Scholar’s copy of John Milton

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Some Account of the Life and Writings of John Milton, derived principally from documents in His Majesty’s State-paper office, now first published. By the Rev. H.J. Todd. London, C. and J. Rivington [etc.] 1826.

This book is notable because of the amount of marginalia, clippings, and manuscript notes about Milton added to the book by the original owner, Reverend W.D. Macray (1826-1916.), distinguished librarian and historian. While not technically extra-illustrated (there are no engravings or other images), the Rev. Macray augmented the book by pasting within its pages slips of paper on which are written facts, impressions, and other notes about Milton that comment on Todd’s text. Examining the book gives us a good idea of how the Rev. Macray conducted research. Macray served the Bodleian Library, Oxford University, as an editor and scholar for most of his life. He was chaplain at several of the colleges at Oxford before becoming rector at Ducklington in Oxfordshire where he served for more than 40 years.

Special Collections’ copy is part of the Lindley Collection. The Francis Haynes Lindley Memorial Collection was donated to Honnold Library by Walter Lindley and F. Haynes Lindley, Jr. in memory of their father, Francis Haynes Lindley.

Special Event: Sanctuary Movement talk

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Solidarity in the 1980’s Sanctuary Movement: Maria Guardado and Darlene Nicgorski reunite to tell their stories 30 years later

Oct 23 4:30-6:00 PM
Founders Room, Honnold/Mudd Library

About the speakers:

Maria Guardado is probably the foremost Salvadoran activist in the United States. She began her political activism in 1966 when she worked on her first presidential campaign in opposition to the government in El Salvador; for the next 15 years she worked on behalf of several causes in El Salvador including the teacher’s union and a campesina organization. In January 1980 she was targeted for her activism and captured by paramilitary forces and tortured. She fled El Salvador and received political asylum in the United States in 1983, assisted by members of the Sanctuary Movement. Now living in Los Angeles, Maria continues her life as a political activist and poet, working with countless organizations fighting for immigrant rights and other progressive causes. A documentary about Maria, Testimony: The Maria Guardado Story (2002), has won numerous awards. She also is a renowned poet; her first CD, “Poemas”, was released in 2013.

Darlene Nicgorski was a leader in the Sanctuary movement for Central American refugees in the United States in the early 1980s. She was a member of the School Sisters of St. Francis for nearly 20 years during which she worked on behalf of Latin American refugees in Guatemala and Mexico then in Arizona where she became involved with the Valley Religious Task Force on Central America, which assisted refugees fleeing political unrest and persecution in Central America to find sanctuary in the United States. She was arrested for her activities and was a defendant in the Arizona Sanctuary Trial of 1985-1986. She has been much in demand as a spokesperson for the Sanctuary movement since her arrest, and has received numerous awards and recognitions. She donated her papers about the Sanctuary Movement to Special Collections in 2011. Darlene Nicgorski and her partner currently reside in Claremont.

Darlene gave her Sanctuary Movement papers to Special Collections, and they are available for study and research. The finding aid is online at the Online Archive of California.

Crispin MS 31

Crispin MS 31 is a 14th C English manuscript copy of Sermones Quadragesimiles; Distinctiones Theologicae by Jacopo de Voragine. It is interesting to us because it comprises 261 leaves of handmade paper plus 69 leaves of vellum, which is fairly atypical for this period.

de Voragine was a Genoese Dominican monk who was an prominent writer most known for chronicling the lives of the saints in the Golden Legend, one of the most popular Medieval works. Special Collections has an early printed copy of Golden Legend in the Michael Wilson Collection–the 1527 edition printed by Wynken de Worde.

Crispin 31 is decorated with several fanciful drawings and flourishes within and around the text. Below are just a few. Leaf 190 verso:
Crispin 31 190v
Leaf 127 recto:
Crispin 31 127r
Leaf 183 verso:
Crispin 31 183v

Thank you, KCET blog!

Two recent entries in the KCET blog featuring Special Collections!

Course Correction: L.A.’s Water Future Lies in Its Past” written by Pomona College professor Char Miller, Director of the Environmental Analysis Program, featuring the Fred Eaton photo album in the Water Resources Collection.

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Fred Eaton is in the third man from the right and, “What Rodeo Drive Looked Like in 1925 & More Hidden Treasures of SoCal’s Archives” featuring the Dr. Walter Lindley Scrapbooks.

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New graduates from the California Hospital nursing program, 1905, founded by Dr. Lindley

New Exhibition: Stargazing and Sky Watching Through the Ages

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New exhibition at the Clark Humanities Museum. Stargazing and Sky Watching Through the Ages. March 21, 2011 – May 14, 2011. Clark Humanities Museum, Scripps College

People throughout history have looked to the sky for many reasons: to chart the heavens, to navigate the seas, to establish their place in the universe, even to predict the future. To read and interpret the heavens and divine our place within the universe fascinates us today more than ever.

On view in this exhibition on the history of astronomy are rare and significant items from Special Collections at Honnold/Mudd and Denison libraries, from Brackett Observatory at Pomona College, and from the Williamson Gallery, Scripps College: works of significant, historical astronomers and astrologers, celestial maps and charts of the constellations, artistic depictions of the heavens, and vintage astronomical instruments and artifacts, from the 15th through the early 20th centuries.

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The exhibition was organized by Carrie Marsh, Honnold Library Special Collections and Professor Bryan Penprase, Frank P. Brackett Professor of Astronomy and Chair, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Pomona College, with the kind assistance of Dr. Noel Swerdlow of Cal Tech.

29 March 2011, Exhibition Opening Reception, 4:15-6:00 p.m., Clark Humanities Museum, Scripps College. Refreshments will be served.

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