Christine Jacobson
@cejacobson.bsky.social
Associate Curator of Modern Books & Manuscripts @ Houghton Library, Harvard University
newsletter on cultural heritage x fashion: luxelibris.substack.com
writing, projects, frivolity, etc: linktr.ee/cejacobson
newsletter on cultural heritage x fashion: luxelibris.substack.com
writing, projects, frivolity, etc: linktr.ee/cejacobson
Pinned
a century later, one of the great working girl narratives with a relevant as ever screwball premise will be reprinted with a new foreword and afterword by @mollybrrown.bsky.social and me. The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher is out from QLB books April 7!
quiteliterallybooks.com/product/the-...
quiteliterallybooks.com/product/the-...
longtime LRB reader and supporter, but this review made me see red. (so much so, considering writing my first letter to the editor.) why would LRB choose someone with so much clear disdain for his subject to review her biography?
‘Muriel Spark seems not quite jokingly to have thought of herself as writing the world into existence.’
Colin Burrow on Spark’s life, work and letters: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Colin Burrow on Spark’s life, work and letters: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Colin Burrow · World-Beating Buster-Upper: Muriel Spark’s Wickedness
The characteristic flavour of Spark’s writing was that of a Catholic ironist, for whom the terrible and the laughable...
www.lrb.co.uk
October 20, 2025 at 2:33 PM
longtime LRB reader and supporter, but this review made me see red. (so much so, considering writing my first letter to the editor.) why would LRB choose someone with so much clear disdain for his subject to review her biography?
would watch the Howard Hawks version
Purdue to the rescue of IU student newspaper, whose institution was attempting censorship. Details in alt!
October 20, 2025 at 12:21 PM
would watch the Howard Hawks version
Reposted by Christine Jacobson
#tinyjoys
#abstraction
Is this, in miniature, the most Henry Jamesian exchange EVER?
"But isn't he tremendously deep in ---." He hesitated.
"Deep in what?"
"Well, in what's going on, beneath the surface. Doesn't he belong to things?"
"I'm sure I don't know what he belongs to"
(Princess Casamassima)
#abstraction
Is this, in miniature, the most Henry Jamesian exchange EVER?
"But isn't he tremendously deep in ---." He hesitated.
"Deep in what?"
"Well, in what's going on, beneath the surface. Doesn't he belong to things?"
"I'm sure I don't know what he belongs to"
(Princess Casamassima)
September 16, 2025 at 10:38 PM
#tinyjoys
#abstraction
Is this, in miniature, the most Henry Jamesian exchange EVER?
"But isn't he tremendously deep in ---." He hesitated.
"Deep in what?"
"Well, in what's going on, beneath the surface. Doesn't he belong to things?"
"I'm sure I don't know what he belongs to"
(Princess Casamassima)
#abstraction
Is this, in miniature, the most Henry Jamesian exchange EVER?
"But isn't he tremendously deep in ---." He hesitated.
"Deep in what?"
"Well, in what's going on, beneath the surface. Doesn't he belong to things?"
"I'm sure I don't know what he belongs to"
(Princess Casamassima)
Reposted by Christine Jacobson
Hey, Bostonians & more far-flung friends, the Novel Theory seminar I co-convene at Harvard has a cool line-up for the fall: a roundtable on the Novel in the Age of AI, Margaret Cohen on Claire de Duras, JC Cloutier on Nick Drnaso.
You are so welcome to join us! (occasionally even on Zoom)
You are so welcome to join us! (occasionally even on Zoom)
September 9, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Hey, Bostonians & more far-flung friends, the Novel Theory seminar I co-convene at Harvard has a cool line-up for the fall: a roundtable on the Novel in the Age of AI, Margaret Cohen on Claire de Duras, JC Cloutier on Nick Drnaso.
You are so welcome to join us! (occasionally even on Zoom)
You are so welcome to join us! (occasionally even on Zoom)
in which @tricialockwood.bsky.social refuses to see the glass flowers at Harvard's natural history museum after too many of us insist that she go (we really are like that I'm afraid) (I sympathize with her completely)
‘We agreed, before the event, to deface my Wikipedia entry and say I was a supporter of Manchester United. This was the sort of thing that was funny to me now.’
