Advertising was at the heart of Johann Strauss Senior’s Viennese dance empire. Always on the lookout for gimmicks to whet the public appetite for new dances, his grasp of popular culture was brilliant: dance titles made reference to current political, cultural, and scientific events, visiting dignitaries and performers, themes and arias from the most popular Read More

Two finding aids for newly cataloged collections have been added to the OASIS database this month: the sermons of a Connecticut clergyman at the turn of the 19th century and a collection of portrait prints of theatrical, literary, and historical personalities. Processed by Ashley M. Nary: Portrait Prints of Notable 16th – 19th-Century Personalities, 1720-1914 Read More

It was anatomy that gained Robert Burton fame, but heredity that made him endure. The clergyman (1577-1640) rose to prominence with the 1621 publication of The Anatomy of Melancholy. His treatment of the subject, broad in scope but humorously wrought, ensured Burton’s admiration by fellow authors. Anatomy’s influence did not ensure, however, that Burton’s other Read More