Featured new book: Handbook of Medieval Studies

We're big fans of monumental works of scholarship here at the Kelvin Smith Library, so when a title like the Handbook of Medieval Studies: Terms, Methods, Trends arrives, we can't help but be excited.

This three volume, 2,736 page reference work edited by Albrecht Classen, provides summary articles on all aspects of medieval studies in several categories: first are articles on "main topics and debates" within the field; then a section on important terms and textual genres; finally is a biographical section of key figures in medieval studies from 1650 to 1950.  For anyone with an interest in the field, this handbook will prove invaluable for providing context related to all aspects within medieval studies.

The set has connections to CWRU: Professors Elina Gertsman (Art History) and Florin Berindeanu (Classics) are both contributors to the Handbook.

The volumes reside in the Kelvin Smith Library's Core Reference collection, on the first floor of the library.  For those on the CWRU campus or using an authenticated connection to our network, the publisher also provides electronic access to the essays in the volume.

Happy Birthday, Charles Dickens

February 7, 2012 is the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens.

Dickens was a gregarious man and loved the company of friends.  One gets the sense that he would enjoy a big party on his birthday, as indeed he enjoyed frequently throughout his life.

The passage of time and the marking of annual events features largely in his work.  We see Scrooge decrying the celebration of Christmas as a time to find another year has passed and us not a penny richer.  We see Pip on his birthday, visiting Miss Havisham for his birthday coin, and coming into his own great expectations as he becomes an adult and the wards of Chancery Richard and Ada sneaking off to marry privately on her twenty-first birthday.

This quote from Barnaby Rudge shows one side of how Dickens felt about growing older:

Many happy returns to The Inimitable!

And now a few links to but a sampling of the many celebratory features debuting in this his bicentenary year:

• Google Doodle for the day, with cartoon versions of characters from his works.
• The British Library's Dickens in Context site.  The "context" material is fascinating, but also watch the readings by Simon Callow in each section, like this one of him reading the scene of the death of Nancy from Oliver Twist.
• How about a "fiendishly difficulty birthday quiz"?  Have at it!
• And here, another video featuring the great Simon Callow, taking us on a tour of Dickens' London.