By Laura Hartman ~ On September 5, 2019, NLM welcomed twenty attendees from the 44th International Congress for the History of Pharmacy for a tour
Tag: Rare Books
Hosting the Washington Conservation Guild
By Stephen J. Greenberg ~ Last month, on February 7, 2019, forty-five members of the Washington Conservation Guild (WCG) held their floating monthly meeting in
Spice of History: A Gingerbread Recipe
Recipe books from the 18th century hold a combination of food recipes, herbal remedies, and other such household creations thought to improve health. Powell’s “ginger bread” recipe includes ingredients easily found in today’s grocery store and provides measures still in use today.
Fifteenth Century Books: From the Cradle of Printing in the West
By Laura Hartman ~ Zodiac Man. Critical Days. Secrets of women. Chiromancy. Plague. Poisons. Aristotle. Hippocrates. You can explore these topics and many more common
Hosting the Secretary of the Smithsonian
By Jeffrey S. Reznick ~ David J. Skorton, Secretary of the Smithsonian and a board-certified cardiologist, recently honored the National Library of Medicine (NLM) with
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
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
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