Dispatches from the Newberry stacks, where millions of historic items are ready to be discovered—and blogged about.
Blog—Source Material
Let's take a look at some historical pop-up books in action.
The Newberry recently acquired the archives of Dinkel's Bakery, a landmark of the Lakeview neighborhood that closed its doors in 2022.
Letters, diaries, and photographs record a multi-generational family story spanning the Great Depression, World War II, and the Civil Rights movement.
The Newberry recently acquired a small pamphlet from the mid-20th century containing traditional recipes from the Native people of the Great Plains. The pamphlet...
Another year of humanities research at the Newberry is in the books. That means it’s time to review the five most popular Newberry collection...
The figure wearing a red coat in a reindeer-powered sleigh isn't actually Santa. Who is he?
Deciphering old handwriting can be challenging. If you don't know know the methods that were used to teach and learn handwriting in the past...
An art form dating back to the 9th century, microcalligraphy challenges us to rethink what can be created with pen and ink.
The Newberry Magazine recently interviewed Meredith McCoy about her work and involvement with the ongoing Indigenous Chicago project.
Feeling abandoned (ghosted, one might say) by his editor, Jack Kerouac sent him a one-word postcard to get his attention. "On the Road" would...
Women were both active consumers and creators of writing manuals during the early modern era.
Soon after the Newberry building opened in 1893, pollution from a nearby coal-fired power plan started to stain its beautiful exterior.