J.D. Williams Library Exhibit
Blues Archive Soul & Spirit Celebration
Archives and Special Collections presents an exhibit Soul & Spirit: 40 Years of Preserving the Blues. Since opening its doors to the public on 13 September 1984, the Blues Archive has grown into the world’s premier Blues research collection. The materials in this exhibit showcase important collections and memories of events from the past 40 years. Visitors can see rare 78 rpm discs from Robert Johnson and Charlie Patton, LPs from B.B. King’s personal record collection, handwritten lyrics from Tampa Red and Percy Mayfield, and much more.
More Than Words: The Book As Object
Archives and Special Collections presents More Than Words: The Book As Object. This exhibition celebrates the concept of the book for itself, not necessarily for its specific content. Displays of early material range from selections of medieval fragments to the first printed description of double-entry bookkeeping in Luca Pacioli’s Summa de arithmetica (1494) to a copy of William Shakespeare’s Second Folio (1632) owned by famous nineteenth century actor Edwin Booth. Other displays showcase various paper marbling techniques, examine aspects of a book’s publication journey, and feature various points of book collecting, by examining different editions, conditions, associations and more. Visitors can also see selections from Faulkner’s personal library on loan from Rowan Oak. In addition to rare and fascinating books like William Faulkner’s handmade Marionettes or Mark Catesby’s Natural History examples of pulp fiction and other popular works are displayed. From ultra-microminiature books of less than ¼” tall to royal folios exceeding 20” this exhibit is sure to fascinate any bibliophile!
