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What's New in Old Books
Some highlights from special collections libraries' blogs this week.
Seven mulberry leaves, silk, and a surprise in the stacks A fragile 18th-century work on silk farming, contained delicate botanical specimens.
Book Cover Designs by Amy Maria Sacker (1872-1965)
The hidden hornbook: a handy educational tool from the Middle-Ages
The Bourke burlesque actresses: life on and off 'the wretched stage'
posted by Horace Rumpole on Oct 25, 2026 at 8:03 AM
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I love the cover designs by Sacker. And the book plates at the very end of the article are phenomenal.
A couple of quotes from the article I particularly liked:
At one of her parties last summer each of the fifty guests was required to make her own hat and wear it. There were amazing results, including baskets of fruit and indescribable creations of flowers and feathers.
I'd like an invite.
Sacker lived at The Fenmore, an upscale apartment hotel for professional women
Sounds nice
Many American book design artists of the period also practiced painting, illustration and other arts. A few sometimes lectured or taught classes. Sarah Wyman Whitman was known for nurturing talent among her vast retinue of friends. What distinguishes Sacker is her commitment to other artists as a dedicated teacher and director of her own art design school throughout her entire working life.
posted by bitbotbit at 8:33 AM
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battledores (sheets of heavy paper folded into panels)
Before or after it was the thing you played shuttlecocks with?
Delightful as always, thank you!
posted by clew at 10:38 AM
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Another fine bookish post.
And I really enjoyed this sentence:
"For in those days, as in these," writes Tuer, "children were prone to destruction, and without taking into account the innocent mischief resulting from damp and grubby paws, they doubtless turned their master's careful handiwork into boats, or sent it skyward trailing behind their kites."
posted by doctornemo at 11:52 AM
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I love reading about all the careful work that goes into conserving such an unusual specimen as the silk book. Picked fresh mulberry leaves and dried them to test out different approaches to securing the ones in the book!
posted by tavella at 1:42 PM
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