Come down to the Library from now until April 15 to see some very special books on loan from the Pequot Library Special Collection!

This exhibit stems from work done for Art History 290: The Art of the Book, fall semester, 2011. The class was taught by Dr. Daniel Snydacker, Director of Pequot Library, and covered the development and cultural significance of the book (and related technologies and industries) from its earliest manifestations through the Kindle. In addition to lectures and discussions, students took a field trip to the Beineke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University, and attended a presentation by Robert Gross, the James L. and Shirley A. Draper Professor of Early American History at the University of Connecticut, and a world renowned scholar of the history of the book.

The centerpiece of the course was the special collection of Pequot Library. Started in 1893, Pequot’s special collection now has more than 30,000 volumes, and contains some of the most significant works from American and world letters.  Students from the course selected works from the collection to research and develop “book biographies” detailing the physical characteristics of the book and significant aspects of its publication history. The following books are featured in the exhibit, along with the student-generated “book biographies”:

•  The Hunchback of Notre Dame, researched by Hayley Battaglia, MFA, ’13
• White Fang, researched by Kevin Sherman, ’12
• Tale of a Tub, researched by Kevin Sherman, ’12
• Gothic Architecture researched by Laura O’Reilly, 13
• As You Like It, researched by Sara Hoegen, ’12
• Journal of Travels in England, researched by Olivia Johnson, ’13

Other student books from the class are currently on display at a complimentary exhibit at Pequot Library.

Special thanks to Hayley Battaglia for the photography for the exhibit.