- A bit more on the Girolamini library thefts: the German auction house Zisska & Schauer withdrew a whole bunch of lots from their 9 May sale; it's believed these were among the books stolen from the library. The former manager of the library has now confessed to the thefts, and is reportedly "assisting" with their recovery. Some additional recent info here, and at Echoes from the Vault. See the RBMS Security page for additional updates as they come in.
- Making the rounds this week was this story, about an Arizona woman whose (mutilated) first edition copy of the Book of Mormon has reportedly been stolen. She'd been selling framed leaves from the book for several years. A bit more here.
- Will Noel's TED talk, "Revealing the lost codex of Archimedes" is now available for your viewing pleasure.
- Judge Denny Chin dealt a setback to Google this week in the Book Search legal battle.
- From the "Bright Young Things" series, John O'Mara of Maggs Bros.
- I've probably said this before, but if you're not reading The Public Domain Review, you're missing some great stuff.
- Newly-digitized scientific manuscripts from the BL, including some John Dee material.
- A new acquistion for Houghton: a previously unpublished James Boswell letter to his brother David, describing (among other things) Samuel Johnson's 1773 visit to Auchinleck.
- The former Oregon state librarian has been sentenced to two years of probation, community service, and a fine for forging his employment application. Robert Hulshof-Schmidt stated that he had an MLS degree, but did not.
- Lisa Francavilla posts on a Thomas Jefferson facsimile letter that people often think is real. I hadn't seen this particular one, but I've killed more than a few dreams over the years when I have to tell people that they've got a facsimile of something rather than the real thing.
- The June AE Monthly is here.
- From medievalfragments, "New Evidence of Note-Taking in the Medieval Classroom." [h/t @PHRareBooks]
- Jerry Morris posts on "Biblio Researching 101," with an interesting provenance story.
Reviews
- Daniel Richter's Before the Revolution; review by Christian J. Koot at Common-place.
- Paul Gutjahr's The Book of Mormon: A Biography; short review by Justin Moyer in the WaPo.
- Eric Rutkow's American Canopy; review by Colin Woodard in the WaPo.
- Andrea Wulf's Founding Gardeners; review by Emily Pawley at Common-place.
