Book of the Week – WEST INDIES, LTD.: POEMAS

23 Monday Mar 2015

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Civil War, Communist Party, Cuba, drums, Garcia, Gerardo Machado, Havana, Hispanic, journalism, Nicolás Guillén (1902-1989), poetry, Spain, typography, United States, University of Havana, West Indies

: West Indies, Ltd., 1934

WEST INDIES, LTD.: POEMAS
Nicolás Guillén (1902-1989)
La Habana: Imp.Ucar, Garcia y cia., 1934
First edition
PQ7389 G84 W4 1934

Nicolás Cristóbal Guillén Batista was a Cuban journalist, political activist and poet. Born of Afro-Cuban parents, he studied law at the University of Havana, but abandoned a legal career for typography and journalism. West Indies, Ltd. was his first collection of poetry with political overtones, reflecting the 1933 overthrow of Gerardo Machado’s dictatorial regime and the political repression that followed.

In 1936, Guillén was arrested and jailed. In 1937 he joined the Communist Party. He covered Spain’s Civil War as a reporter. In 1941 he was refused entry into the United States but traveled the rest of the world extensively. He was the inaugural winner of Cuba’s National Prize for Literature in 1983. His poetry is representative of “poesía negra,” a synthesis of black and Hispanic cultures, and is noted for its imitations of drums and drum-like rhythms.

Special Collections Exhibition – An Enduring Spirit: Mormon Women Pioneers

02 Monday Mar 2015

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Alison Conner, art, Eliza R. Snow, Ivy Baker Priest, J. Willard Marriott Library, Julia Huddleston, Mary Jane Mount Tanner, Maud May Babcock, Molly Steed, Mormon, pioneers, Sara Davis, Special Collections, Special Collections Gallery, The University of Utah, United States, Utah, women

An Enduring Spirit

“Tell the sisters to go forth and discharge their duties in humility and faithfulness and the Spirit of God will rest upon them, and they will be blest in their labors. Let them seek for wisdom instead of power and they will have all the power they have wisdom to exercise!!!” – Eliza R. Snow

When the Mormon pioneers crossed the plains they came with more than the belongings in their carts and the clothes on their backs. They brought with them a spirit of courage and adventure. The J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collections gathers the archives of Mormon women from the earliest pioneers to the present generation. Our collections include: Mary Jane Mount Tanner, an early poet who recorded the stories of her pioneer mother; Maud May Babcock, one of the first female professors at the University of Utah, who directed art programs for women at the university and in the Utah community; Ivy Baker Priest, the second woman Treasurer of the United States; women who fought to defend their political and religious beliefs; and women who encouraged others through the seemingly simple task of managing a household and caring for their families. The pioneering spirit of these women and many others inspires current and future generations of Mormon and non-Mormon women.

February 25 – April 27

Exhibition: An Enduring Spirit: Mormon Women Pioneers

Curators: Alison Conner, Julia Huddleston, Molly Steed, Sara Davis

Location: Special Collections Gallery, J. Willard Marriott Library, level 4

Gallery hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00–6:00; Saturday, 9:00–6:00; Hours differ during University breaks and holidays.

The exhibition is FREE and open to the public.

Book of the Week/ Donation – Independent Chronicle and Universal Advertiser

16 Monday Feb 2015

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"Light-Horse Harry" Lee, A. C. Hanson, Baltimore Federal Republican, Boston, Cambridge, Confederate, Congress, Continental Army, Dr. Ronald Rubin, Ebenezer Rhoades, George Washington, Henry Lee, Independent Chronicle and Universal Advertiser, John Adams, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Robert E. Lee, Salem, The Essex Gazette, The New-England Chronicle, Uniform Monday Holiday Act, United States, University of Utah, War of 1812, Whiskey Rebellion

Independent Chronicle and Universal Advertiser
Boston: Ebenezer Rhoades, 1800

“First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen, he was second to none in the humble and endearing scenes of private life: pious, just, humane, temperate and sincere; uniform, dignified and commanding, his example was as edifying to all around him, as were the effects of that example lasting.”

