Curiosities at the Rose: a beard, a king, and what Shakespeare is doing in the middle

We start the new season by discovering how two items in the collection, beard hair of a British Monarch and a rare book of Danish Kings, connect Rose Library and Shakespeare in a unique way.

Show Notes

Head of Collection Processing Sarah Quigley and Rare Book Librarian Beth Shoemaker take us into the Rose Library archives to talk about two curiosities connected to history in unique ways. In this episode, we learn how the purported beard hair of English monarch Edward the IV may one day help solve a mystery that dates back to the War of the Roses. We also learn of the rare book, The Danish Chronicles, that contains stories of Danish Kings, including Amleth, who inspired Shakespeare to write the play Hamlet, based on his life.

Learn more about King Edward IV's beard hair and other materials in Rose Library's English collections here, and about The Danish Chronicles here.

Sarah Quigley is Head of Collection Processing at Rose Library. Beth Shoemaker is Rose Library's Rare Book Librarian.

What is Rose Library Presents: Behind the Archives?

The Behind the Archives series features conversations centered on the topic of archives: What are archives and who are the people that make archives work? Audiences will learn from the insights of our guests and learn more about what we do and who we are as an organization and as a profession.