University of Illinois Rare Book & Manuscript Library

Today is the , which celebrates the bonds people make with one another around the world!

Pictured here is May I Bring a Friend? (1964), a children's book by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers about a boy with many animal friends. The colorful illustrations by Italian artist Beni Montresor earned the book a Caldecott Medal in 1965.

Be sure to show your appreciation for your friends today!

Shelfmark:
May I bring a friend? (1964) - SE. D444M

Need to add something new to your game night rotation? Look no further than today's : A New, Moral, and Entertaining Game of the Reward of Merit (1801).

Invented by George Fox of London, The Reward of Merit sought to instruct its young players about aspects of Victorian morality. If a player landed on a tile depicting a "virtuous" figure, such as the hardworking "Ploughman," they would be rewarded. If a player landed on a "mischievous" figure, such as the untrustworthy "Story Teller," they would be punished. Notable is the game's use of a teetotum instead of a die, which was associated with the "vice" of gambling.

These images show a portion of the original linen game board and our playable facsimile!

Shelfmark:
A new, moral, and entertaining game of the reward of merit (1801) - IUZ00383

Happy !

World Snake Day is a global awareness day dedicated to appreciating the diversity, beauty, and ecological importance of snakes. Snakes feature as both symbols and specimens in our holdings, so slither on down to RBML and check them out! 🐍

Shelfmarks:
A Snake in the Glass (1988) - Collins 2257
Vlyssis Aldrouandi patricii Bononiensis Serpentum, et draconu[m] historiae libro duo ([1640]) - IUQ00259
Historiae naturalis de quadrupetibus libri : cm aeneis figuris ([circa 1650-1653]) - IUQ01399

RBML will be closed on Friday, July 3 in observance of , and will reopen with our modified summer hours on Monday, July 6.

In view of the 250th anniversary, here we have a copy of the Declaration of Independence (1776), published in miniature by Achille J. St Onge for the U.S. Bicentennial (1976). 🎆



Shelfmark:
The Declaration of Independence (1976) - Collins 0904

RBML will be closed on Friday, June 19 in observance of . We will reopen on Monday, June 22, with our modified summer hours.

Margaret Walker (1915-1998) was an American poet, writer, and educator, often recognized for her contributions to the Black Chicago Renaissance. Walker was also the first Black person to win the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award, which she earned for her first collection of poetry, For My People (1942).

"The Ballad of the Free" was first distributed by Broadside Press in 1966, and later appeared in Walker's second collection of poetry, Prophets for a New Day (1970). This red-and-blue broadside was designed by Cledie Taylor (1926-2026), a prolific Detroit-based artist and educator.

Shelfmark:
"The Ballad of the Free" (1966) - Q. 811.08 B78 no.4

Goaaaal! Or shall we say, Gol! ⚽️

Today marks the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, taking place in several US cities plus Mexico and Canada. We’re joining the summer soccer—ahem, football—fun-train with some books dedicated to the beautiful sport.

Shelfmarks:
Athletics and football (1887) - 796 Sh3a1887

Memorie del calcio fiorentino : tratte da diverse scritture e dedicate all'altezze serenissime di Ferdinando principe di Toscana e Violante Beatrice di Baviera (1688) - 796.33 B51m

Official programme season 1964-65 : Tottenham Hotspur (1965) - Churchill 0425

Happy Pride Month from RBML! Q***r figures aren’t just found in our modern publications. Much of our collections span the medieval and renaissance periods, and while media often portray these periods as having regimented imaginings of gender and sexual desire, many works exist that recount stories and argue ideas counter to the heteronormative view of these times.

St Aelred of Rievaulx was a 12th century English Cistercian monk who is most known for his work "De spirituali amicitia," or "On spiritual friendship." Aelred wrote it as a Christian counterpart to Cicero’s "De amicitia" and argued that a profound connection between monks was essential to monastic life and finding Christ’s divinity within it.

Many scholars argue that Aelred was fueled by his deep spiritual, but also romantic, love for his fellow brothers. In his prologue (picture two) he writes, “the charm of my companions gave me the greatest pleasure. Among the usual faults that often endanger youth, my mind surrendered wholly to affection and became devoted to love. Nothing seemed sweeter to me, nothing more pleasant, nothing more valuable than to be loved and to love…when I read the many passages on friendship in the writings of the holy fathers, wishing to love spiritually but not able to, I decided to write on spiritual friendship and to set down for myself rules for a pure and holy love.”

St Aelred of Rievaulx continues to be a source of inspiration for q***r Christians today, as depicted in a stained-glass triptych in our last picture. The Order of St. Aelred was established in 1995 to serve the LGBTQ+ communities in the Philippines, and he served as the patron saint of Episcopalian non-profit organizations aimed at promoting social justice to the LGBTQ+ community.

🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜🖤🩶🤍🤎

Shelfmark:
“Opera divi Aelredi Rhievallensis” - IUA04637

Today's is an example of papier-mâché binding, a popular feature of Gothic Revival gift books, designed by English artist Henry Noel Humphreys (1810-1879). This technique involved applying a plaster mixture over or combined with papier-mâché, which was then pressed into a mold.

A compilation of selected Shakespearean works, the volume (1851) also includes terra cotta cameos of Shakespeare and his initials, which were inserted into the front and rear covers, and detailed chromolithography.

In the preface, Humphreys writes of his intent: "…I have gathered together some of the gems of thought of our great poet, and endeavored to range them worthily in a fitting casket—to enshrine them, as it were, in a reliquary as rich as a combination of the typographic and lithochromic arts could form."

Shelfmark:
Sentiments and similes of William Shakespeare (1851) - 822.33 HH88

RBML will be closed on Monday, May 25 in observance of Memorial Day. We will reopen with our modified summer hours on Tuesday, May 26.

The American Legion adopted the poppy as a symbol of remembrance in 1920, inspired by the 1915 poem, "In Flanders Fields," by Canadian soldier and physician Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. The background photo of poppies and other flowers seen here was found in the Carl Sandburg papers and likely taken in Asheville, North Carolina.

Shelfmarks:
In Flanders fields: and other poems (1919) - 821 M13i
Photo of flower bed [015-020-056k] - Carl Sandburg papers (Asheville accession), Photo box A4-50