and Poet: The Wonderful World of Ashley Bryan, which is a colorful and vibrant contrast to the subdued, watercolor hues of the Potter catalogue.
The exhibit closes this Sunday, December 4. If you have never been to the Eric Carle Museum, it is worth the trip. And if you are going to see the exhibit, take j’s advice and bring a magnifying glass with you.
Hmmm . . . I wonder if I can convince j to drive to Amherst for one (or more) of the exhibits planned for 2006?
December 2nd, 2005
As part of the official opening of the Michael E. Uslan Collection of Comic Books and Graphic Novels at Indiana University, the Lilly Library has mounted the exhibit “Comics as Cultural Mythology.” The exhibit features comics from the Uslan Collection, plus film posters and original sketches and will run until December 17, 2005. For more information, browse or search the inventory database for the collection or read the recent IU Media Relations press release, “Comics as culture? Holy textbook, Batman!“
October 11th, 2005
Previous Posts