Charles Dickens is one of the most important writers in English Literary History. Our celebration of his bicentenary in February 2012, presented in collaboration with the FSU English Department, continues on the evening of February 29th with the second of two public lectures, sponsored by the Friends of FSU Libraries and the History of Text Technologies program. Dr. John Fenstermaker (Professor Emeritus, English) will deliver a lecture entitled, “Charles Dickens: ‘It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas.’” Alongside the lecture, there will be an exhibition of nineteenth-century Dickensiana from Strozier Library’s Special Collections. All are welcome.

Charles Dickens is one of the most important writers in English Literary History. In celebration of his bicentenary in February 2012, Florida State University’s Department of English, in collaboration with Strozier Library’s Special Collections, is delighted to announce a pair of lectures on Dickens and his work by eminent FSU scholars. The two public lectures, sponsored by the Friends of FSU Libraries and the History of Text Technologies program, will take place on 15th February (Dr. Paul Fyfe) and 29th February (Professor John Fenstermaker) in the Library. Alongside these lectures, there will be an exhibition of nineteenth-century Dickensiana from Strozier Library’s Special Collections. All are welcome.

- text courtesy Dr. Elaine Treharne, English/History of Text Technologies

What Bibles did English people read in the time of Shakespeare, Spenser, or Milton? Why did they view the events of the Reformation or the Civil War as biblical episodes? In occasion of the fourth centenary of the first edition of the King James Bible, in 1611, the Strozier Library’s Special Collections Department presents a selection of 27 treasures from the collection of early printed Bibles bequeathed to the library in 1982 by Milton Stover Carothers, Director of FSU’s Presbyterian Center, in memory of his parents Julia Stover and Milton Washington Carothers

Under a title borrowed from Andrew Marvell, King of Books, Book of Kings revisits the role of Bible publishing in early modern England according to the innovative methods of the History of Text Technologies program (HoTT) created in 2007 at FSU. Stemming from a rigorous analysis of Bibles as material objects, it thus emphasizes the international nature of the first English Bibles whose original synthesis involved Parisian typefaces, Auvergne paper, German or French illustrations of Venetian origin, and commentaries drawing on the Flemish Desiderius Erasmus or the French John Calvin. Beyond the history of Biblical artifacts it also highlights the political figure of English kings as biblical sovereigns, from Henry VIII to James I, constantly to the good kings of the Old Testament, David, Solomon or Josiah, or to Jesus-Christ himself.

King of Books, Book of Kings offers a new example of the multi-faceted collaborative effort between the Strozier Library and the History of Text Technologies (HoTT) program as its direct origin is the graduate seminar “The Bible as a Book (13^th-18^th c.)” that François Dupuigrenet Desroussilles, professor in the Religion Department and HoTT faculty, has been teaching every year in Special Collections since 2009.

The Lady of the Lake with notes and analytical and explanatory index. Published in Edinburgh by W. Ritchie, 1889. Reprint of 1871 edition. Copy rebound, with raised wood covers affixed front and back. Front cover depicting Stirling Castle in Scotland

I have been wanting to highlight two books in our collection that I am particularly fond of specifically for their unique covers and are amongst my favorite books  in our collection with beautiful covers.   These books are different versions of  The Lady of the Lake: a Poem in Six Cantos by Sir Walter Scott.

What motivated me to post pictures of the covers of these books was a reference to it that I came across in another book in our collection The Red Hills of Florida: 1528-1865 by Clifton Paisley.  Special Collections also has the Red Hills of Florida Collection 1820-1994 that contains correspondence, notes, maps, manuscripts, photographs, and related materials.  This collection is comprised of the background files, notes, correspondence, permission, maps, manuscripts, galley proofs, camera ready copies, photographs, and other materials that were collected or created by Clifton Paisley during the writing of his book.

The paragraph where I found the reference to Lady Of the Lake referred to David Macomb, who was from Detroit and aspired to become a planter.   In 1825, soon after he settled in Tallahassee, he began to invest in acreage at the edge of Southwood Plantation, which was about four miles southeast of Tallahassee.   Paisley comments on page 90  that “One can look out from Capital Circle across a misty lake of thirteen acres and a nearby hill that appear to have inspired the name Macomb gave to this plantation, slightly misspelled from Sir Walter Scott’s Lady of the Lake, “Ben Venue on Loch Acray.”   I find it interesting that two very different books like Lady of The Lake and The Red Hills of Florida can intersect in such a way.

