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Yes…I can see it now…you are about to learn about some of the Lilly library’s more mystifying materials, from the sortilege of Curatorial Assistant, Jake Gentry… Trigger warning: Brief mentions of animal sacrifice, and an item’s usage of the term “gypsy” to describe Romani people and tradition. Humans have attempted to peek into the future […]

Curatorial and Outreach Assistant Jake Gentry brings you up to speed on some divine modes of transportation used in world religions and folklore! Trigger Warning: Brief mention of suicide in the Zhong Kui section of this blog. Supernatural means of transport immediately invoke certain images, such as witches on broomsticks, demigods with winged steeds, and […]

Welcome to the third spotlight of the Lilly Library’s Mechanical Puzzle blog series, written by Andrew Rhoda, the Lilly Library’s Curator of Puzzles! The third mechanical puzzle category that Jerry Slocum included in his taxonomy of puzzles is “interlocking puzzles.” Interlocking puzzles are a combination of the first two categories. Here, you must both take […]

Writing about Madeline Kripke’s rich and especially large collection of dictionaries one or two books at a time — the method of this blog — is quixotic enough, but the Lilly Library will go  one better next February and open an exhibit from that collection: ten cases in the north gallery devoted to books and […]

Curatorial and outreach assistant Jake Gentry unleashes a horde of Japanese Yōkai in this first installment of the Beasts of Belief blog series! Japanese folklore is well-known for its supernatural creatures, especially its spirits, which come in a myriad of forms and temperaments. Yōkai (妖怪) are a classification of spirits described by Michael Dylan Foster […]

Curatorial assistant Elizabeth Arterberry highlights acclaimed romance author Johanna Lindsey, who was featured in the Lilly Library’s Love in the Library exhibition! Regardless of their level of familiarity with the romance genre, it is almost certain that frequent browsers of libraries or bookstores will have at least a passing recognition of the most common tropes […]

Curatorial assistant Elizabeth Arterberry explores the exciting world of diseases, geography, and early medical history! Many of the entries that comprise J.K. Lilly’s collection…

Reference assistant Benjamin Yusen delves into the fantastical artwork of J. R. R. Tolkien’s world, complete with dwarves, dragons, and hobbits! Tolkien’s reputation as a professor…

Trigger warning: Post contains brief mentions of historical animal cruelty and death (animal and people), including drowning, blood sports, and hypothermia. Curatorial and Outreach…

Curatorial and Outreach Assistant Jake Gentry showcases some the Lilly Library’s famous and lesser-known hairy materials! Raising awareness for men’s health issues through the…