A Diary by @tricialockwood.bsky.social: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
A Diary by @tricialockwood.bsky.social: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Patricia Lockwood · Diary: Back to the Rectory
It was our first visit to Kansas City since before the election and the rectory seemed to have grown smaller, darker,...
www.lrb.co.uk
September 2, 2025 at 11:25 AM
in which @tricialockwood.bsky.social refuses to see the glass flowers at Harvard's natural history museum after too many of us insist that she go (we really are like that I'm afraid) (I sympathize with her completely)
Reposted by Christine Jacobson
Rent our Vandercook No. 4 flatbed presses! The Tulsa (1948) is open to all; the Nahant (1951) is for production renters. Slower but super precise—great for deep impressions and perfect for beginners. Contact us via Linktree or website to learn more!
#letterpress #bostonprinter #letterpressrental
#letterpress #bostonprinter #letterpressrental
August 14, 2025 at 10:54 AM
Rent our Vandercook No. 4 flatbed presses! The Tulsa (1948) is open to all; the Nahant (1951) is for production renters. Slower but super precise—great for deep impressions and perfect for beginners. Contact us via Linktree or website to learn more!
#letterpress #bostonprinter #letterpressrental
#letterpress #bostonprinter #letterpressrental
Reposted by Christine Jacobson
Well, @sibyllacumae.bsky.social and I are back (on schedule), with a longer-ish issue - we're talking about bindings! Read it here: 📜 #bookhistory
open.substack.com/pub/twohalfs...
open.substack.com/pub/twohalfs...
On Bindings (August 7/8)
we were bound to talk about them sometime...
open.substack.com
August 8, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Well, @sibyllacumae.bsky.social and I are back (on schedule), with a longer-ish issue - we're talking about bindings! Read it here: 📜 #bookhistory
open.substack.com/pub/twohalfs...
open.substack.com/pub/twohalfs...
Reposted by Christine Jacobson
"I think it is the very best story of diablerie which I have read for many years."
In August 1897, Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a letter to Bram Stoker to let him know how much he enjoyed #Dracula. Today you can read the letter here @ransomcenter.bsky.social! (HT @ecolleary.bsky.social)
#booksky 🗃️📜🦇
In August 1897, Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a letter to Bram Stoker to let him know how much he enjoyed #Dracula. Today you can read the letter here @ransomcenter.bsky.social! (HT @ecolleary.bsky.social)
#booksky 🗃️📜🦇
August 8, 2025 at 3:35 PM
"I think it is the very best story of diablerie which I have read for many years."
In August 1897, Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a letter to Bram Stoker to let him know how much he enjoyed #Dracula. Today you can read the letter here @ransomcenter.bsky.social! (HT @ecolleary.bsky.social)
#booksky 🗃️📜🦇
In August 1897, Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a letter to Bram Stoker to let him know how much he enjoyed #Dracula. Today you can read the letter here @ransomcenter.bsky.social! (HT @ecolleary.bsky.social)
#booksky 🗃️📜🦇
how incredible is this? typewriter as piece of type! 📜
July 18, 2025 at 2:47 PM
how incredible is this? typewriter as piece of type! 📜
Ten* (could only get to nine) authors by whom I’ve read more than five* (actually in most cases I've read *just* five) books
Lev Tolstoy
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Henry James
Jane Austen
The Bronte Sisters (cheating!)
Raymond Chandler
Barbara Pym
Zadie Smith
Gary Shteyngart
Lev Tolstoy
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Henry James
Jane Austen
The Bronte Sisters (cheating!)
Raymond Chandler
Barbara Pym
Zadie Smith
Gary Shteyngart
Ten authors by whom I’ve read more than five books — of course I forget a ton; and I’m taking this as a request for fiction:
Ursula K. Le Guin
Connie Willis
Octavia E. Butler
Jorge Luis Borges
Umberto Eco
Italo Calvino
Neal Stephenson
William Gibson
Agatha Christie
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Ursula K. Le Guin
Connie Willis
Octavia E. Butler
Jorge Luis Borges
Umberto Eco
Italo Calvino
Neal Stephenson
William Gibson
Agatha Christie
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Ten authors by whom I’ve read more than 5 books:
Daphne Du Maurier
Iain M. Banks
James M. Cain
Cornell Woolrich
Rachel Ingalls
Stephen King
Charles Dickens
Margaret Millar
P.G. Wodehouse
Georgette Heyer
Daphne Du Maurier
Iain M. Banks
James M. Cain
Cornell Woolrich
Rachel Ingalls
Stephen King
Charles Dickens
Margaret Millar
P.G. Wodehouse
Georgette Heyer
July 14, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Ten* (could only get to nine) authors by whom I’ve read more than five* (actually in most cases I've read *just* five) books
Lev Tolstoy
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Henry James
Jane Austen
The Bronte Sisters (cheating!)