Julia Zimmerman, Dean of Florida State University Libraries, and the Ex Libris Special Collections Committee cordially invite you to Soar into the Big Top: FSU Libraries Sayre Circus Collection. Support FSU Special Collections by joining us at A La Provence on the evening of December 1 for this very special event.  Attendees will enjoy a white glove examination of selections from the Sayre Circus Collection, a presentation by FSU Flying High Circus Director Chad Mathews,  and a five-course dinner with wine pairings.

While on the surface a quiet, reserved Navy veteran from New England, Harrison Sayre (1913-2005) also had an alter ego that loved the spectacle of the Big Top. For nearly all of his adult life, Sayre visited the circus whenever he could and fastidiously photographed and collected artifacts of all that he experienced. As a member of the Circus Fans of America, he traveled to see circuses in places as far away as Australia, Russia, and Hawaii.

The Harrison Sayre Circus Collection contains approximately 8,000 photographs, including 8″ x 10″ autographs, snapshots, slides, and negatives, as well as circus programs, posters, and other circus memorabilia collected from circuses attended mostly in the mid-Atlantic region during the second half of the 20th century. As a collection, many of the photographs offer a comprehensive study of circus performer costume design and production style. The collection also includes over 300 books consisting of signed autobiographies, biographies, and circus histories.

Date: December 1, 2011  6:30-9:00
Event Registration: $75 per person, $140 per couple
Attire: Business casual
Venue: A La Provence
1415 Timberlane Road
Tallahassee, FL

RSVP by November 28 to Sabine Butler by email at snbutler@fsu.edu or by telephone at (850) 644-1437.

Bulls Eye Comics #11

Among the historically important comic books in the Robert M. Ervin Jr. Collection is the lone issue of Bulls Eye Comics, published in 1944 by industry pioneer Harry “A” Chesler. The striking cover art depicts the mysterious Lady Satan dispatching Nazis in occupied France with her trademark chlorine gun. The stories within feature Yankee Doodle Jones, Lady Satan, King Kole, Johnny Rebel, Mother Hubbard, K-9, and the Green Knight.

While processing the collection of books and working drawings for each book, I came across a few that have become my favorites which I would like to share. They are Bamboo, Nine in a Line, and The Peacock and the Crow.

Bamboo (1966) (Fig. 1) is about a monkey named Bamboo, who loves orange so much that when she spots an orange parasol in a garden, she does whatever she can to attain it. Nine in a Line (1966) (Fig. 2) is based on a very old folk tale about a man named Amin who has to transport the sheik’s new camels. However, he must guard the camels from the Evil One so that all the camels can reach the sheik. The Peacock and the Crow(1969) (Fig. 3) is also based off of an old fairy tale. The fairy tale is based off of how the Peacock and the Crow got their colors. In the story, the Peacock and Crow were invited to Lord Tiger’s wedding and thought that their dull feathers weren’t impressive enough (they were thought to originally have been all-white), so they find some paint for their feathers. With the found paint, the Crow paints the Peacocks feathers beautiful colors of blue and yellow. However, the Peacock, in fear of being outdazzled at the wedding, doesn’t adorn the Crow with the same colors, but instead paints the Crow with black paint. These three books are only just a small part of the collection of children’s books illustrated by Ann Kirn.

Fig. 1 Bamboo (1966)

Fig. 2 Nine in a Line (1969)

Fig. 3 The Peacock and the Crow (1969)

Banned Books Poster for FSU Special Collections Exhibit 2011

Please join us in celebrating the freedom to read by stopping by the Exhibit Room in Strozier Library this week for our Banned Books Week Exhibit.

The tumultuous and often violent relationship between texts and the censorship of words and ideas has existed since ancient times. Throughout history, the censorship of books has taken the form of banning, burning, and bowdlerizing or expurgating. Authors and publishers of books have also been targeted; they have been tried in court, imprisoned, put to death, ostracized and in many cases have also gained celebrity-like fame and notoriety.

