University of Southern Maine Cataloger Donates Rare Books
Collection
July 16, 2004
Albert A. Howard of Standish, a cataloger in University of
Southern Maine libraries for the past 34 years, has given
the University of Southern Maine his collection of rare books
dating back to the 16th century.
The Albert A. Howard Book History Collection will eventually
bring more than 1,200 rare books to USM as well as an endowment
for the collection's care and expansion. The collection, which
will be housed in the Mildred Brenner Glickman Special Collections
Area on the sixth floor of USM's Glickman Family Library,
Portland, includes a 1553 edition of the first illustrated
children's book, popular poetry collections from the 16th
century, and even a book on gardening, published in the late
1500s.
"My purpose in donating this collection is to create at
the University of Southern Maine a resource of original supporting
materials for the study and teaching of the printed book as
the social and cultural instrument in Europe and the Americas
from the year 1500 to the present day," said Howard.
His extensive collection is divided into general areas of
interest.
The first part to be acquired is a collection of 700-800
books printed after 1900. These are reference books, books
on illustration, and other titles from what are considered
"fine presses" in the United States. Notable for their beauty
and craftsmanship, they feature engraved and woodcut illustrations,
fine paper and bindings. A standout treasure from this collection
is a 1917 book about Newark, N.J., which Howard acquired from
an English book dealer. Published by D.B. Updike of Boston
for the Cartaret (N.J.) Book Club, it features colored woodcuts
by Ruzicka, a Czech immigrant, who is considered one of the
great masters of this art.
The second portion will be bequeathed to the university
upon Howard's death, and includes a collection of 200 titles
of early printings, among them Henry VIII's letter to Martin
Luther (1527). Another portion of 200 titles features children's
books, including the first illustrated children's book --
published in 1553 by the Charles Stephanus family publishers
in Paris -- a study of ships. Another work in this collection
is a cornerstone of Maine children's books, "Scripture Animals,"
by Jonathan Fisher of Blue Hill, published by William Hyde
Publishers, Portland, in 1834. Finally, some 325 titles comprise
books from 1600-1900.
"I am delighted that Albert has chosen to donate his
outstanding collection to USM," said USM Director of
University Libraries David Nutty. "It is a thoughtful
and well-developed collection, reflecting Albert's knowledge
and interests. As with all of our special collections, the
Howard Collection will be for USM faculty and students to
use as a part of the curriculum."
"One of the reasons Special Collections was eager to get
this collection was to support the USM curriculum and students
going for graduate degrees," said Susie Bock, USM's head
of special collections. "For instance, women were widely
employed in the publishing field in the 19th and early 20th
centuries. Albert's collection of fine press books and titles
published before 1900 could be used by someone pursuing a
degree in the Women Studies Program. I can also see students
in the Honors Program using the collection, and I suspect
faculty in Political Science, Philosophy, History, and foreign
languages departments will find texts that they could use
in lectures or assignments."
EDITOR'S NOTE: Illustrations from the books can be see
at the following links. The captions appear below and all
illustrations are courtesy of the University of Southern Maine
Mildred Brenner Glickman Special Collections.
1. "Interjections," a hand-colored illustration
from the children's English grammar book for children, "The
Paths of Learning Strewed With Flowers" (London: Harris
and Son, 1820).
http://www.usm.maine.edu/mcr/news/releases_03-04/howardcollection/1_Interjections.tif
2. A hand-colored illustration from the children's book,
"The German Emigrants," about emigrating from Germany
to California. (Dietrich, Dr. , Guben, F. Fechner, ca. 1851)
http://www.usm.maine.edu/mcr/news/releases_03-04/howardcollection/2_Emigrants.tif
3. A woodcut from a first-person account of an Italian
earthquake in a pamphlet produced for a German audience, "Ein
erschrockenliche Newe Zeytung, so geschehen ist den 12, tag
Junii, in dem 1542" (Germany, 1542).
http://www.usm.maine.edu/mcr/news/releases_03-04/howardcollection/3_earthquake.tif
4. & 5. Colored engravings from "Newark: a series
of engravings on wood by Rudolph Ruzicka; with an appreciation
by Walter Prichard Eaton" (Newark, N. J. : Carteret Book
Club, 1917)
http://www.usm.maine.edu/mcr/news/releases_03-04/howardcollection/4_newark.tif
and http://www.usm.maine.edu/mcr/news/releases_03-04/howardcollection/5_newark.tif
>more news releases
|
