Cool Hunting

A blog for lovers of ephemera, Room 26 Cabinet of Curiosities is dedicated to Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, which houses the world's largest collection of rare papers, manuscripts and books in the fields of literature, theology, history and the natural sciences. It's easy to lose track of time while perusing these unusual traces of time, which include interesting bits of history such as New Year's resolutions from 1904 or lottery tickets issued to support the Revolutionary War. The archive contains a wide range of unique oddities, including photos of antique artifacts, like Walt Whitman's eyeglasses, publications that went to print that many of us may have never known about, like the promotional magazine for the Sex Pistols, and a love letter written by Georgia O'Keefe. No matter if you're a history buff or a generally curious person you're bound to find this site fascinating.

In addition to general enjoyment, the blog is a valuable reference guide and helpful link to news and events happening at the Beinecke Library.
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Print is not dead and, compliments of Kerry Miller's collection of passive aggressive notes via the Internet, the fine examples of the physical interpersonal communication going on around us are free for our enjoyment. In the same spirit as Post Secret and the NamelessleTTer Project, Passive Aggressive Notes chronicles the various ways we convey frustrations with roommates, soul mates, coworkers and others in that...
Meant to provoke curiosity, NamelessleTTer is a new project in which people from all horizons leave personalized notes or bookmarks in random books with the goal of seeing other readers discover them. The nameless creators of NamelessleTTer ask that your unattributed note is as well-suited and clever as possible, like this McDonald's Korea receipt left in an edition of Zagat 2009 or the Get...
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Viewing architecture in two-dimensions can be frustrating. Made to be touched and experienced, powerful architecture is impossible to recreate on paper. But a new book takes things one step closer to that unattainable goal. "The Modern Architecture Pop-Up Book" is an overview of some of the most significant buildings of the last century with 100 color illustrations, commentary from architectural writer David Sokol and...
A blog documenting the mundanely beautiful side of retail history since its launch in 2006, Labelscar takes its name from the mark left when a business closes and removes their sign exposing the virgin facade below, the equivalent of an architectural watch tan. Organized by state and with images and info, the site includes hundreds of entries to date and encourages submissions from readers....
Phaidon's latest behemoth, 30,000 Years of Art, will have you re-think everything you thought you knew about the world of Art. Spaning the entire history of art, the must-have coffee table book delivers a stunning collection of work from the first examples of human creativity to the future of art in the 21st century. More than 1,000 masterpieces from the greatest artisans of all...
