Printed Pamphlets for the Witch of Wapping
During September of last year, while browsing digital resources in the London Metropolitan Archives, a familiar name caught my eye. It was a 1652 indictment from the Middlesex quarter sessions, which tried criminal cases, where a woman named Joan Peterson…
Slurrop! An ode to soup
In 1595, English writer William Fiston (or Phiston) produced a translation of a French book of manners for children. Topics included proper behavior that was important for Church and school, but also a section on table manners. Here, Fiston admonishes…
George Goodwin, neo-Latin poet, identified as George Goodwin, rector of Moreton, Essex
Today’s Collation post is short and sweet, and courtesy of Heather Wolfe, the Folger’s Curator of Manuscripts. Heather is currently on sabbatical in the UK, having been awarded the 2021–22 Munby Fellowship at Cambridge University Library, but she still occasionally…
Recipe Books, Plague Cures and the Circulation of Information
a guest post by Yann Ryan As well as its terrible consequences for health and mortality, plague in early modern England had a major impact on the communication and circulation of information. Movement was restricted, towns with suspected cases were…
The book thief
Response of James Tabor, public notary, July 10, 1604, in Henry Cotton vs. William Windle. Cambridge University Archives, Comm.Ct.II.11, fol. 57v. Today’s post is about a woman, Margaret Cotton, who allegedly stole a book in 1602. The book might have…
The mystery of Humphrey Walcot’s grocery bill and early-modern popular numeracy
While merchant Humphrey Walcot’s May 8, 1601 shopping list is unique for some of its items, writing lists of items and prices was very common. Packed with accounts, bills, and receipts, the Folger collection shows how people from all walks of life used numbers every day.
Small Latin and Less Greek
In answer to this month’s Crocodile Mystery, Abbie Weinberg explores 17th century vicar John Ward’s use of both Latin and Greek in his notebooks.
Camaraderie, congeniality, and collaboration: paleography at the Folger
A look at the virtual community of volunteer paleographers who work together to transcribe manuscripts in the Folger’s collection.
An Experiment in Following a Worm Through a Folded Letter
Following the path a worm chewed through an early modern letter.
Decoding Early Modern Gossip
A guest post by Alicia Petersen What comes to mind when you think of a coded letter? Political intrigue? Espionage? As the Folger Shakespeare Library’s 2014-5 exhibition Decoding the Renaissance: 500 Years of Codes and Ciphers highlighted, these guesses are…
Malicious teaseling: or how a simple reference question got complicated
We had seven excellent answers to the Crocodile, which included an image titled “Malice,” but not the text below it. The general consensus was that the cowering man was winding thread or wool off of a drop spindle. One of…
A recipe for brioche (knitting)
…a Collation KAL (knit-along). Cast on We built our friendship with knits and purls over coffee in the Folger Tea Room. Sharing patterns, exchanging techniques, and giving fiber recommendations are still staple conversation topics for us seven years after we…