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When the existence of unicorns, and the curative powers of the horns ascribed to them, began to be questioned, one Danish physician pushed back through curious means — by reframing the unicorn as an aquatic creature of the northern seas. Natalie Lawrence on a fascinating convergence of established folklore, nascent science, and pharmaceutical economy. …more
From gift-bestowing sparrows and peach-born heroes to goblin spiders and dancing phantom…more
Used by the indigenous peoples of the Americas for millennia, it was…more
Though the 17th-century whaling station of Smeerenburg was in reality, at its…more
In addition to the numerous pioneering works of science fiction by which…more
Colorful illustrations of four-legged creatures first included in Buffon’s pioneering eighteenth-century books on natural history.more
Impressive Victorian lithographs of Anglo-Saxon and early Irish illuminated manuscripts from the…more
Remarkable collection of photographs documenting the eccentric roadside architecture and ephemera of…more
Privately published memoir of an American portraitist who grew up in a log cabin and went…more
Over a century before the invention of the e-reader, a French bibliophile…more
An account of the early serial killers, Burke and Hare, and the…more
Intricate fish illustrations by Sherman F. Denton (1856–1937), the talented artist, naturalist, scientist, and entrepreneur.Read more
The well-known Oriental painter’s illustrated picturesque scenes of Egypt and its architectural landmarks, as well as the daily lives of the people, made while traveling around the country.Read more
Very early animation in which puppets get up to various routines, including wrestling, fencing, and what…more
Experimental film from Alexander Hammid (and possibly also Maya Deren) exploring the…more
Having gorged himself on Welsh Rarebit — melted cheese on toast —…more
Recording by the legendary musicologist Alan Lomax of Abner Boggs singing a heartrending rendition of this…more
Version from Olive Kline and Elsie Baker of one of the most…more
Songs from Shakespeare plays as recorded by Victor in the first two…more
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