Love cooking . . . the books? Then why not spend your freshman year on a culinary odyssey featuring hedgehogs for dessert, manly sandwiches, and radical vegetarian women! Cookbooks reveal not just what people ate or aspired to consume, but also intriguing glimpses into cultural trends, the impact of colonialism on nutrition, and the development of national character. Explore our collection of 18th, 19th, and mid-20th century cookbooks, and while you are at it, try to whip up a recipe or two, learn how to roast a peacock, and treat mad dog bites. Take a delicious (or deliciously disgusting) tour of foodways of yore!

Alas, the storied Hopkins yearbook ist kaput now, but its legacy is remembered in the hallowed halls of the Special Collections Reading Room, where yearbooks dating back to 1889 are lovingly kept. Swoop into vintage Blue Jay history and discover how the yearbooks evolved: What did students wish to remember through the ages, and what kinds of changes to the content and format of the yearbooks were made? Is what the students include Instagram-ready, or would it get them banned from Twitter? While you are at it, get a chuckle or two from all the proto-hipster facial hair on display!

What makes Maryland, Maryland? With a history full of dramatic events, challenging times, innovative accomplishments, and just plain weird stuff (the Ouija board was invented here!), Maryland has many stories to tell.

Using the Maryland: From the William Hackermann Map Collection exhibition, on display at the Peabody Library from October 2018 – January 2019 as inspiration, find out what the state has to offer.

Travel along established pathways or explore uncharted territory in researching the words and deeds of the Old Line State.

Is a book more than words on a page? For over 500 years, books were cherished as the most reliable way to preserve and protect information, a value reflected in the way they were made. Each time technology made books cheaper, faster, or more plentiful, people have worried about the loss of something special. Our collections illustrate two key reactions to the changes in books: between print and manuscript books, and the second comes at the end of the nineteenth century, when small presses turned to traditional methods of bookmaking as a contrast to extremely cheap, industrially-produced paperbacks. Examine the relationships between manuscripts and printed books, from the old to the very new, to discover the value beyond their text, and their appreciation as beautiful, useful objects.

If you think being a Hopkins freshman is a harrowing experience what with selecting classes and majors and everything, just think about what it was like in the 19th century when the Group System was “the law of the land.” Complementary subjects like history, political science, and economy were grouped together, gradually evolving into departments and majors by the early 20th century. Just how did the academic experience shift from the 19th century to today? Don your deerstalker cap and look for clues involving changes in undergraduate academic life in historic resources housed in the University Archives, like Circulars, Registers, Annual Reports, News-Letters, yearbooks, and papers of alumni.

Did you hear the one about two German teenagers who opened a publishing house in Baltimore?

In 1890 Moses and Ike Ottenheimer received a loan from their aunt to start a business, provided that it was not to interfere with the Sabbath. They decided to go into publishing, specializing in cheaply produced, pocket-sized joke books that proved to be a hit among dandies, cravat-wearing party animals, and students alike! Largely forgotten today, the books published by the Ottenheimers are a treasure trove of insights on early 20th century popular culture and the making of modern American humor. Dive into the secret history of Baltimore's pulp book kings, and learn jokes so horrible you are guaranteed to have a turkey thrown at you during Thanksgiving!

• Caroline West (Shakespeare's Language Through Time); Amy Kimball, Mentor.
  
• Lucy Massey (Post-Roman Latin Translations); Paul Espinosa, Mentor.
  
• Faith Terry (History of Student Housing at Hopkins); Jim Stimpert, Mentor.
  
• Kiana Bouromand (Dress Reform); Heidi Herr, Mentor.

One of the skills you can learn in the program is how to select materials to be added to Special Collections. Kiana Bouromand worked with her mentor to select a variety of materials on fashion and feminism for purchase. Not only did she incorporate the resources in her research, but other students have used the material as well for their own papers and presentations!

• Tim Lyu (The Life & Mysterious Death of Jose Robles); Jim Stimpert, Mentor.
  
• Brianna Joseph (Post-Roman Latin Translations); Paul Espinosa, Mentor.
  
• Keyi Yin (Miraculous Creatures/Monsters); Amy Kimball, Mentor.
  
• Chloe Otterson (19th Century Spiritualism); Heidi Herr, Mentor.