Published: Boston, 1930 When the Boston Stock Exchange was organized in 1834, the typical trading scene was a far cry from the chaotic, electronic scene of today. “In the old days,” we learn, “there were no telephones, no tickers, no wildly gesticulating crowds. A ‘seat’ was a literal fact at that time, for every member had a particular chair and desk and was forbidden to trade out of it.” The text maintains this light and informative tone. At the same time, though, the Exchange exploits the opportunity presented by this publication to boldly endorse its own existence. It reminds readers, […]

Published: Philadelphia, 1929 85 years before MIT’s sesquicentennial, the United States celebrated a 150th birthday of its own. The Sesqui-Centennial International Exhibition was held in Philadelphia from May 31 through November 30, 1926 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As the introduction to this text breathlessly declares, the fair “invited the American people to assemble at the most sacred spot on the American continent; upon the most important date in the entire history of political liberty; and to commemorate an event farther reaching in its effect than any which has transpired since the […]

Published: New York, 1928. Walk into any rare book library and chances are the librarian could retrieve a modest selection of fine leather bindings. Made from materials of the highest quality and crafted by expert hands, these bindings are generally found on books befitting such special treatment – literary landmarks, important first editions, and unique manuscripts are good examples. It’s much less common, however, to see a fine binding on an ordinary Funk & Wagnalls English language dictionary from 1928. This particular dictionary was bound for and sold by Yamanaka & Company, a prestigious international firm specializing in Asian art […]

Published: Baltimore, 1927 Upon graduating from MIT in 1881, Edward Royal Warren left his native Massachusetts and headed west to the silver fields and mining camps of Colorado. He worked for 20 years as an engineer, all the while observing Colorado’s wildlife. Around 1900, he began to devote himself entirely to natural history. In the 40 years that followed, this “amateur” became the foremost authority on Colorado’s mammals, writing the two go-to books on the subject, in addition to publishing nearly 100 articles on mammals and birds. One indication of the esteem in which his colleagues held Warren is the […]

Published: London and New York, 1926 Countless people love Shakespeare’s Tempest. As with so much of Shakespeare, there are also innumerable people who don’t think they know the play at all but who still, in a sense, can be said to love it too: it’s filled with such beautiful imagery and such gorgeous poetry that pieces of it have become treasured parts of our shared language. Full fathom five thy father lies Of his bones are coral made: Those are pearls that were his eyes: Nothing of him that doth fade, But doth suffer a sea-change Into something rich and […]

Published: New York, 1925 This survey of French bridges was printed in France in an edition of 1000 by the American Institute of Architects. MIT’s copy is number 841. It’s tied prettily with three golden cloth ribbons – a charming but practical feature, since the folio pages are not bound, and could otherwise become separated from the volume. That’s one reason why this book and others like it (whether because of age, scarcity, or fragility) are shelved in the secure and climate-controlled Limited Access Collection of MIT’s Rotch Library. The frontispiece quotes Paul Séjourné (a French engineer who was awarded […]

Published: London, 1924 MIT’s copy of this illustrated book on Stonehenge is something special. It belonged to Harold “Doc” Edgerton (1903-1990), the MIT Institute Professor who perfected the electronic stroboscope. Edgerton has pasted many of his own photographs of Stonehenge into his copy, turning it into a volume that’s been “extra-illustrated” by a notable figure in the history of photography. On the book’s front endpapers, Edgerton noted where and when he acquired it; his inscription reads,“Harold E. Edgerton, Aug. 1944. Purchased in Oxford, Eng.” Below that, in pencil and alongside a close-up of two uniformed men at Stonehenge, is written, […]

Published: New York, 1923 While it’s best known for science (and for its scientists), MIT also boasts an impressive array of musical talent. Nearly half of MIT’s undergraduates participate in the Music Program, and there are dozens of active music-performance groups on campus. Of course not everyone plays music, but nearly everyone can appreciate it. Today’s featured item, How to Listen to Music, provides instruction for the non-musician in how to listen more effectively, and therefore, at least in theory, with more enjoyment. Henry Krehbiel (1854-1923) was a notable music critic in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Though […]

Published: New York, 1922 This elaborately titled volume was published by the Champion Coated Paper Company to showcase and market its various paper lines. Today, the book serves as a valuable reference work covering the paper types and printing processes of the early 20th century. Coated paper, as the name implies, is coated on one or both sides with a mixture of binder and pigment; the resulting paper provides an excellent base for printing. The coating, when burnished, creates an enamel-like surface, which explains several of the company’s fanciful product names for their enamel papers: Aigrette, Wedgewood, Velvett and Hingefold […]

Published: London, 1921 During the Industrial Revolution, the physical well-being of workers was of little concern to the typical employer. Small children were regularly shoved up chimneys, and were also expected to pick out broken threads from massive machines that were still running. In the 1910s and 20s, female workers at the United States Radium Corporation ingested radioactive materials as they licked the tips of their radium-laden brushes in an effort to paint glow-in-the-dark numbers precisely as their employers demanded. Eventually, though, the health of workers would come to be seen as a worthy consideration for industry. Edgar Collis and […]