The rare books vault of the Department of Special Collections hosts many old books on various topics, including some disciplines that aren’t being taught at university anymore, like the mysterious art of alchemy. The Philip Mills Arnold Semeiology Collection encompasses a considerable number of b...
Bookmaking Workshop: Accordion Fold Saturday, November 2, 2019 Julian Edison Department of Special Collections, Olin Library sessions offered from 10am-noon and 2-4pm Join special collections for the next in our series of bookmaking workshops! Accordion bindings have been used for centurie...
On Saturday, June 8, a group of library and book enthusiasts had the chance to learn about coptic binding at the Washington University Libraries’ Julian Edison Department of Special Collections. Led by Danielle Creech, Head of Preservation and Digitization, and Cassie Brand, Curator of Rare Books...
Bookmaking Workshop: Coptic Binding Saturday, June 8, 2019 Julian Edison Department of Special Collections, Olin Library Level One 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Join us for the next workshop in our bookmaking series! Come view amazing and early bindings from the University Libraries’ rare book co...
The Julian Edison Department of Special Collections at the Washington University Libraries has earned a notable citation as part of the Association of College and Research Libraries Rare Books and Manuscripts Section’s 2019 Katharine Kyes Leab and Daniel J. Leab American Book Prices Current Exhi...
Washington University Libraries recently acquired the library of famous French literary critic and author, Pascal Pia. His library is comprised of books he reviewed in literary journals as well as books given to him by authors. The collection is roughly a 1,000 items of primarily French literatur...
An opening reception for three book arts exhibitions was held on February 28. Buzz Spector: Works On and Of Paper on view in the Thomas Gallery on Level 1 of Olin Library, celebrates Sam Fox School Professor of Art Buzz Spector who creates pieces that explore and challenge the book as a fo...
Japanese Book Binding Workshop at John M. Olin Library Saturday, April 6, 2019 Julian Edison Department of Special Collections, Level One 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. AND 2:00-4:00 p.m. Due to popular demand, we have added a second workshop during the morning of April 6! Sign up for the morning...
Three new exhibitions at Olin Library celebrate Washington University’s book arts community. Featuring works by Washington University faculty and students, as well as pieces from the University Libraries’ rare book collections, the exhibits highlight the many techniques, interpretations, and poss...
We’ve all heard that you can’t judge a book by its cover, but what about its pages? Today we will explore a very special, but often hidden, feature of some of our more elaborately decorated books: fore-edge paintings. What are Fore-Edge Paintings? Fore-edge paintings are scenes, portraits, or des...
