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Bookish Blog
One blog stream, many contributors, and many bookish conversations.
Click on the headings below to view all posts for a particular topic. Each topic/project—Bestiary of the Book, Water Lines, and The Bookbag—also has a dedicated page with more information about the project and its contributors.
We also regularly publish HH in the News, short accounts of ongoing work by Holding History and its members.
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Seeing Red: How Cochineal Insects Die for Dye
If you have seen what look like white clumps along the surface of a prickly pear cactus or similar plants, you have seen cochineal.
Helen Smith
Mar 22, 20214 min read
382 views
0 comments
The Tail of the Peacock
Such influential figures as the Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras . . . wrote that the soul of Homer migrated into a peacock
Noah Terrell
Feb 8, 20216 min read
850 views
0 comments
A Brisk Trot Through the Story of Horses and Books
Since the beginning of time, horses have been subject to humans: subjects in human writings and art, & physically subject to them.
Bridget Anderson
Feb 1, 20215 min read
275 views
0 comments
The Corpse Corpus: Human Skin Books
Lamps, wastebaskets, leggings, corsets, belts, and chairs are all examples of various things found in the home of Plainfield, WI native...
Francesca Bua
Jan 26, 20215 min read
1,488 views
0 comments
The Ostrich has Given Its All
In the beginning there was the ostrich... Did you know that ostrich eggs were often suspended from the ceilings of Coptic churches in...
Theophilus Okunlola
Jan 11, 20215 min read
124 views
0 comments
"I Am the Walrus / Goo Goo G'Joob"
No English walrus is a real walrus.
Rhett Blankenship
Jan 6, 20215 min read
241 views
0 comments
Eating/ Reading Salmon
In the Irish tale “Tuan Mac Cairill” (English rendition by James Stephens here) the title character reincarnates through several forms as...
Megan E. Fox
Dec 28, 20205 min read
92 views
0 comments
Cash Cows: The Cattle Behind Our Pages and Screens
Cattle have graced the pages, bindings, and covers of the book for the majority of its existence. But what about digital books?
Caroline McCraw
Dec 14, 20205 min read
585 views
0 comments
All That Glitters is Not Gold: Bookbinding with Mother of Pearl
On their own, mollusks are not a particularly engaging creature on which to focus. The snails and shells they define are often a dull,...
Jordan Costanza
Nov 25, 20204 min read
316 views
0 comments
Finding Feathered Friends
For most, Audubon is a household name, associated with nature guides, birds, and the National Audubon Society: named after John James...
Arielle Raymos
Nov 24, 20206 min read
154 views
0 comments
Deer: More Than Just a Hunk of Meat
Perhaps surprisingly to most, deer are much more than just their meat and how big their antlers are.
Calvin Struebing
May 3, 20205 min read
418 views
4 comments
Preserving History through Bison
When Lewis and Clark traveled across the country in 1804, they reported seeing “innumerable numbers of buffalo” and estimated there to be...
Kaylee Sorrells
May 3, 20204 min read
665 views
9 comments
The Unexplored History of Honeybees
While you may think you know about honeybees, this post will introduce you to often unexplored facts about the creature.
Matthew Coletta
May 3, 20204 min read
164 views
4 comments
How one Couple Turned Elephant Poop into a Paper Business
Have you ever looked at elephant poop and went "Wow, I bet that would make some amazing paper." Well one couple did and this is their story.
Josh Michels
May 2, 20204 min read
416 views
5 comments
Swine Through Time
Quick overview of the pig throughout many centuries, documented through books and other scholarly resources
Victor Banovetz
May 2, 20204 min read
294 views
2 comments
272 views
1 comment
The Unexpected Link Between Goats and Books
To most everyone’s surprise, a seemingly random farm animal has a strong connection to every book we use today. Goats played a part in...
Yannick Wyss
May 1, 20205 min read
328 views
3 comments
Honeybees Build Books: A Journey Through Time
An insight into how honeybees and their products have innovatively changed literature
Meg Grady
May 1, 20204 min read
137 views
1 comment
The Impact of Gall Wasps on Literary History
Oak trees have thrived on this planet for over sixty-five million years, and have an estimated life span of approximately one thousand...
Leah Theusch
May 1, 20204 min read
262 views
0 comments
Sturgeon Isinglass: From Bookmaking to Breweries
From helping Roman performers walk on coals to aiding brewmasters in the fining process of malt liquors, sturgeon and its byproducts have...
Tony Gronski
Apr 30, 20204 min read
592 views
4 comments
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