James Ford Bell Library

07/14/2026

New blog post!

Share this article: Share on X (Twitter) Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on...

06/15/2026

Fascinating pieces of ephemera - price lists for goods from around the world being sold in Europe.
goods

06/12/2026

From the epic 18th-century love/horror poem "Leonora," by Gottfried Buergher, here in English translation.
Pretty metal!

04/17/2026

-"The Worlds of William Shakespeare"-
Join Archives & Special Collections for a pop-up exhibit on the occasion of Shakespeare Day - April 23! We'll feature items honoring the life and legacy of William Shakespeare, including stage architecture, costume design, theatrical scrapbooks, and modern and historical interpretations of his plays and poetry.
libnews.umn.edu/event/the-worlds-of-william-shakespeare-pop-up-exhibit/

03/31/2026

From the English version of Giambattista della Porta's "Natural Magic" (1669) : various "secrets" for the beautification of women, plus one set of recipes to be used for "sport" ! Although pictures of pages full of words don't generally make exciting posts, take a closer look at the ingredients and purposes for these recipes. They do not disappoint!
"Magiae Naturalis" was originally published in Italy in 1558, and became immensely popular over the course of the 16th and 17th centuries.

03/26/2026

Images from the "Margarita Philosophica" by Gregor Reisch (d. 1525). Published in Freiburg I'm Breisgau in 1503, it is an early encyclopedic work. Bell call # 1503 Re.

03/25/2026

Chinese women as depicted in various European travel narratives between 1599 and 1750.

01/23/2026

So cold in Minneapolis today!! -20 F before the windchill factor! Stay safe, Everyone!

01/22/2026

Arctic cold in 1819!
(From John Ross's narrative, Bell # 1819 Ro)

01/21/2026

It's snowing again in Minneapolis - nice weather for taking the babies out to play! Rococo images from Abbe Chappe d'Auteroche's account of a journey to Siberia in the 1760s (Bell Call # 1768 fCh).