George Washington’s death, late in 1799, evoked hundreds of funeral orations from all over the United States. Of these, that of Henry Lee, delivered before Congress on December 26, 1799 in Philadelphia, is the most memorable. His eulogy was re-printed in newspapers throughout the nation, and in pamphlets printed on the continent and overseas. The eulogy covered nearly the entire front page of newspapers.

As in many newspapers, this issue included “A Proclamation” signed by then-President John Adams setting aside February 22, Washington’s birthday, for the public to “testify their grief for the death of General George Washington.” In 1885, February 22 was declared a federal holiday. The date was changed to the third Monday of February in 1971 following Uniform Monday Holiday Act.

“Light-Horse Harry” Lee had been summoned by Washington in 1776 to join the Continental Army. In 1778, Washington promoted Lee to the rank of major and gave him command of a small corps of irregulars. Lee’s leadership of these troops earned him his nickname. In 1794 Washington sent him to command the suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania. From 1799 to 1801 he served in Congress.

Lee helped his friend A.C. Hanson, editor of the Baltimore Federal Republican which opposed the War of 1812, resist a mob attack. In the melee he received injuries from which he never recovered. Lee served a year in debtor’s prison. He was the father of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

The Independent Chronicle (1776-1840) originated in 1768 as The Essex Gazette in Salem and The New-England Chronicle in Cambridge which joined forces in Boston. In 1820 it had the distinction of being Boston’s oldest running newspaper.

University of Utah copy gift of Dr. Ronald Rubin.

Join Us!

09 Monday Feb 2015

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Armando Solorzano, Arturo Valenzuela, Ethnic Studies, European, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Gould Auditorium, Hinckley Caucus Room, Hinckley Institute, Hinckley Institute of Politics, Jim Hinckley, Latin America, Latinos, Lyn Hinckley, Marriott Library, Mexican Revolution, Mexico, NSC Special Assistant to the President for Latin Affairs, Orson Spencer Hall, rare book collections, Rare Books Classroom, Rare Books Division, Rocco C. and Marian S. Siciliano Forum, Sabino Osuna, United States, University of Utah, Utah

http://www.hinckley.utah.edu/siciliano-forum

The Rare Books Division is pleased to participate in the 17^th Annual Rocco C. and Marion S. Siciliano Forum: The Future of U.S. – Latin American Relations.

MONDAY, FEB. 23

9:45 AM FORUM

“Marching to a Unified Future: Latinos in Utah and the Nation.” Armando Solorzano, University of Utah Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies

Hinckley Caucus Room, Orson Spencer Hall, 255

12:00 PM KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Arturo Valenzuela, former U.S. Asst. Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere and former NSC Special Asistant to the President for Latin Affairs

Marriott Library, Gould Auditorium

1:00 PM ART EXHIBIT RECEPTION

“Mexico at the Hour of Combat: Photographs of the Mexican Revolution by Sabino Osuna” Presented by Jim and Lyn Hinckley

Marriott Library, 5th Floor

1-2:30PM Rare Books Display

“What Seems Fantastic”

Visit the Rare Books Classroom, Level 4, for a hands-on display of selections from the rare book collections documenting European and United States encounters with Latin America from the 8th century to the 21st.

“My most important problem was destroying the lines of demarcation that separate what seems real from what seems fantastic.” – Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Book of the Week – Rights of Man

19 Monday Jan 2015

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Edmund Burke, French Revolution, John Quincy Adams, London, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, United States

Rights of Man
Thomas Paine (1737-1809)
London: printed for H.D. Symonds, 1792

In Rights of Man, Thomas Paine defended the French Revolution against attacks made by Edmund Burke. Thomas Jefferson championed Rights of Man. Paine was made a French citizen by the assembly in 1792 and was elected to the convention where he allied himself with the moderate republicans who lost power during the terror. Paine returned to the United States in 1802.

