I ventured to Washington D.C. this past weekend to receive an award from the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA) in partnership with the Library of Congress. This award was given to me for my collection of historic Southern and Creole cookbooks, which I use as sources in my dissertation research on Southern food cultures in the 19th century. The ABAA was kind enough to cover the travel and lodging expenses for the trip, setting me up in the George Hotel (just a short walk away from the the Capitol Building and the Library of Congress). I felt completely spoiled the entire weekend!
I did a bit of sightseeing before the award ceremony on Friday evening. My morning started out at le Pain Quotidien, where I ordered a hearty bowl of oatmeal and a turmeric spiced chai latte. With pep in my step from that amazing latte, I headed over to the National Archives (e.g. where Ben Gates and Riley pool successfully steal the Declaration of Independence in National Treasure. I may or may not have tried to channel the enthusiasm and appreciation of the fictional Mr. Gates while fogging up the bullet proof glass just above our nation's founding documents...yes, my face was that close to the glass). I emailed my adviser that day admitting to how I was totally "geeking out" at the National Archives. She responded that she too still gets chills when she walks up the National Mall. #historynerds
Then, I hurried on over to the Library of Congress to take a quick peak inside. I've never been, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to poke around for a bit. One word: stunning!!! I loved the brightly painted ceilings - they remind me of the library in the Duomo in Sienna, Italy (which totally took my breath away during Whim 'n Rhythm World Tour in 2010)
After racing through the Library of Congress, I headed back to the George to meet up with my wonderful parents who came all the way down from Pittsburgh to attend the award ceremony. We headed to lunch at this great Southern-inspired restaurant called Art and Soul, which is apparently run by one of Oprah's chefs. I had these delicious pumpkin and goat cheese empanadas served with a watercress salad. It was like I was biting into little pillowfulls of fall essence. Yum.
After lunch, we powdered our noses and then headed over to the Folger Shakespeare Library on Capitol Hill for a special collections tour. This was the first ABAA-sponsored event associated with the larger ceremony proceedings. I was able to chat with the presidents of the ABAA, John Thompson about my research as well as his interests in book collecting. Anyway, an extremely knowledgeable archivist at the Folger gave us a guided history tour about the Folger family, their mission in establishing this library on Early Modern works in the 1930s, and their academic legacy. We toured through the main reading room (modelled after an Elizabethan great hall) and the vault where they keep their rare books. Then, we headed into one of the conference rooms to actually look at some of the highlights of their collection.
The rare books were a real treat, ranging from hand written cooking manuscripts to laws signed by Queen Elizabeth I. My parents and I were completely blown away by these early modern documents! We also touched an original printing of The First Folio of Shakespeare's works (c. 1623)! Other treasures included chain binding volumes that looked like they were straight out of Hogwart's library or the Sanderson Sisters cottage in Hocus Pocus and a baptism memory book printed in Stuttgart, Germany c. 1628. Last but not least, there was a cool bit of material culture represented. We looked at an encyclopedia of herbs that was opened to a page of a large tree. The Folger archive had the original wood block that was used to print the image on that page! Wow!
After the tour of those precious books, we headed to Chris Palmer Steak restaurant for the awards ceremony. The event was originally scheduled at the Library of Congress, but the government shutdown necessitated a shift in venue. There was a guest lecturer, an infamous rare book collector, who spoke about his passion for collecting and the special connection one has with a book that was at one time owned by the original author of that book (e.g. "association books").
Then, John Cole, the director of the Library of Congress introduced each of the student award winners. When we were called up to receive our award and check, Mark Dimunation, the chief of the Rare Book and Special Collections Division at the Library of Congress, introduced our collections and reflected upon the selection committee's first impressions of our applications. Mr. Dimunation reflected on my opening paragraph that is laden with sensory experiences in the market and the dynamism of that social space. He said that halfway through that paragraph, his mouth was watering, and he knew he had a winner! He was very kind to recognize that my collection is not merely a cookbook collection, but one that treats these books as significant resources in our historical record- ones that speak to themes of race, ethnicity, and Americanization in the 19th century. Mr. Dimunation then interviewed us, asking us to speak about our collection and how they tie into our larger dissertation projects. It was fantastic to hear about my fellow award winners' collections (and I was more than happy to share my passion for Creole culture!)
Afterwards, there was a 2-hour cocktail reception where we were able to mingle with the passionate book collectors, prominent librarians, and fellow award winners. It was great to build relationships with the professionals who are at the top of their fields in library sciences. In addition, I met book collectors who has the most interesting collections such as one dedicated entirely to Alice in Wonderland! This man also wrote a cookbook based on the tale, and is going to send me a copy!
