In December 2022, we recorded this podcast before a live studio audience. Our guests were Library colleagues Dr. Sherry Darling and Bronwen Arthur, who brought us inside their work with the Mary Baker Eddy Papers—the Library’s ongoing project to digitize, transcribe, and make accessible its collection of Mary Baker Eddy’s correspondence and manuscripts. In particular, our guests gave a glimpse into what the Library’s collections reveal about all the activity that was going on in Eddy’s church in the year 1886. You’ll learn about the publication of a landmark edition of her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, as well as how The Christian Science Journal, a magazine founded in 1883, had become an important channel of communication between Eddy and her followers. In addition, you’ll hear responses from Darling and Arthur to questions posed by members of the audience.
Explore the Mary Baker Eddy Papers website for yourself: https://mbepapers.org/.
Letters referenced in this episode:
Bradford Sherman to Mary Baker Eddy, January 11, 1886
Minnie B. Hall DeSoto to Mary Baker Eddy, March 23, 1886
Alice B. Poole to Mary Baker Eddy, December 1, 1883
Access more on this topic:
- Podcast: “Creating online archives at The Mary Baker Eddy Library”
- Podcast: “Broadway’s best—spiritual quest, Antoinette Perry, and the Tony Awards”
Dr. Sherry Darling is Editor of the Mary Baker Eddy Papers, a digital effort to annotate and publish Mary Baker Eddy’s correspondence and manuscripts online. She has been researching and writing about Eddy and the history of Christian Science for the Library since she joined the staff in 2002. Prior to editing Eddy’s papers, she worked at the Library as a researcher, writing historical articles and managing a variety of projects that included the fellowship program, newsletters, exhibits, and software migrations. She earned her Ph.D. in theatre history and literature from Tufts University.
Bronwen Arthur joined the Mary Baker Eddy Papers team in 2016. Before that she worked as a researcher at the Library and held several positions with The Christian Science Publishing Society. As Assistant Editor, she does “a little bit of everything” to ensure that the work of transcribing, annotating, and publishing the Papers runs smoothly. She particularly enjoys sharing new findings through research articles, email updates, social media posts, and podcasts. She has a master’s degree in political science from the University of Queensland.
