News

    Dec. 20, 2013

    Vintage Christmas Books

    This week we’re sharing a few vintage Christmas-themed books from Ohioana’s collection. First is Christmas Every Day and Other Stories Told for Children by William Dean Howells, published by Harper & Brothers Publishers in 1893. We talked about Howells in our last post about decorative publishers’ bindings here. This particular book is a first edition donated to the library by Carl ... Read More
    Dec. 12, 2013

    Mildred Wirt Benson

    This past weekend, keepsakes and other items belonging to Nancy Drew author Mildred Wirt Benson were sold at auction in Toledo, where Benson worked as a newspaper reporter for nearly 60 years until her death in 2002. Items sold at the auction included a desk, typewriter, books, and a few hundred cancelled checks signed by Benson. The typewriter she used ... Read More
    Dec. 10, 2013

    Toni Morrison and the Nobel Prize

    Categories:
    Awards
    Today we’re celebrating the 20th anniversary of Toni Morrison’s Nobel Prize in Literature! Unlike other literature prizes that are awarded for a specific book, the Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded for a body of work. When Morrison won the award in 1993, she had published six novels: The Bluest Eye (1970), Sula (1973), Song of Solomon (1977), Tar Baby ... Read More
    Dec. 05, 2013

    Decorative Publishers’ Bindings

    During the 1800s publishers began looking for an economical way to produce books in large quantities. Cloth covers replaced leather, and case binding (where the text block and cover were produced separately and the cover was then attached with glue) became the norm. Although these bindings were economical, they were often ornately decorated with gold or silver stamping and illustrations ... Read More