Students conversing outside Connelly Center, 1990s.
Whether you’re studying or catching up with some friends, we hope you enjoy this warm February day, Wildcats! Photo courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.
Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library.
Hang in there, Wildcats! Finals will be over soon, and you can breathe a sigh of relief and dance (maybe not on any tabletops.) Good luck—You got this! Image courtesy of the 1968 Belle Air (page 23) via the Villanova University Digital Library. Read the full yearbook here.
Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library. Her finals study tip: Get enough rest!
The Villanova Digital Library recently added a title that had not been previously digitized elsewhere: a 1914 edition of Divry’s vest-pocket English-Greek and Greek-English dictionary, published in New York by Demosthenes Constantopoulos Divry (1877-1927). An introductory letter, written in the formal “katharevousa” form of Greek prevalent in writings of the time, describes the book as “a necessary and trustworthy advisor to the Greek in America.” To that end, the dictionary includes not only translations from English to Greek and vice versa, but also useful appendices on irregular English verbs, major holidays, units of measurement, currency exchange rates, epistolary conventions, USPS mailing conventions, and more.
Title page of Divry’s dictionary
Introductory letter in Divry’s dictionary
It is evident that the book was heavily used by a previous owner, likely the “Andreas” mentioned in an inscription on the rear pastedown. As other inscriptions on the front pastedown and elsewhere indicate, a reader added words that were not already present in the dictionary. Moreover, the US map listed on the table of contents was seemingly torn out by a reader who presumably found it useful. It is uncertain whether the book was primarily used by a Greek immigrant adjusting to American society or a student of English in Greece. Inscriptions on the rear pastedown mention two streets located at the heart of Athens: Ermou and Papagianni. Ermou cuts through the Monastiraki neighborhood, which is adjacent to historic sites like Hadrian’s Library, the Stoa of Attalos, and the Acropolis of Athens. Monastiraki is known for its flea markets and shops that sell historical materials; Divry’s 1914 dictionary was found in one of these shops.
View of Monastiraki Square, Athens, Greece. Courtesy of Aggelos1357 via Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication)
The Villanova Digital Library preserves and offers access to rare materials that shed light on human experiences during various periods of history, such as Divry’s 1914 dictionary. The book joins the growing number of titles on the Digital Library that relate to modern Greek history, like the recently digitized early-twentieth-century souvenir album with photographs of Corfu.
Collection Source: Box 1, Folder 5, VUA 35-26-vf Villanova Photograph Collection. Villanova University Archives, Villanova University. Football (Varsity), (1 item / 19 x 23.6 cm), undated.
Image courtesy of Distinctive Collections.
Image courtesy of Distinctive Collections.
Happy September, Wildcats! Football season is officially upon us. The Wildcats recently beat the Lehigh Mountain Hawks at our home opener. To honor the first game at home for the 2022 season, we’ve collected some images from the 1937 and 1938 seasons to honor the legacy of the Wildcat Football Team. Go ‘Cats!
Anna Jankowski ’23 CLAS is a senior Communication Major from just outside Baltimore who works as a Communication & Marketing Assistant in Falvey.
Photo courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.
Sunday, July 17 is National Ice Cream Day! Try some homemade ice cream this weekend with recipes from Fannie Merritt Farmer. The tasty treats were published in the August 1910 edition of Woman’s Home Companion (page 32). We suggest trying the Philadelphia Vanilla Ice Cream! Read the full magazine here.
Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.
Photo courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.
It’s World Chocolate Day! Searching for some delicious recipes? Look no further than this handbook by Frank Tousey published in 1891. How to Make Candy: A Complete Hand Book for Making All Kinds of Candy, Ice Cream Syrups, Essences, Etc. Etc. features some tasty chocolate dishes (beginning on page 10), including vanilla chocolate, chocolate drops with nonpareils, cinnamon chocolate, chocolate harlequin pistachios, and many more! Explore additional recipes in the Villanova University Digital Library.
Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.
Collection Source: Box 01, Folder 95, VUA 35/7. Photograph, Raising the American Flag, 1946. Villanova University Archives.
This image from the Villanova University Digital Library features two officers raising the American flag in 1946. Have a great Independence Day, Nova Nation!
Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.
Image courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.
Image courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.
This week’s Throwback Thursday (TBT) is an excerpt from the book How to Entertain a Social Party: A Complete Guide to Home Amusement and Entertainment by Nellie Greenway. Published in 1890 by the J.S. Ogilvie Publishing Co. (New York), the book describes numerous magic tricks people can partake in to amuse their party guests. The images above (pp. 105-106) provide directions for producing beautiful fireworks in a miniature. With the Fourth of July holiday only a few days away, we advise against trying this particular trick at home. Instead of lighting fireworks, the book lists many fun illusions to entertain partygoers. Check them out here. Have a safe and fun Independence Day, Wildcats!
Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.
Old Broadbrim Weekly, no. 30, April 25, 1903. Photo courtesy of the Villanova University Digital Library.
On this day in history (June 16, 1884), the first roller coaster in America opened at Coney Island, in Brooklyn, New York. “Known as a switchback railway, it was the brainchild of LaMarcus Thompson, traveled approximately six miles per hour and cost a nickel to ride.” This week’s “Throwback Thursday” (TBT) is a dime novel from Falvey’s Dime Novel and Popular Literature collection. Follow Detective Josiah Broadbrim as he looks to solve a mystery on Coney Island. Read the full story here.
Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library. Her favorite amusement park is Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.
Replica of The Lincoln Bible.
This Presidents’ Day, stop by Falvey Memorial Library’s first floor to view a replica of “The Lincoln Bible.” Used during his inauguration in 1861, the Lincoln Bible didn’t actually belong to the President. The clerk of the Supreme Court, William Thomas Carroll, was the owner of the Bible Lincoln placed his hand upon. The Bible remained in Carroll’s possession until it was acquired by the Lincoln family sometime after the president’s assassination in 1865. Now known as “The Lincoln Bible,” the original copy is currently housed in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The Lincoln Bible was used by President Barack Obama at his inaugurations in 2009 and 2013. President Donald Trump also used the Bible at his inauguration in 2017.
The replica mirrors The Lincoln Bible as it appeared in 1861, as it was not possible to duplicate the wear and fading of the original copy. More features of the replica are listed below:
The Lincoln Bible will be on display in the Library’s first floor Wednesday, Feb. 16, through Monday, Feb. 28.
Dig deeper: You can now view a Bible Lincoln previously owned. The new Lincoln Bible resurfaced in 2019 and is on display at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill. Gifted to Lincoln in 1864 at a charity event in Philadelphia, the cover reads, “Presented to Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, by the Ladies of the Citizens Volunteer Hospital of Philadelphia.”
Mary Lincoln gave the Bible to the Rev. Noyes W. Miner, a friend of the President, seven years after her husband’s death. Having been passed down through the generations, Miner’s descendants recently disclosed its existence and donated it to the public.
For more on President Lincoln, whose 213th birthday is Feb. 12, check out the links below:
Looking for a specific resource on President Lincoln? Contact, Jutta Seibert, History Librarian. A special thank you to Andrew McKeough, ’19 CLAS for the exhibit concept.
Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Memorial Library.
References: