From The Editor
In 2004, The Huntington’s book and paper conservators moved into a new work space on the second floor of the Munger Research Center. Much bigger, brighter, and better equipped than the old one, the Conservation Lab heralded a new era for staff members charged with preserving the 8 million plus books, manuscripts, and ephemera from the Library collection.
Crafting a Community
California ceramist Harrison McIntosh is internationally recognized for the elegant stoneware he began creating in the 1950s and has continued to refine and develop over the course of his long and distinguished career. The simple lines of his forms and their softly curving silhouettes reference the human body or elements of nature, including gourds, eggs, and other natural forms.
A Convenient Truth
When John Trager talks about the plants available through The Huntington’s International Succulents Introductions (ISI) program, it’s almost like he’s trying to find homes for beloved pets. “This one will end up with big prominent teeth,” he says of the beauty called Agave guiengola ‘Moto Sierra,’ referring to the serrated edges of the long leaves.
Changing the Subject
The War of 1812 “looms small in American memory,” writes Alan Taylor in his new book The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, and Indian Allies (Alfred A. Knopf, 2010). “At best,” the Pulitzer Prize–winning historian from the University of California, Davis, continues, “Americans barely recall…a handful of patriotic episodes.”
Historians of Alchemy Find Community
Bruce Moran likes to tell the story of Diogini Marmi, a 17th-century Italian potter who kept a diary in which he recorded the secrets of his trade, including recipes for glazes and tips on how to sustain the fire in his kiln. He also collected writings about alchemy.
A Sampling of Books Based on Research in the Collections
Publishing across The Huntington’s Research Institutes.
