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New online exhibit: No Bones About It

On October 24, 2023, Special Collections held a spooky exhibit! From 11am until 2pm, we were in Ellis 114A with as many skeletons as we could find in our collections! That exhibit is now available online for your viewing pleasure.

The exhibit includes books in five different languages, from the 15th century to the 20th century, all linked by their shared interest in skeletons. From a book of hours to Vesalius’ anatomy textbooks, from a proto-novel with Death as the main character to art history, these books are full of insights as well as bones. Modern medicine wouldn’t be where it is today if it hadn’t been for anatomists dissecting bodies to see how they worked, and the dances of the dead are an important reminder of our shared humanity, no matter where we live or what we do for a living.

Whether you missed the exhibit while it was down in 114A or whether you just want to take a second look at some of the books, we hope you enjoy the exhibit in its online form!

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.