Dear Friends,
The Anthroposophical Society's recent conference, "That Good May Become," was a feast of encounters, concepts, colors, and conversations. These are still resounding, both inwardly and practically.
Many members I met at the conference and AGM spoke of the library with appreciation: clearly, it is so much more than this quaint building and the books on the shelves! Your engagement with ideas, with initiatives, and with each other flows into our work, truly making this a library without walls.
We are exploring ways for members and friends to share in the research we undertake at the library, both the process and the results. Your library could become a clearinghouse linking people with questions to people who have explored those questions in depth. We welcome your suggestions, and we'll let you know, as things develop, how you can get involved!
|
What's Happening in the Library
Newly digitized:
Index for the late, lamented British annual The Golden Blade, 1949-1987. This fine journal ceased publication in 2009 (the library has the entire run), and we are working on digitizing the index for the years 1988-2009. With articles by Owen Barfield, Adam Bittleston, John Davy, Olive Whicher, Theodor Schwenk, Alan Howard, and many other excellent contributors, we expect this browseable and searchable index to spark many requests to borrow these wonderful journals. Ernst Katz's classic, Meditation, an Introduction, originally published in the Journal for Anthroposophy (1970 no. 12), is now part of the library's digital collection and can be read online.
Back issues of The Rudolf Steiner Library Newsletter. These range from 2004-2009, and include issue nos. 33-46. Click the link, scroll to the bottom of the page, select the newsletter you'd like to read, then click "complete print version" in the drop-down menu on the left (tiny print!) next to "view."
Mailing
Several patrons have requested that we include return mailing labels in the packages we ship to you. So, now we do! We hope that this will make returns easier, and we encourage you, as always, to "double wrap" returns.
Recording Help Needed
We have hundreds of cassette tapes that need to be copied to CDs and/or MP3s; can you help? The work can be done in your home using your equipment. EventSocial researchers Gary Lamb and Sarah Hearn will give a presentation benefiting the library on September 12: "Steiner's Views: A Guide for a New Economy." This will be one of a series of presentations offered as part of Think OutWord's Threefold Bootcamp.
|
|
New Books
The Language of Plants: A Guide to the Doctrine of Signatures. Julia Graves, Lindisfarne, 2011, 349 pgs.  Medical herbalist Graves draws from ancient and modern sources to illustrate the "doctrine of signatures," which states that the physical form of a plant gives a clue as to its healing purposes. For example,herbs that resemble various parts of the body (such as liverwort, bloodroot, toothwort, etc.) can be used to treat ailments of that part of the body. Fully illustrated. Addictive Behaviour in Children and Young Adults: The Struggle for Freedom. Raoul Goldberg, Floris, 2012, 287 pgs. 
This book details the underlying causes and far-reaching consequences of addictive behavior. The author, an anthroposophical physician, presents a comprehensive picture of child development into early adulthood, shares case histories exemplifying different types of addictions, and offers a method for understanding and managing this critical problem.
The Island at the Center of the World. Russell Shorto, Double- day, 2004, 384 pgs.  This book was just donated to the library, and the timing is excellent. At the recent conference in Ann Arbor, Bodo von Plato described arriving in Manhattan from Europe, and seeking to encounter it quietly and imaginatively. He visited no museums, theaters, or other tourist landmarks, but sought to envision the island in the earliest days of its colonial habitation. This book might have informed his reverie. Subtitled "The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America," it depicts a colony that was from its inception a melting pot. This book will be a boon to teachers, and to all history lovers. Rudolf Steiner and the School for Spiritual Science: The Foundation of the "First Class." Peter Selg, SteinerBooks, 2012, 161 pgs.
 Peter Selg looks at Rudolf Steiner's intentions for the School for Spiritual Science--intentions that he states have yet to be realized. He also describes Ita Wegman's role as Rudolf Steiner's "helper" in the First Class. He seeks to leave behind the conflicts of the 1920s and 1930s: as Ita Wegman herself said, "For me the matter is settled. There are so many misunderstandings that I consider it better to leave things well alone. We all thought we were doing the right thing. Looking forward is more important now than looking back."
You can find more new books, DVDs, and other materials in the library's online public access catalog.
|
Please help us reach our goal!
Your special gift makes it possible to continue to develop the Rudolf Steiner Library into a multidimensional, 21st-century resource.
Each gift is meaningful; thank you.
|
|
Until next month! Thanks for your interest.
Warm greetings,
Judith Soleil, library director
|
|