Raymond Chandler
Barbara Pym
Zadie Smith
Gary Shteyngart
Lev Tolstoy
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Henry James
Jane Austen
The Bronte Sisters (cheating!)
Raymond Chandler
Barbara Pym
Zadie Smith
Gary Shteyngart
Reposted by Christine Jacobson
The printing press is not responsible for launching Europe into modernity, nor did it transform society overnight. Folks like Sam Altman & other tech boosters are obsessed w this misperception bc it provides a precedent for AI. A recent article I wrote touches on this. Abstract & links in replies.
July 10, 2025 at 11:52 AM
The printing press is not responsible for launching Europe into modernity, nor did it transform society overnight. Folks like Sam Altman & other tech boosters are obsessed w this misperception bc it provides a precedent for AI. A recent article I wrote touches on this. Abstract & links in replies.
And with 12 hours to spare I've finished my paper and slide deck!
3:30PM! tomorrow! come learn who typed the poetry and prose of Emily Dickinson, Henry James, T.S. Eliot, & Vladimir Nabokov. Plus! Erin McGuirl talking secretary manuals and Dale Stinchcomb on broadway script production! #SHARP2025
3:30PM! tomorrow! come learn who typed the poetry and prose of Emily Dickinson, Henry James, T.S. Eliot, & Vladimir Nabokov. Plus! Erin McGuirl talking secretary manuals and Dale Stinchcomb on broadway script production! #SHARP2025
hey #SHARP2025 good news, I have started work on my slides for my presentation that starts in *checks notes* 48 hours
July 10, 2025 at 1:05 AM
And with 12 hours to spare I've finished my paper and slide deck!
3:30PM! tomorrow! come learn who typed the poetry and prose of Emily Dickinson, Henry James, T.S. Eliot, & Vladimir Nabokov. Plus! Erin McGuirl talking secretary manuals and Dale Stinchcomb on broadway script production! #SHARP2025
3:30PM! tomorrow! come learn who typed the poetry and prose of Emily Dickinson, Henry James, T.S. Eliot, & Vladimir Nabokov. Plus! Erin McGuirl talking secretary manuals and Dale Stinchcomb on broadway script production! #SHARP2025
Reposted by Christine Jacobson
Exciting news, Bluesky! I’m editing a new book series for Bloomsbury with Tom Mole and Lisa Gitelman: Book History for the Future! Do you focus on material textual artifacts and innovative methodologies? We’re actively soliciting proposals, so give us a shout! www.bloomsbury.com/media/cecjzl...
July 8, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Exciting news, Bluesky! I’m editing a new book series for Bloomsbury with Tom Mole and Lisa Gitelman: Book History for the Future! Do you focus on material textual artifacts and innovative methodologies? We’re actively soliciting proposals, so give us a shout! www.bloomsbury.com/media/cecjzl...
Reposted by Christine Jacobson
Printing a broadside at #sharp2025
This is a reproduction of The North Star, 1848 from Frederick Douglas, originally printed about a mile away in Rochester, NY.
This is a reproduction of The North Star, 1848 from Frederick Douglas, originally printed about a mile away in Rochester, NY.
July 8, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Printing a broadside at #sharp2025
This is a reproduction of The North Star, 1848 from Frederick Douglas, originally printed about a mile away in Rochester, NY.
This is a reproduction of The North Star, 1848 from Frederick Douglas, originally printed about a mile away in Rochester, NY.
hey #SHARP2025 good news, I have started work on my slides for my presentation that starts in *checks notes* 48 hours
July 8, 2025 at 4:46 PM
hey #SHARP2025 good news, I have started work on my slides for my presentation that starts in *checks notes* 48 hours
Reposted by Christine Jacobson
Getting my presentation on 1990s zines & small magazine distributors ready for the #SHARP2025 conference next week, super excited to be part of a zine panel.
July 3, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Getting my presentation on 1990s zines & small magazine distributors ready for the #SHARP2025 conference next week, super excited to be part of a zine panel.
seeking advice on bringing babies to conferences! (well, in my case, just the one.) replies or dms welcome.
July 1, 2025 at 1:02 PM
seeking advice on bringing babies to conferences! (well, in my case, just the one.) replies or dms welcome.
learning to like late Henry James is like learning to like jogging— the beginning is a struggle, you have to take lots of breaks, and progress is slow. but when it clicks, you're locked in and soaring!!