This exhibit highlights a wide variety of banned literature, from philosophical and scientific treaties banned on grounds of blasphemy to the very holy books themselves. Works of literature challenged and banned in school classrooms and public libraries for contradicting social attitudes on race, sexual conduct, and violence are included, as are books banned on political grounds for criticizing both ancient and modern political systems.

Also, don’t miss the Banned Books Week Read-Out taking place on Monday, September 26, from noon until 1:00 p.m. in front of Strozier Library. FSU Library and Information Studies Professor and great friend to Special Collections Don Latham will serve as master of ceremonies as various Florida State luminaries read selections from some of their favorite banned books. Speakers will include:

 Wayne Wiegand:  The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck

Dennis Moore (English): TBA

Barbara Hamby (English):  Howl, Allen Ginsberg

RaMonda Horton-Ikard (Communication Science and Disorders):  I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou

Pamala Doffek (Goldstein Library):  Captain Underpants, Dav Pilkey

Vanessa Reyes: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou

Meredith Ross: To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

Laura Brenkus: Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman

Allison George: And Tango Makes Three, Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson

Be sure to check out the full calendar of Banned Books Week events on the Friends of The Florida State University Libraries page.

We all agreed that this was a good recipe and I am sharing it here.  However, if I were to make it again, I would not whip the cream and powdered sugar together for the topping since it did not come out in the consistency that I liked.  Because of this, I used Cool Whip.

We have an eclectic selection of cookbooks in our Florida Collection including Old, Original and Favorite Recipes of the Florida Panhandlers, Burdine’s Cookbook, a Volume of Tested Recipes, The American Beach Cookbook, Florida Citrus Cookbook and Seminole Savorings: the Official Seminoles Boosters’ Cookbook.  

I am looking forward to trying more of the recipes from cookbooks in this collection and sharing them on our blog.  

‘Underground comix’ are small press or self-published comic books which contain salacious and satirical commentary on social and political issues. These works emerged in the late 1960s alongside the youth counter-culture movement, often depicting content that was forbidden to mainstream comic book publications, such as explicit sexuality and drug use. The term “comix” was popularized by its appearance in the title of the first issues of Robert Crumb’s Zap Comix, and was used to differentiate underground comix from mainstream comic books, with the “X” also emphasizing the X-rated contents.

These publications illustrated a new awareness of socio-political issues in the emerging ‘hippie’ counterculture movement of the time, such as environmentalism, civil rights, women’s liberation, the sexual revolution, the Vietnam War, recreational drug use, and new-age mysticism. The Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco was the epicenter of the movement and the home of major printer/publishers such as The Print Mint, Apex Novelties, and Last Gasp. Comix were often sold in alternative venues such as head shops and enjoyed their strongest success in the United States between 1968 and 1975.

This exhibit features a small sampling of underground comix by Robert Crumb, Skip Williamson, Greg Irons, Trina Robbins, and John Thompson from the Robert M. Ervin Jr. Collection.

The Yeti Collection exhibit displays materials that were donated to FSU Special Collections in March 2011 by the editors of The Yeti, an independent student news publication that serves Florida State University and the greater Tallahassee community as an alternative source for local news. The exhibit features some unique items, including a beer bottle and a collection of mysterious postcards which contain bizarre stories and drawings, as well as a November 2005 issue of The Yeti that is autographed by comedian Lewis Black.

The collection is a colorful addition to FSU’s manuscripts collection that offers a glimpse into the alternative culture of FSU students and Tallahassee during the first decade of the new millennium. The Yeti was  founded in April 2005 by a small group of FSU students and covers many local and grassroots topics that often get overlooked by larger commercial media outlets. Their stated goal has been “to provide our university and community with in-depth coverage of topics that impact the community.”

Adrienne Serra, the 2010-2011 graduate assistant for Special Collections, was responsible for curating and arranging the exhibits, as well as creating promotional posters and bookmarks. It is hoped that these two exhibits, which focus on counter-culture, will expose more students and library patrons to Special Collections and the unique materials that our manuscript holdings have to offer, especially as new students arrive with the beginning of the fall semester.

To view the online finding aid for the Yeti collection, visit http://fsuarchon.fcla.edu/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=3512&q=yeti

To learn more about The Yeti, visit their website: http://www.theyetionline.com/

To check out the finding aid for the Ervin collection, visit http://www.lib.fsu.edu/~speccoll/ervinjr2.htm