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The Collation

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

“What manner o’thing is your crocodile?”: February 2021
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“What manner o’thing is your crocodile?”: February 2021

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The Collation

Welcome back to another crocodile mystery. For February, please take a look at this image (strategically cropped for maximum mystery); tell us what you think it is, and/or what it represents. We’ll be back next week with the answer!

This Post Stinks, or, ‘I hope that the stuff will not smell too vilely’
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This Post Stinks, or, ‘I hope that the stuff will not smell too vilely’

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Rachel B. Dankert

John Masefield has a burning question he needs answered. Literally. Writing from his home Hill Crest in Boar’s Hill, Oxford, the Poet Laureate asks theater production veteran Allan Wade a crucial question about staging his home theatrical production of Macbeth.1…

Touching Tusser
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Touching Tusser

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Andy Crow

A guest post by Andy Crow “As to the bindings, the plain crushed levant looks all right, but when you send me my copy, I would like it, please, in sheep—about the tint of a ripe chestnut. That is fittest…

Using cardboard spacers to fill gaps on the shelf
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Using cardboard spacers to fill gaps on the shelf

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Erin Blake

Sometimes the simplest tools are the best. This post is a tribute to the humble hunk of folded cardboard.1 Cardboard spacer filling the gap on the shelf while two large volumes are in use. All photos are by me, Erin…

The Art of the Prompt Book
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The Art of the Prompt Book

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Elizabeth DeBold

Most library visitors to the Folger expect us to have books in our collections. Some know that we also have art, manuscripts, and even objects. Yet, any exploration into our collections means that researchers will inevitably encounter an item that…

Postcards in the (home) archive: Brenda Putnam and Puck
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Postcards in the (home) archive: Brenda Putnam and Puck

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Stephen H. Grant

a guest post by Stephen Grant This post, Dear Readers, is divided into three parts:  3 Kodak AZO postcards of Puck statue 3 Meriden Gravure Co. postcards of Puck statue 1 photograph of Brenda Putnam, Puck sculptor We start with 2 cards printed on Kodak AZO paper, similar…

A Cacique By Any Other Name
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A Cacique By Any Other Name

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Valeria López Fadul

… Or, Etymologies in Translation, from the Caribbean to London A guest post by Valeria López Fadul The word “cacique”—a leader or lord among the people of the Caribbean islands—first appeared in an English book in 1555.1 Richard Eden’s translation…

Liverpool delft transfer-printed tiles; or, theatrical tiles explain’d
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Liverpool delft transfer-printed tiles; or, theatrical tiles explain’d

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Abbie Weinberg

Thank you for all of your guesses on last week’s Crocodile Mystery! As several folks correctly surmised, this image is pigment on ceramic! Specifically, it is on a Liverpool delft transfer-printed tile, seen here in full:  Jane Lessingham as Ophelia,…

“What manner o’ thing is your crocodile?”: December 2020
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“What manner o’ thing is your crocodile?”: December 2020

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Author
The Collation

Ack! Nearly December already? Wasn’t it just March? (Isn’t it still March?) Guess that means it’s time for another Crocodile Mystery. Take a look at the image below. It’s not pencil on paper. It’s not oil on canvas. What is…

Creating John Gregory’s Bas Reliefs at the Folger
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Creating John Gregory’s Bas Reliefs at the Folger

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Erin Blake

Who carved the John Gregory’s bas reliefs on the facade of the Folger? Readers of last week’s Collation post will know that the apparently obvious answer—John Gregory—is incorrect. Sculptor John Gregory (1879–1958) definitely created the works of art, but professional…

Postcards of the Folger: Richard the Third, Hamlet, First Part Henry the Fovrth
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Postcards of the Folger: Richard the Third, Hamlet, First Part Henry the Fovrth

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Stephen H. Grant

A guest post by Stephen Grant The final three bas-reliefs along the Folger’s north wall are Richard the Third, Hamlet, and Henry the Fourth, Part 1. The images shown here are from the same two sets of postcards that were discussed in…

Idols of the Reformation
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Idols of the Reformation

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Rachel B. Dankert

Thank you to all who weighed in on this month’s Crocodile Mystery! Many people recognize October 31, 1517 as a major milestone in the beginning of the Protestant Reformation—the date that it is said Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses…

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