The Collation
Research and Exploration at the Folger
The Collation is a gathering of useful information and observations from Folger staff and researchers. Read more about this blog
Miscellaneous Race
Looking at enslaved Black workers and the 1588 Spanish Armada’s afterlives in a 17th-century English miscellany
Race B4 Race 2025, Seminar 1: What We’re Reading and Why
Keep up with what the RaceB4Race Mentorship Network is reading this year!
A Closer Look at Paste Papers with Folger Conservators
Have you ever noticed a decorated paper on a volume in our collection and wondered how it was made?
Anthony Burgess and Shakespeare
You probably know Anthony Burgess as the author of A Clockwork Orange, but did you know he was also a prominent commentator on Shakespeare’s life?
Dots and Slashes in Early Modern English Account Books: A Window into the Material Practices of Reckoning
The solution to this month’s Folger Mystery reveals the purpose of dots and slashes drawn in early modern account books
Folger Mysteries, September 2025 edition
Guess what these series of dots mean in this month’s Folger Mystery!
Musicians on ships in Early Modern Europe
A look at the many roles that musicians played aboard Early Modern ships.
Beyond National Boundaries: A Season of New Acquisitions, Part II
More new exciting additions to the Folger collection!
Beyond National Boundaries: A Season of New Acquisitions, Part I
Caroline Duroselle-Melish, Curator of Early Modern Books and Prints, highlights some exciting new items in the Folger collection
“A smale remembrance”: Elizabethan Posy Rings
A closer look at 17th century engraved rings in the Folger’s collection
North Africa Through the Eyes of England
A look at some of the colonial sources that informed the understanding that 17th century English people had of North Africa.
What of Shakespeare?
Findings from a 1945 survey asking patrons of a library about their experiences reading, watching, and performing Shakespeare.