Library Blogs

Magpie Murders is a clever mystery within a mystery. It begins with Susan Ryeland, an editor for a London publishing house, reading the last manuscript by a recently deceased mystery author. Then you read the manuscript along with her: a classic English village mystery in the style of Agatha Christie. Frustratingly, it cuts off just before the solution is revealed, and the rest of the book returns to the present day as Susan searches for the missing chapters. Soon enough you learn that the author of the manuscript was murdered, and Susan has to find the real-life murderer as well as the pages that will reveal the murderer in the fictional world.

Join the Special Collections Research Center in Hatcher next Tuesday (11 October) at 4 pm for our second After Hours open house of the term exploring the Arabic devotional compendium Dalāʼil al-khayrāt!

We are pleased to invite you to a panel regarding the discovery of the forgery of our Galileo manuscript: October 6, @7:00 pm. Hosted by the U-M Detroit Observatory in Ann Arbor, Nick Wilding (Georgia State University) and Pablo Alvarez (University of Michigan Library) will be discussing various aspects surrounding this extraordinary document, including its alleged historical significance, the fascinating process establishing it as a 20th-century fake, and the lessons that we can all learn from the unmasking of this forgery.

I’m delighted to be able to announce, finally, that all of Asia Library is open for use. Our hours are the same as those of Hatcher Library. Asia Library has undergone a significant renovation: the creation of the Mayumi and Masao Oka Tadoku Room.

Join the Special Collections Research Center next Tuesday (13 September) at 4 pm (Eastern) for our first After Hours virtual open house of the term with the curators of A Perfect Pairing!

In this mystery, one of a series set in Gilded Age New York, Prudence MacKenzie, a judge's daughter turned detective, and Geoffrey Hunter, a former Pinkerton agent, search for two missing children--a brother and sister--in the streets of New York. They learn that the missing girl has been sold into prostitution, and, with the help of historical figures such as Jacob Riis and Nellie Bly, attempt to rescue the children. The book paints a detailed portrait of life in New York in the 1890s, from the parlors of the wealthy to the sordid streets and alleyways of the tenements.

We are excited to continue our After Hours open houses this semester, online and in person! Join us on the second Tuesday of each month at 4 pm for an encounter with our collections.

Culinary historian and Adjunct Curator Janice Bluestein Longone passed away on August 3, 2022 at the age of 89. Jan was the principal donor and driving force behind the formation of the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive, the culmination of a life-long interest in culinary history that she shared with her husband Dan Longone, University of Michigan Chemistry Professor Emeritus.

Happy August! It’s that time of year– back to school. While starting or resuming school can lead to feelings from being worried to being excited, it’s a phase of change for everyone involved. We want to recommend books that have characters that are also going through huge changes and having their coming of age moments. While you read and cheer them on, make sure you cheer yourself on and care for your wellness as you are transitioning. We wish you a fantastic school year– Go Blue!

Newly cataloged for the Jewish Heritage Collection: a poster announcing the premier presentation in Philadelphia of the Yiddish play Milchume kalles (The Jewish War Brides) at the Arch Street Theater. Gift of Elliot H. Gertel.