In 1860, at the dawn of astronomical photography, a total eclipse event occurred in which the shadow of the moon passed over North America, Spain
Category: Rare Books & Journals
Pre-1914 books and serials, pre-1871 journals, and pamphlets and dissertations, and early Western and Islamic manuscripts.
Reflections on History and Harry Potter
By Jill L. Newmak ~ One of the joys of working in the History of Medicine Division of the National Library of Medicine is engaging
“Fire-workes” for the 17th Century
By Kenneth M. Koyle ~ The 4th of July is a day to celebrate America’s independence, an occasion often marked with a wide range of
Harry Potter’s World and the NLM Herb Garden
By Jill L. Newmark ~ For centuries, people have used plants to cure illness and treat wounds. Medicinal properties of plants have been studied by
Monsters in the Stacks: How Harry Potter Came to NLM
Stephen J. Greenberg, PhD, will speak on June 29, 2017 at 2:00 in the Lister Hill Auditorium at the National Library of Medicine on “Monsters
Pop Culture Meets NLM Historical Collections: Harry Potter’s World
By Nicole Orphanides ~ In 1997, 10-year-old Harry Potter waved his wand for the first time and filled the minds of readers with magic and
A Look into the Pensieve: Reflections on Harry Potter at Twenty Years
Elizabeth Bland, M.A., will speak on June 27, 2017 at 2:00 in the Lister Hill Auditorium at the National Library of Medicine (NLM) on “A
Medical Perspectives on World War 2
By Crystal Smith ~ It’s with great pleasure that I introduce you to a treasured new addition to National Library of Medicine (NLM) Digital Collections:
Art on the Edge
By Ken Koyle, Ginny Roth, and Krista Stracka Hedley Vicars was not a war hero. He was not a renowned strategist or tactician; his presence
A Piece of Pi: Historical Perspectives from NLM
By Kenneth M. Koyle and Jeffrey S. Reznick Today is Pi Day, the internationally-recognized event when communities of various disciplines come together to celebrate the
The Lay of the Lonesome Lung, 1881
By Krista Stracka Since the end December, the aisles of most drug stores have been awash in red and pink products in anticipation of today,
Sup on a Syllabub
By Anne Rothfeld Want an intriguing dessert from the past to satisfy your present day holiday palate? Serve the syllabub: a cream-based treat, mixed with
Mr. Kris Kringle, 1893
By Margaret Kaiser It is Christmas eve, a Christmas with no presents and the loss of the family home, until a surprising visitor appears… Mr.
A Book Unfinished: Paracelsus in Hand-Press Sheets
By Stephen J. Greenberg Books today, as physical objects, have reached a very odd place in our consciousness. Readers are increasingly offered books (or at
Palmistry: The Future in the Palm of Your Hand
By Atalanta Grant-Suttie Some people think palmistry (or chiromancy as it is sometimes known) is hocus pocus and that it is all nonsense. How can
Why me?
By Ginny A. Roth We’ve all been there. It’s finally time for that fun summer barbecue. You’re surrounded by family and friends, the weather is
The Wonder in Us, 1921
By Michael Sappol Originally published in Hidden Treasure: The National Library of Medicine, 2011. In the early decades of the twentieth century a modernizing imperative
A New Herbal in the Collection
By Margaret Kaiser The Library has recently acquired a rare work on medicinal plants by Leonhart Fuchs: Le Benefice commun de tout le monde, ou
The Dandelion
By Anne Rothfeld The dandelion—a quaint, yellow-flowered, perennial herb loathed by homeowners and gardeners—was once praised for its many useful properties: its roots for medicinal
Memories of the Civil War
By Stephen J. Greenberg Although the American Civil War was not the first armed conflict to be extensively photographed (that dubious distinction belongs to the
“Beyond Chicken Soup” with a Taste of NLM
By Karen Falk and Jeffrey S. Reznick During the past few years, the NLM History of Medicine Division has loaned items from its collections for
A Mughal Era Manuscript Curiously Illustrated
By Homira Pashai The National Library of Medicine is the home of many precious manuscripts belonging to the Indian Mughal era (16th–18th century). Among these
Some of the Most Beautiful Herbals
By Michael North This post is the sixth in a series exploring the National Library of Medicine’s rich and varied collection of “herbals,” which are
Colonialism and the Plant Hunters
By Michael North This post is the fifth in a series exploring the National Library of Medicine’s rich and varied collection of “herbals,” which are
Early Journals: What’s in a Name?
By Atalanta Grant-Suttie The journal is so much a part of the current apparatus of scholarly communication that one never really thinks where and how
The Wonders of Creation
By Homira Pashai The National Library of Medicine holds an important collection of over 200 manuscripts dating back to the eleventh century in Arabic, Persian,
Research Reborn: Dioscorides and Mattioli
By Michael North This post is the fourth in a series exploring the National Library of Medicine’s rich and varied collection of “herbals,” which are
Dr. Mitchell’s Christmas Poem, 1913
By Laura Hartman For his 1913 Christmas greeting card, eminent 19th century neurologist and best-selling novelist Silas Weir Mitchell (1829–1914) penned a poem entitled “The
Sip on a Shrub
By Anne Rothfeld Looking for a festive drink with historical origins? Prepare a pitcher of shrub to serve when guests arrive. A shrub is a
A Portrait of the Medical World of 1911
By Stephen J. Greenberg It is, perhaps, a bit hard for the modern reader to imagine that a coffee table book consisting solely of portraits
