Historical Documents

A spread from one of the casebooks volumes.

Read Hundreds of Medical Case Files by Two 17th-Century Quacks

Cambridge historians have digitized 500 case notes by the notorious astrologer-physicians Simon Forman and Richard Napier

Found: Stolen Alexander Hamilton Letter

In the letter, Hamilton warns the Marquis de Lafayette about the ‘menace’ of a British fleet

Finca Vigía photographed in March 1997.

New Conservation Center to Preserve Hemingway’s Legacy in Cuba

The facility is located at Finca Vigía, the property where Hemingway lived for more than two decades and where he wrote some of his most lauded books

The royal document was signed by nine witnesses

819-Year-Old Royal Charter Issued by King John Found in University Archives

A visiting historian happened upon the medieval document while conducting research in Durham, England

A letter signed by Mary and her husband, James Hepburn, which grants ground for the making of salt to London businessmen.

Newly Discovered Letters Show a Different Side of Mary, Queen of Scots

When she wasn’t embroiled in political strife and intrigue, Mary still had to deal with the daily practicalities of running a kingdom

A newly rediscovered fragment of Ibn Sīnā's Canon of Medicine

A Medieval Arabic Medical Text Was Translated Into Irish, Discovery Shows

Ibn Sīnā's <i>Canon of Medicine</i> was once a core part of the European medical curriculum

Louis de Jong, founder of Dutch Institute for War Documentation, examining documents on the Holocaust.

These Pioneers Created the First Reliable Record of the Holocaust

A new exhibition at the Wiener Library profiles the earliest men and women who gathered firsthand survivor accounts, ensuring their testimony would live on

Author Charles Dickens (1812-1870) pictured with his wife, Catherine Dickens (1815-1879), and two of their daughters, seated in a horsedrawn carriage, circa 1850.

Trove of Letters Reveal Charles Dickens Tried to Lock His Wife Away in an Asylum

Catherine's side of the breakup tale comes back with vengeance thanks to new analysis of 98 previously unseen missives

Gary Brannan, archivist, and Professor Sarah Rees Jones examine one of the archbishops' registers.

A Medieval Nun Wanted to Escape Her Convent—so She Faked Her Death

This story and others have come to light during a project to translate and digitize a series of texts about archbishops in York, England

Interior of the British Library in London

The British Library’s Dirtiest Books Have Been Digitized

The collection includes around 2,500 volumes and many, many double entendres

Was Alexander the Great Pronounced Dead Prematurely?

A new theory suggests he was only paralyzed when he was declared dead, but it's impossible to prove he had Guillain-Barré Syndrome with the existing facts

Detail from one of the fragments showing the name "Merlin."

Fragments of Early Arthurian Legend Found in 16th-Century Book

The seven manuscript fragments, which date to the 13th century, tell the story of Merlin leading a battle charge

Los Angeles-based Nate D. Sanders Auctions will sell the collection on January 31, for a starting price of $3,500.

Dr. Seuss’ Letters to the Friend Who Launched His Career Are for Sale

Mike McClintock helped Theodor Seuss Geisel publish his first children’s book, which had been rejected 27 times

A portait of Omar Ibn Said made around the 1850s

Only Surviving Arabic Slave Narrative Written in the United States Digitized by Library of Congress

Omar Ibn Said, a wealthy intellectual from West Africa, wrote about his capture and enslavement in America

Woodside Mansion, home to the Rochester Historical Society since 1941

Rochester's 150-Year-Old Historical Society Hit Hard by Lack of Funding

The institution, which houses such precious relics as clothing worn by Susan B. Anthony, has furloughed its staff and suspended its programming

Close up on Atlanta University's "City and Rural Population. 1890" data visualization

W.E.B. Du Bois’ Visionary Infographics Come Together for the First Time in Full Color

His pioneering team of black sociologists created data visualizations that explained institutionalized racism to the world

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Letter Shows Einstein’s Prescient Concerns About ‘Dark Times’ in Germany

In 1922, after fleeing Berlin out of fear for his safety, Einstein wrote to his sister about his new ‘reclusive’ life

The damage inflicted to the glass box encasing Magna Carta

Man Arrested for Trying to Steal an Original Copy of the Magna Carta

The suspect was apprehended after taking a hammer to a glass case containing the 13th-century document

Monster of Rome from Image of the Papacy

Rare Book Library Summons Tales of World's Oldest Monsters

The monsters have arrived at Toronto's Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

Annie Kenney in 1909

Newly Discovered Letter Sheds Light on Overlooked Suffragette

Annie Kenney, who took part in the movement’s first militant act, wrote to her sister after being released from prison

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