John Henry Adams

John Henry Adams is a librarian in the Special Collections and Rare Books department. He provides instruction and reference for the history of the book in general, but especially for medieval manuscripts, early European printing, the history of cartography, and English and German literature.
home Events and Exhibits, Special Collections and Archives New Digital Exhibit: Masks, Hells, and Books

New Digital Exhibit: Masks, Hells, and Books

By John Henry Adams   Posted in Events and Exhibits Special Collections and Archives
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A masked man holding a lance in one hand and a green bushel of branches in the other.

Special Collections has a new digital exhibit: Masks, Hells, and Books: The Nuremberg Schembartlauf (1449-1539), curated by John Henry Adams. The Schembartlauf (literally, “the running of the masked men”) was a traditional Carnival parade held in Nuremberg, Germany. It started as a small honor guard for a troop of dancers but rapidly grew to include giant mechanical parade floats, political commentary, and dozens or hundreds of masked participants. Unfortunately, sometimes the exuberance would also spill over into riots. The most memorable of these riots was probably the one in 1539, when the Schembartlauf was banned, a ban that has yet to be officially revoked.

Masks, Hells, and Books takes the reader through the different aspects of the Schembartlauf: the origins of the parade, the costumes of the runners, the parade floats, the 1539 disaster that resulted in the Schembart’s ban, and the manuscripts that have preserved the memory of this strange festivity. We hope that it inspires you to think about some of our own traditions and how strange they might seem after several centuries of inactivity, though we would like to ask that you not follow the example set by the Schembart in 1507 and 1539. No riots, please!

The exhibit is made possible by the generosity of a private collector who has loaned three medieval manuscripts to Special Collections.

John Henry Adams

John Henry Adams is a librarian in the Special Collections and Rare Books department. He provides instruction and reference for the history of the book in general, but especially for medieval manuscripts, early European printing, the history of cartography, and English and German literature.

home Events and Exhibits, Special Collections and Archives, Staff news New Digital Exhibit: Leaders and Heroes 2

New Digital Exhibit: Leaders and Heroes 2

By John Henry Adams   Posted in Events and Exhibits Special Collections and Archives Staff news
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Black and white photograph of a ceremonial dance

Leaders and Heroes 2: The Arts is Special Collections’ newest digital exhibit, curated by Courtney Gillie and John Henry Adams. A continuation of the 2020 exhibit Leaders and Heroes, we continue to spotlight art, articles, and monographs by historically excluded people. Starting with the LGBTQIA icon Sappho, the exhibit was created to reflect the openly diverse world we live in now. Explore beautiful, hand-crafted wood engravings in Shall we join the ladies? and then dive into the community and culture that expelled Japanese American families built in Tanforan Racetrack horse stalls in Citizen 13660.

Leaders and Heroes exist in good times and bad. Pulling from Mizzou’s many libraries on campus, our further reading section is full of primary and secondary sources for additional contextual information on the history and identity of each fascinating creator featured in Leaders & Heroes 2. We hope you will be entertained by the wit of William Woo and Zora Neale Hurston, moved by the art of Miné Okubo and the Kiowa 5, then inspired by the poetry of Sappho and relentless writings of Lydia Maria Child to advocate yourself.

John Henry Adams

John Henry Adams is a librarian in the Special Collections and Rare Books department. He provides instruction and reference for the history of the book in general, but especially for medieval manuscripts, early European printing, the history of cartography, and English and German literature.

home Resources and Services, Special Collections and Archives, Staff news Glossary of Rare Book Terms Available

Glossary of Rare Book Terms Available

By John Henry Adams   Posted in Resources and Services Special Collections and Archives Staff news
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Text with images of a book and a scroll on the right.

Special Collections staff has prepared an illustrated glossary of rare books terms. If you’ve ever wondered about the difference between engraving and etching, or what exactly a nonce volume is, then this is your chance to find out!

The glossary contains 130 definitions and 112 images of examples drawn from Special Collections’ holdings. The glossary was written by John Henry Adams and photographs were taken by John Henry Adams, Courtney Gillie, and Kelli Hansen.

John Henry Adams

John Henry Adams is a librarian in the Special Collections and Rare Books department. He provides instruction and reference for the history of the book in general, but especially for medieval manuscripts, early European printing, the history of cartography, and English and German literature.

home Events and Exhibits, Special Collections and Archives, Staff news New student-curated online exhibits now available

New student-curated online exhibits now available

By John Henry Adams   Posted in Events and Exhibits Special Collections and Archives Staff news
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There are two new digital exhibits in Special Collections, curated by our spring 2021 interns: John T. McCutcheon: A Cartoonist in his Prime, 1930s, curated by Allison Cathey, and The Art of Cartography, Cartes-à-figures, curated by Lily McEwan. Our students have worked very hard over the past semester on these exhibits and now we’re ready to share them with you. Read on below for our interns’ descriptions of their projects. We hope that you enjoy the exhibits!

John T. McCutcheon: A Cartoonist in his Prime, 1930s

by Allison Cathey

My exhibit is formed around American cartoonist John T. McCutcheon and his work during the peak of his career at the Chicago Tribune. The exhibit showcases 11 of the cartoons that MU Digital Library has access to. The others can be found in the John Tinney McCutcheon Collection of Editorial Cartoons in the MU Digital Library or in person at the Special Collections if you wish to use them for further information.

The exhibit is focused on the use of cartoons in the 1930s during which some consider to be the prime years in John T. McCutcheon’s career as a cartoonist. Amidst the economic struggles of the 1930s, McCutcheon brought light to political, social, and economic issues. His ability to cover a variety of subjects showed his versatility and the reason that people refer to him as the American dean of cartooning. Additionally, in the 1930s McCutcheon was awarded an honorary doctoral degree and Pulitzer Prize for his exceptional work. He spent the last years of the decade beginning his autobiography that reflects on his personal and work life. The exhibit includes cartoons pertaining to McCutcheon’s view on: economics, American holidays, global politics, marriage and divorce, automobile crashes, administrative programs, local news, war, technological advancement, and treaty breaking.

The Art of Cartography: Cartes-à-figures

by Lily McEwan

I chose to create the digital exhibit The Art of Cartography: Cartes-à-figures as a passion project for my interest in art history. As a student studying Art History and Anthropology, I loved the hands-on opportunity to conduct research and over the course of the semester have gained valuable interpretive critical-thinking skills. The creative process and the designing element of an exhibit was a new experience that was thoroughly delightful. I have a new appreciation for librarianship and researchers – as there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes.

My favorite aspect of this experience was visiting the reading room! Seeing with my own eyes these wonderfully old and preserved maps has reconfirmed my interest in Art History and preservation work. I am grateful to have this opportunity as it will help prepare me for a life of research. In fact, this summer I will be attending archaeological field school in Pompeii under the direction of Dr. Kate Trusler for a month-long research endeavor in public sanitation.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as in Intern for Ellis Library’s Special Collections Department. I am so grateful to have had the experience in digital exhibition research, writing, and publication. I want to thank John Henry Adams, Kelly Hanson, Anne Stanton, and the entire department of Special Collections for assisting with research, guidance, and allowing me to have this opportunity in exhibition research.

John Henry Adams

John Henry Adams is a librarian in the Special Collections and Rare Books department. He provides instruction and reference for the history of the book in general, but especially for medieval manuscripts, early European printing, the history of cartography, and English and German literature.