Illustrated Cairo Genizah, Book Nooks, and Libraries in Fiction : October Books Roundup
The Illustrated Cairo Genizah
Our regular look at the new books that have recently caught the eye of our print and online editors this month.
The Illustrated Cairo Genizah by Nick Posegay and Melonie Schmierer-Lee
The first illustrated introduction to the Cairo Genizah manuscripts at Cambridge University Library. Published by Gorgias Press, who call it a coffee table book, it celebrates 50 years since the Genizah Research Unit at the University of Cambridge was founded to research the thousands of paper and parchment fragments discovered in a hidden storage chamber in Cairo's synagogue. It includes more than 300 full-colour manuscript images featuring ancient Bibles, medieval magic and Renaissance printing presses, to underline the multicultural life of the medieval Middle East.
The Strange Genius of Ignatius Donnelly: The Populist Who Debunked Shakespeare and Found Atlantis by Zachary Michael Jack
A biography of Congressman, populist and fringe theorist Ignatius Donnelly popularized the Shakespeare authorship controversy using cryptograms which "revealed" the true author of Shakespeare's plays. From Northern Illinois University Press.
Medieval Women: Voices & Visions edited by Eleanor Jackson and Julian Harrison
Published in conjunction with the British Library's major exhibition which opens at the end of this month, an illustrated, large format volume of essays which focuses on women's voices, visions and experiences in Britain and Europe from around 1100 to 1500 including Christine de Pizan, Joan of Arc and Julian of Norwich.
Lewis Carroll: Collections and Collectors by Edward Guiliano
A look at the history and culture of collecting the works of Lewis Carroll and the industry of Carrolliana items and art through 10 major private collections and their collectors from around the world. Includes an introduction to the history of collecting Carrolliana. Published by University of Virginia Press.
Book Nooks: Inspired Ideas for Cozy Reading Corners and Stylish Book Displays by Vanessa Dina, Claire Gilhuly, and Antonis Achilleos
An inspirational interior décor book from Chronicle Books packed to the gills with photos of nice places in which to read and creative ways to store your books at home.
The Book, The Whole Book, and Nothing But: Making books, the Incline Press way
Two essays written by Graham Moss about making books by hand at Incline Press. Illustrated throughout using reproduction blocks of Jost Amman's woodcuts from his Book of Trades in the 1560's.
The Mysterious Case of the Victorian Female Detective by Sara Lodge
From Yale University Press, Lodge looks at Victorian women detectives and their impact in Victorian melodrama and popular fiction on both sides of the Atlantic.
Books, Readers and Libraries in Fiction edited by Karen Attar and Andrew Nash
A collection of essays covering the depiction of books, libraries and reading in fiction from medieval times to the present day. Published by University of London Press.
The Cyrus Cylinder: The Great Persian Edict from Babylon edited by Irving Finkel
Discovered in what is now Iraq in 1879, this clay cylinder-shaped decree from Cyrus the Great was inscribed with an account of the conquest of Babylon in 539 BC by the Persian king. Experts from the British Museum discuss its importance and relevance alongside a complete new translation. From Bloomsbury Academic.
The Ecological Plot: How Stories Gave Rise to a Science by John MacNeill Miller
MacNeill Miller examines the impact of narrative storytelling on ecological science including the exchanges between political economist Thomas Robert Malthus, writer Harriet Martineau, and naturalist Charles Darwin, as well as the influence of Elizabeth Gaskell, George Eliot, and Thomas Hardy on Aldo Leopold and Rachel Carson. University of Virginia Press.
Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.: Citizen Printer by Myron Beasley and Kelly Walters
A survey of the work of the Detroit-based letterpress printer and his type-driven posters calling for racial justice, with 800 reproductions of Kennedy’s posters and prints. From Letterform Archive Books.
The Brothers Grimm: A Biography by Ann Schmiesing
The first English-language biography of Jacob and Wilhelm and their work - including their dictionary project - for half a century. Published by Yale University Press.
