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5.14.15: A Rare Book Dealer Shares His Passion & The Doctors Riot Of 1788

mclcbooks via flickr Creative Commons|
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flic.kr/p/9gvwfF

For some people, the day to day grind of the work week can be soul sucking, but for some, a job is more than just a paycheck, it's a passion. On today's show we'll talk to a rare book dealer who found his calling in the pages of antique books. Also today, in the early days of medicine, doctors weren't always revered by their patients. We'll hear about the so-called "Doctors Riot" that happened in 1788 New York City.

Listen to the full show

Good Gig: Rare Book Dealer Ken Gloss

Ken Gloss is proprietor of the Brattle Book Shop in Boston, one of the largest – and oldest- antiquarian bookshops in the country, and an appraiser of rare books and manuscripts for The Antiques Roadshow since 1998. 

Library of Dust

Between 1913 and 1971, the remains of over 5,000 patients were cremated on the grounds of the Oregon state psychiatric hospital. Their ashes were sealed, individually, in copper canisters. In 1976, the hospital moved these to a memorial vault underground and pretty much forgot about them. Artist David Maisel first saw them in 2005 and has since created a photographic series of them entitled "Library of Dust". Producer Sarah Lilley brings us the story.

You can listen to this story at PRX.org.

The First American Medical Riot

Writer Bess Lovejoy, author of Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses, wrote about one of the first major riots in the post-revolution United States, caused by popular anger against doctors. Her story of the so-called “Doctors’ Riot,”which began in New York City on April 16, 1788, is featured on Smithsonian.com.

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