Hello readers! My name is Jessica and I’ve been a volunteer at The Mariners’ Museum Library for just over a year now. I am transcribing a set of logbooks from a 1850s whaling voyage right now, which includes a log from the captain, his wife, and his ten year old daughter. The variety of perspectives [...]

Good morning, readers!   I hope everyone is safe after our brief snow storm last night. I’d like to take some time this morning to tell you about our first exhibit for the new year, 1973: The Year of the Monitor. This exhibit commemorates the discovery of the USS Monitor, the Civil War ironclad that sank in a storm off of [...]

As I was speaking with a colleague one evening, the topic of traditions for good luck in the New Year came up and inspired this post. I wondered, since a variety of cultures practice such unique traditions, what are some of the traditions associated with maritime culture? The one iconic tradition that came to mind [...]

Good morning, readers! We are winding down 2012 here at The Mariners’ Museum Library. In a couple of short hours, the Trible Library on the Christopher Newport University campus is closing for winter break until January 4th, 2013. We will open our doors again at noon on Monday, January 7th, 2013. I look forward to [...]

Happy Friday readers! I’d like to take a minute to encourage you to view a great item that has just been posted on our Library website. It is a full-text, PDF version of a spec book from 1862! This item is usually restricted from public view due to its fragility, but, since we like you [...]

Hello everyone, and welcome once more to the Library blog. Sadly, today is my last day writing for you fine readers, and I want you to know what an honor it has been. When I arrived at the Library in June, I knew nothing about the SS United States, but with some guidance and access [...]

Dear readers of the Library blog, “Welcome aboard!” has been the phrase that I have been hearing from my new colleagues in the library and in the museum. Let me happily introduce myself to you as the newest member of The Mariners’ Museum Library staff! My incredibly short name is Aya Eto and I come to [...]

Welcome back, and let’s finish our exploration of pirate terminology with the term “Buccaneer.” Buccaneer is used synonymously with the idea of the 17th-18th century Caribbean pirates, but it actually means something quite specific. When Spain started colonizing the Caribbean in the 16th century, it was initially the only nation to do so. Around the [...]

Greetings readers, and welcome back to the Library blog. As we delve deeper into the realm of piracy, a lot of potentially confusing terms are used to make sense of the men and women who struggled over wealth in the late 17th and early 18th century Caribbean. Terms like Pirate, Buccaneer, and Privateer crop up [...]

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Library blog. While perusing the Library stacks in search of an interesting volume on piracy, I discovered a khaki leather-bound book titled “History of the Pyrates” by Capt. Charles Johnston. Based on the condition of the volume, I expected it to date from the 1920s. Imagine my surprise [...]