Later that night, we returned to the George and just tried to soak everything in...to say the least, we were all pretty overwhelmed, but also filled with a strong sense of pride in each other (after all, my success is a family affair!)
I did a bit of sightseeing before the award ceremony on Friday evening. My morning started out at le Pain Quotidien, where I ordered a hearty bowl of oatmeal and a turmeric spiced chai latte. With pep in my step from that amazing latte, I headed over to the National Archives (e.g. where Ben Gates and Riley pool successfully steal the Declaration of Independence in National Treasure. I may or may not have tried to channel the enthusiasm and appreciation of the fictional Mr. Gates while fogging up the bullet proof glass just above our nation's founding documents...yes, my face was that close to the glass). I emailed my adviser that day admitting to how I was totally "geeking out" at the National Archives. She responded that she too still gets chills when she walks up the National Mall. #historynerds
Then, I hurried on over to the Library of Congress to take a quick peak inside. I've never been, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to poke around for a bit. One word: stunning!!! I loved the brightly painted ceilings - they remind me of the library in the Duomo in Sienna, Italy (which totally took my breath away during Whim 'n Rhythm World Tour in 2010)
After racing through the Library of Congress, I headed back to the George to meet up with my wonderful parents who came all the way down from Pittsburgh to attend the award ceremony. We headed to lunch at this great Southern-inspired restaurant called Art and Soul, which is apparently run by one of Oprah's chefs. I had these delicious pumpkin and goat cheese empanadas served with a watercress salad. It was like I was biting into little pillowfulls of fall essence. Yum.
After lunch, we powdered our noses and then headed over to the Folger Shakespeare Library on Capitol Hill for a special collections tour. This was the first ABAA-sponsored event associated with the larger ceremony proceedings. I was able to chat with the presidents of the ABAA, John Thompson about my research as well as his interests in book collecting. Anyway, an extremely knowledgeable archivist at the Folger gave us a guided history tour about the Folger family, their mission in establishing this library on Early Modern works in the 1930s, and their academic legacy. We toured through the main reading room (modelled after an Elizabethan great hall) and the vault where they keep their rare books. Then, we headed into one of the conference rooms to actually look at some of the highlights of their collection.
The rare books were a real treat, ranging from hand written cooking manuscripts to laws signed by Queen Elizabeth I. My parents and I were completely blown away by these early modern documents! We also touched an original printing of The First Folio of Shakespeare's works (c. 1623)! Other treasures included chain binding volumes that looked like they were straight out of Hogwart's library or the Sanderson Sisters cottage in Hocus Pocus and a baptism memory book printed in Stuttgart, Germany c. 1628. Last but not least, there was a cool bit of material culture represented. We looked at an encyclopedia of herbs that was opened to a page of a large tree. The Folger archive had the original wood block that was used to print the image on that page! Wow!
After the tour of those precious books, we headed to Chris Palmer Steak restaurant for the awards ceremony. The event was originally scheduled at the Library of Congress, but the government shutdown necessitated a shift in venue. There was a guest lecturer, an infamous rare book collector, who spoke about his passion for collecting and the special connection one has with a book that was at one time owned by the original author of that book (e.g. "association books").
Then, John Cole, the director of the Library of Congress introduced each of the student award winners. When we were called up to receive our award and check, Mark Dimunation, the chief of the Rare Book and Special Collections Division at the Library of Congress, introduced our collections and reflected upon the selection committee's first impressions of our applications. Mr. Dimunation reflected on my opening paragraph that is laden with sensory experiences in the market and the dynamism of that social space. He said that halfway through that paragraph, his mouth was watering, and he knew he had a winner! He was very kind to recognize that my collection is not merely a cookbook collection, but one that treats these books as significant resources in our historical record- ones that speak to themes of race, ethnicity, and Americanization in the 19th century. Mr. Dimunation then interviewed us, asking us to speak about our collection and how they tie into our larger dissertation projects. It was fantastic to hear about my fellow award winners' collections (and I was more than happy to share my passion for Creole culture!)
Afterwards, there was a 2-hour cocktail reception where we were able to mingle with the passionate book collectors, prominent librarians, and fellow award winners. It was great to build relationships with the professionals who are at the top of their fields in library sciences. In addition, I met book collectors who has the most interesting collections such as one dedicated entirely to Alice in Wonderland! This man also wrote a cookbook based on the tale, and is going to send me a copy!
Later that night, we returned to the George and just tried to soak everything in...to say the least, we were all pretty overwhelmed, but also filled with a strong sense of pride in each other (after all, my success is a family affair!)
Go Ashley!!
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