Hidden Meanings in a Second Seminole War Pamphlet

My first acquaintance with the plight of Mary Godfrey came a few years back when I was researching literature produced during the Second Seminole War (1835-1842).   Her story is a “captivity narrative,” a genre of literature that features tales about women or children who are taken prisoner by some hostile group—pirates, natives, invaders, etc. There is just one problem with the “authentic narrative” of Mary Godfrey’s captivating captivity story. It never happened.

The Coffey Residency in Book Arts

A look at the five artists’ books that were created between 2015 and 2019 as part of the Coffey Residency in Book Arts program at the George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida

Learning to Read: Early ABC Books

A brief history of alphabet books for children featuring images and examples from the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature at the University of Florida.

Isaac Pinto and the first Jewish Prayer Book in America

Issac Pinto, recognizing the need for a prayer-book in the vernacular, set about producing a translation which was published in 1766. Unlike the Jewish prayer-books widely used today, Pinto’s version did not include any original Hebrew text; however, the Hebrew titles of the prayers and a few Hebrew words were provided in transliteration.