Way Down Upon the Suwannee River

Since tomorrow is the 4th of July, it is fitting to honor Stephen Collins Foster who was born on July 4, 1826, in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania.   Lawrenceville was in Allegheny County, which is now a part of Pittsburgh.   In 1851, Foster wrote the words and music for “Old Folks at Home” (“Swanee River”).  This song

Cooking the Books: A Special Collections Sampler

The simple pleasures of art and food are simmering in the lobby of the Special Collections reading room for a few weeks.  Our current exhibit highlights the art of David Lance Goines and the food wisdom of executive chef Alice Waters as they collaborate and dish out a feast for the eyes. The complete set

A Book for Christina of Markyate

Christina of Markyate lived a span of sixty or so years in early twelfth century England. This Anglo-Saxon woman was born into nobility but chose a path contrary to the conventions of her inherited social class. At some point in her young life, Theodora (“gift of God”), Christina’s birth name, found herself at a crossroads

The Flying Lady

Last year in March, when preparing for The Women For FSU event, I became familiar with the Betty Wood McNabb Collection and was intrigued by it.  In celebration of Women’s History Month I thought it was a perfect time to highlight an extraordinary woman and this collection.  The collection of memorabilia from her life and career

Lady of the Lake

I have been wanting to highlight two books in our collection that I am particularly fond of specifically for their unique covers and are amongst my favorite books  in our collection with beautiful covers.   These books are different versions of  The Lady of the Lake: a Poem in Six Cantos by Sir Walter Scott. What

Cooking Florida Style

We like to celebrate special events in our department such as birthdays and graduations.  Everyone brings something to share, and we look forward to trying new recipes. In July, we celebrated staff member Ben Yadon’s birthday, and I chose a Key Lime recipe from a book in our Florida Collection called Seasonal Florida:  A Taste

Amyntas

French author and 1947 Nobel Prize for literature winner André Gide says of his Amyntas, or his travelogue detailing his five-year self-chosen exile to the North African city bases of Algiers and Tunis: “’There were not very many to notice that I had ever written anything more perfect than Amyntas . . . To whom

Some of my favorite books are right here in Special Collections

It is great to work in a place that contains editions of your favorite books.   I love Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings books and especially Cross Creek, which was published in 1942 and is an autobiographical account of her life in rural North Central Florida. Cross Creek Cookery was published in 1942.  Rawlings was a wonderful cook,