World-renowned ragtime pianist Johnny Maddox died at the age of 91 on November 27, 2018. In 1970, Mr. Maddox deposited much of his vintage performing arts collection to BYU. Centering on ephemera from the first half of the 20th century, this included collections on American theatre, motion pictures, circus life, vaudeville and magic. All …
L. Tom Perry Special Collections is pleased to announce the availability of a new digitized collection: Original letters from Eliza to Yorick (MSS SC 4). This is a bound volume of twelve handwritten letters supposedly written by Elizabeth Draper to Yorick (Laurence Sterne) prior to her departure from England for India in 1767. The manuscript is …
L. Tom Perry Special Collections is pleased to announce the availability of a new digitized collection: Franklin Raymond Farr autobiography (MSS 8907). This item contains the original handwritten life story of Franklin Raymond Farr, which includes autobiographical information about Farr from his birth in Ohio in 1837 to his later years in Spanish Fork, Utah, and memories …
L. Tom Perry Special Collections is pleased to announce the availability of a new digitized collection: William McLachlan journal (MSS 7690, box 5, fd. 1). This journal is a single small notebook belonging to William McLachlan, father of Alice McLachlan Rich. The notebook is a calendar diary of 1888. Entries date from between September and December. …
Planning your Turkey Bowl or your fantasy team for this Thanksgiving? Even a century ago, football was still a main feature of the holiday weekend, as demonstrated by this 1905 issue of the long-running serial Tip Top Weekly. Branded “An Ideal Publication for the American Youth,” Tip Top Weekly churned out wildly popular adventure and …
It’s that time of year again! Our annual exhibit titled “History of Doctrine and Covenants, 1833-1921” is on display now in L. Tom Perry Special Collections. This exhibit takes the viewer through the history of the Doctrine and Covenants, from handwritten manuscripts to being published in book form in 1835. Later editions with significant additions or …
L. Tom Perry Special Collections is pleased to announce the availability of a new digitized collection: Lucy H. Flake journals (MSS SC 13). The collection includes three handwritten journals which contain Flake’s autobiography, covering the years 1842 to 1894. These items include details of her life in Beaver, Utah, and a detailed account of her experience …
Tradition says that Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of Wittenberg’s parish church on October 31, 1517. Over the next few years, thanks to the power of the printing press, Luther’s ideas would spread across Europe and spark a new religious movement. Luther even inspired poetry! These two pieces, one well-known and …
It’s October, when Special Collections puts some of the most spooky, odd, and macabre objects in our collections on display. From Renaissance demonology to the first edition of Dracula, our newest exhibit, “Strange Things in the Archives” will get you in the mood for Halloween, or at least American Archives Month!
Cicero was a huge deal in the Renaissance. Manuscripts of the classical Roman statesman’s letters and speeches were rediscovered by the Italian humanists Francesco Petrarch and Poggio Bracciolini in the 14th and 15th centuries, leading to new interest and dissemination of his works among scholars. Many Renaissance humanists adored Cicero’s prose style, and his work …