Book of the Week – New Voyages to North-America…

14 Wednesday Jan 2015

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Baron Lahontan, cartographers, English, engraved plates, European, French, Great Lakes, Howard Stansbury, London, Louisiana Purchase, maps, Mississippi River, Mississippi Valley, Netherlands, North America, Rocky Mountains, Thomas Jefferson, United States, Utah

New Voyages to North-America…
Louis Armand de Lom d’Arce (1666-1715)
London: Printed for H. Bonwicke, T. Goodwin, M. Wotton, B. Took; and S. Manship, 1703
First English edition

One hundred years before President Thomas Jefferson acquired the Louisiana Purchase, and seventy-three years before the United States came into existence, this was one of the most widely read travel narratives of early eighteenth-century America, detailing Indian life with maps and engraved plates. First published in French in the Netherlands, it was published in English in London the same year.

Baron Lahontan explored the Great Lakes and upper Mississippi Valley regions in the 1680’s. Lahonton’s narrative is significant for its imaginary trip west of the Mississippi River. To validate this claim, he drew a map on which he outlined the Rocky Mountains and a river that flowed indefinitely west. A century and a half later Capt. Howard Stansbury included this map as a facsimile in his 1852 report on the expedition to what is now Utah. European cartographers of the time copied from this work frequently, attempting to show, among other geographical features, “the big salty lake farther to the west.”

President Jefferson had a copy of this book in his personal library.

Books of the Week – Philip Zimmermann

08 Monday Dec 2014

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Arizona, gilded edges, HP Indigo, Lukeville, Mexican, Mexican immigrants, Mohawk Superfine, New Mexico, offset lithography, Phillip Zimmermann, Rhinebeck, Sonoran desert, southern Arizona, Spaceheater Editions, Tuscon, United States

Shelter
Philip Zimmermann
Rhinebeck, NY: Spaceheater Editions, 2006
N7433.4 Z54 S54 2006

Colored illustrations on long continuous strip, viewed through a 13 x 9 cm. hole in cut in the center of each page of text. Printed by HP Indigo digital printing on Mohawk Superfine archival paper. Handbound. Edition of fifty copies. University of Utah copy is no. 21.

Sanctus Sonorensis
Philip Zimmermann
Tucson, AZ: Spaceheater Editions, c2006-2009
N7433.4 Z54 S36 2009

From the colophon: “The cover image is part of the Sonoran desert in Southern Arizona about 50 miles from Lukeville, and just a couple of miles from the Mexican border. It is one of the most heavily trafficked and dangerous entry points for illegal Mexican immigrants entering the United States, and many die there each year from exposure and lack of water. The skyscapes are [sic] all photographed in New Mexico and Arizona during 2003 and 2004.” Self-covering board book with rounded and gilded edges in four-color offset lithography.

Book of the Week – Madoc

20 Monday Oct 2014

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America, Azteca, English, engraved, Indians, Lake Poets, London, Madoc, Mandan, marbled endpapers, Missouri River, morocco, North Dakota, Ohio River, poem, poet, poet laureate, Robert Southey, Romantic Movement, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Susquehanna River, United States, utopian community, Welsh

MADOC
Robert Southey (1774-1843)
London: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, and A. Constable and Co. Edinburgh, 1805
First edition
PR5464 M2 1805

Robert Southey was an English poet, a follower of the Romantic Movement, one of the “Lake Poets.” He was appointed poet laureate in 1813. Together with his good friend Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), he planned to found a utopian community on the Susquehanna River in the United States. While this plan never came to fruition, it is probable that Madoc was inspired by this dream. The four hundred and forty-nine page poem, accompanied by one hundred and four pages of notes is the story of a Welsh king, who, around 1169, settled on the Missouri River in America and founded a great race of Indians, the “Aztecas.” The legend of Madoc is more familiarly associated with the Mandan tribe of North Dakota. During the eighteenth century, white explorers and trappers heard stories of a small, peaceful tribe living in Western North Dakota, some of whom had blue eyes, blonde hair and spoke Welsh. It was believed that this tribe was descended from a Welsh settlement on the Ohio River in the mid-fourteenth century. Engraved title-page. Bound in contemporary three-quarter green morocco with marbled endpapers and edges.

