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Looking to the Edge, or Networking Early Modern Women

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It all started when someone noticed a blog post on Anglo-Saxonist Allen J Frantzen’s website titled “How to Fight Your Way Out of a Feminist Fog”…

January 31, 2016


Grading Sir Hans Sloane’s Research Paper

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It’s that time of year when grading is on an academic’s mind. With first-year assignments still fresh in my head, I recently found myself frustrated by Sir Hans Sloane’s “Account of Symptoms arising from eating the Seeds of Henbane” (Philosophical Transactions, volume 38, 1733-4). Letters by Sir Hans rarely feature on this blog—and that’s for… Read more »

December 3, 2015


Sloane becomes a BBC Radio 4 Natural History Hero

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By Victoria Pickering On Monday 28th September at 1:45pm, BBC Radio 4 aired the first segment of their ten-part series about Natural History Heroes and what would be my very first foray into sharing my research on national radio. It was a lot more nerve-racking than I expected, but also an interesting learning experience. In… Read more »

November 10, 2015


Beginnings and Endings: History Carnival 150

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It’s been one month since I started my new job at the University of Essex. Settling in has been a busy and fun process. The moving company now tells me that my boxes should be in England by the weekend. One month and a new start in life has simply become life… Being in a… Read more »

October 1, 2015


A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed

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By James Hawkes Saving lives may have been Sir Hans Sloane’s day job as a physician, but in one case he even saved a friend from the hangman: Patrick Blair, who had been sentenced to death for high treason. A Scottish surgeon and botanist, Blair had known Sloane since 1705 after persuading a fellow Scotsmen… Read more »

September 19, 2015


Changes… and a History Carnival!

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If you’re still around, dear readers, then you will have noticed that the blog has remained quiet–despite the end of my maternity leave. There is a reason for this: I have been caught up in a flurry of paperclips and packing. At the start of September, I began a new job as Lecturer in Digital… Read more »

September 18, 2015


Public and Private Gardens in the Eighteenth Century

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By Chelsea Clark Sloane was unique in his collecting habits and connections to gardens. He was passionate about obtaining plant specimens and discovering their various medical uses, however, appeared to be less interested in being personally involved in gardening. This is apparent when comparing his practices to those of his friend and colleague, Richard Richardson. Despite… Read more »

August 3, 2015


Eighteenth-Century English Gardens and the Exchange with Europe

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By Chelsea Clark The Sloane Correspondence is a rich source of information about gardening in the eighteenth century. The science of gardening at this time was a shared experience between friends and colleagues who traded specimens and cultivated their collections with great curiosity. Although gardens could be either privately or publicly managed, the collaborative aspect of gardening served many… Read more »

July 27, 2015


Straight From the Horse’s Mouth

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By Jacqeuline Schoenfeld Like Lisa Smith, I am a sucker for animal stories. As a child (and young adult) some of my favorite movies included Homeward Bound, Babe and George of the Jungle. There is something irresistible about an American Bulldog, a Golden Retriever and a Himalayan cat that are best friends. And really, a… Read more »

July 21, 2015


On Hans Sloane’s Copies of De Humani Corporis Fabrica

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Thanks to Felicity Roberts, I’ve learned that a copy of Vesalius’ De Humani Corporis Fabrica Librorum Epitome (Basel, 1543) once owned by Hans Sloane went up for auction at Christie’s on 15 July.  Although the list price was a £70,000-£100,000, the book ended up going for £60,000. Christie’s has just started a Discovery series of… Read more »

July 16, 2015


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