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

Rose Library Presents: Behind the Archives

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.