Book of the Week – The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

08 Monday Sep 2014

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advertisements, American, bookstores, British, California, Canada, copyright, England, frontispiece, Hartford, London, manuscript, Mark Twain, piracy, prospectus, royalties, Samuel Clemens, San Francisco, subscription, Tom Sawyer, typewritten, United States, unpublished

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Mark Twain (1835-1910)
Hartford, CT: American Pub. Co.; San Francisco, CA: A. Roman, 1876
First American edition, first printing
PS1306-A1-1876

Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) wrote three different versions of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer between 1872 and 1875 before it was first published in London in June, 1876.

Many American authors preferred to have their books published first in England, since that was the only way to secure British copyright. First printings in England, and then the United States, usually occurred only a couple of months apart. In the case of Tom Sawyer, the delay was longer, frustrating Twain. Too much of a delay often resulted in piracy, which is exactly what happened in the case of this work. At least one pirated edition surfaced in July in Canada.

Twain believed that the delay and the piracy caused him loss in royalties. Tom Sawyer was reviewed unfavorably in the London Examiner, the day it came out. A July review in the literary magazine, The Atheneaum, was more kindly.

In December 1876, Tom Sawyer was printed in the United States and sold by subscription only. This was a common method of book distribution in the United States during the latter half of the nineteenth century. Book agents would cross the country with a publisher’s prospectus, selling and placing orders for as yet unpublished titles. Once the title was released the books would be delivered directly to subscriber’s homes. Only later editions were available in bookstores.

Tom Sawyer was not an immediate success. The American publisher sold only 24,000 copies in its first year. The pirated edition was not the only reason for poor sales. One book agent in California complained that the story, at only 274 pages, was not long enough. Potential subscribers apparently felt the same way.

Twain typed the manuscript for Tom, and later claimed that it was the first typewritten manuscript. Historians, however, believe that this distinction goes to Twain’s Life on the Mississippi. The frontispiece of the first American edition was drawn by Twain. Publisher’s advertisements, dated Dec. 1, 1876 on two leaves in back.

Book of the Week – An Alphabetical Compendium of Various Sects…

25 Monday Aug 2014

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bookselling, Boston, Edes, England, geography, Greek, Hannah Adams, Jewry, John Adams, Latin, logic, Massachusetts, religion, Shakers, Unitarian, United States

An Alphabetical Compendium of Various Sects…
Hannah Adams (1755-1831)
Boston: Printed by B. Edes & Sons, 1784
First edition
BL31 A3 1784

Hannah Adams was one of the first women in the United States to make a living as writer. Born in Massachusetts, Adams was a distant cousin of President John Adams and the daughter of a lifelong bibliophile called “Book” Adams, who failed an attempt at bookselling. Too frail to go to school, she was taught Latin, Greek, geography and logic along with theological students who boarded with her family.

One of the students introduced her to Broughton’s Dictionary of Religions, which led to her interest in writing on religion. At the age of seventeen, her father faced bankruptcy. Adams helped sustain the family by selling her lace and by teaching. The sale of her books added to her income.

Alphabetical Compendium was an important contribution to American religious literature. In her book, Adams (a Unitarian) represented denominations from the perspective of their adherents, without injecting her own opinions. It includes one of the earliest accounts of the Shakers and a description of contemporary Jewry. This work went through four editions in the United States, each under a different title, and was also published in England.

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~ News from the Rare Books Department of Special Collections at the J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah

Tag Archives: United States

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