June 29, 2025 at 9:38 PM
learning to like late Henry James is like learning to like jogging— the beginning is a struggle, you have to take lots of breaks, and progress is slow. but when it clicks, you're locked in and soaring!!
Movies that feature women typists/working on typewriters? so far I have:
The Best of Everything
Kitty Foyle
His Girl Friday
Woman of the Year
Desk Set
Christmas in Connecticut
Meet John Doe
More than a Secretary
The Spiral Staircase
Working Girl
9-5
The Best of Everything
Kitty Foyle
His Girl Friday
Woman of the Year
Desk Set
Christmas in Connecticut
Meet John Doe
More than a Secretary
The Spiral Staircase
Working Girl
9-5
June 24, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Movies that feature women typists/working on typewriters? so far I have:
The Best of Everything
Kitty Foyle
His Girl Friday
Woman of the Year
Desk Set
Christmas in Connecticut
Meet John Doe
More than a Secretary
The Spiral Staircase
Working Girl
9-5
The Best of Everything
Kitty Foyle
His Girl Friday
Woman of the Year
Desk Set
Christmas in Connecticut
Meet John Doe
More than a Secretary
The Spiral Staircase
Working Girl
9-5
took my daughter to Harvard Square to meet (a historic reenactor playing) Elizabeth Glover, the woman who established the 1st printing press in the colonies.
was a little surprised to see her in Edwardian attire handing out balloons but very little is known about Glover so who am I to judge! 📜
was a little surprised to see her in Edwardian attire handing out balloons but very little is known about Glover so who am I to judge! 📜
June 21, 2025 at 8:07 PM
took my daughter to Harvard Square to meet (a historic reenactor playing) Elizabeth Glover, the woman who established the 1st printing press in the colonies.
was a little surprised to see her in Edwardian attire handing out balloons but very little is known about Glover so who am I to judge! 📜
was a little surprised to see her in Edwardian attire handing out balloons but very little is known about Glover so who am I to judge! 📜
the exhibition I am working on could easily be called "flowers and typewriters" --> just read a detail that Henry James would place a fresh bouquet picked from his lamb house garden next to typist Mary Weld's typewriter each morning
found joy and courage from this image of Vivienne Eliot (first and ill-treated wife of TS) I came across in the stacks this week; sharing in case it helps buoy others.
just look at that defiant pose! and the unapologetic femininity she brought to her workspace. this was a dame.
just look at that defiant pose! and the unapologetic femininity she brought to her workspace. this was a dame.
June 20, 2025 at 4:09 PM
the exhibition I am working on could easily be called "flowers and typewriters" --> just read a detail that Henry James would place a fresh bouquet picked from his lamb house garden next to typist Mary Weld's typewriter each morning
found joy and courage from this image of Vivienne Eliot (first and ill-treated wife of TS) I came across in the stacks this week; sharing in case it helps buoy others.
just look at that defiant pose! and the unapologetic femininity she brought to her workspace. this was a dame.
just look at that defiant pose! and the unapologetic femininity she brought to her workspace. this was a dame.
June 20, 2025 at 1:59 PM
found joy and courage from this image of Vivienne Eliot (first and ill-treated wife of TS) I came across in the stacks this week; sharing in case it helps buoy others.
just look at that defiant pose! and the unapologetic femininity she brought to her workspace. this was a dame.
just look at that defiant pose! and the unapologetic femininity she brought to her workspace. this was a dame.
requested again a book I ILLed last year and to my surprise a few of my brass page tacks were not only left by me (whoops) but also left in place by the ILL and Yale librarians! Lucky break for me; I was looking for this exact passage 📜
June 16, 2025 at 2:03 PM
requested again a book I ILLed last year and to my surprise a few of my brass page tacks were not only left by me (whoops) but also left in place by the ILL and Yale librarians! Lucky break for me; I was looking for this exact passage 📜
happy Father’s Day to my husband whose very funny historical screwball novel has been excerpted again, this time online over at @keep-planning.net 👇
#011 – "The Mazarin Egg Spoon" by Ryan Napier
KEEP PLANNING – Ryan Napier
keep-planning.net
June 15, 2025 at 1:31 PM
happy Father’s Day to my husband whose very funny historical screwball novel has been excerpted again, this time online over at @keep-planning.net 👇