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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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Helen Smith
Mar 22, 20214 min read
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.
366 views
0 comments
Noah Terrell
Feb 8, 20216 min read
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
801 views
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Bridget Anderson
Feb 1, 20215 min read
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.
265 views
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Francesca Bua
Jan 26, 20215 min read
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...
1,443 views
0 comments
Theophilus Okunlola
Jan 11, 20215 min read
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...
119 views
0 comments
Rhett Blankenship
Jan 6, 20215 min read
"I Am the Walrus / Goo Goo G'Joob"
No English walrus is a real walrus.
229 views
0 comments
Megan E. Fox
Dec 28, 20205 min read
Eating/ Reading Salmon
In the Irish tale “Tuan Mac Cairill” (English rendition by James Stephens here) the title character reincarnates through several forms as...
92 views
0 comments
Caroline McCraw
Dec 14, 20205 min read
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?
541 views
0 comments
Jordan Costanza
Nov 25, 20204 min read
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,...
279 views
0 comments
Arielle Raymos
Nov 24, 20206 min read
Finding Feathered Friends
For most, Audubon is a household name, associated with nature guides, birds, and the National Audubon Society: named after John James...
152 views
0 comments
Calvin Struebing
May 3, 20205 min read
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.
415 views
4 comments
Kaylee Sorrells
May 3, 20204 min read
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...
643 views
5 comments
Matthew Coletta
May 3, 20204 min read
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.
155 views
4 comments
Josh Michels
May 2, 20204 min read
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.
368 views
5 comments
Victor Banovetz
May 2, 20204 min read
Swine Through Time
Quick overview of the pig throughout many centuries, documented through books and other scholarly resources
287 views
2 comments
Matt Nyheim
May 2, 20204 min read
250 views
1 comment
Yannick Wyss
May 1, 20205 min read
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...
318 views
3 comments
Meg Grady
May 1, 20204 min read
Honeybees Build Books: A Journey Through Time
An insight into how honeybees and their products have innovatively changed literature
137 views
1 comment
Leah Theusch
May 1, 20204 min read
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...
252 views
0 comments
Tony Gronski
Apr 30, 20204 min read
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...
567 views
4 comments
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