T 15 .U6 1892

Every book in the library has a story. Some books tell us more than others. Call number T 15 .U6 1892, The Growth of Industrial Art, is an unusual book. This volume is large. Printers, librarians and book dealers call it a folio, which means each sheet of paper is printed on two sides and then folded to make four pages in the book. A typical modern book is an octavo where the page is folded again and again to form 16 pages.

Our copy has Reed Smoot’s name stamped on the front cover and inside is a tag that tells us that Alice S. Marriott donated it to the library. Smoot served Utah for five terms as a U. S. Senator. Alice Marriott was the wife of J. Willard Marriott and she is credited with helping to establish the Marriott Corporation.

The book’s author, Benjamin Butterworth, was the son of an abolitionist who freed his slaves and moved to Ohio where he supported the Underground Railroad. Butterworth became the commissioner of patents. Every aspect of this book has an interesting story behind it.

The book is short on text but rich in images. It is a catalog of technology from the last years of the nineteenth century. This is the type of book you need to see for yourself. Online images don’t have the impact of the large original pages. If you do look up this book, please take care. It is old and well used. Help us keep it intact for future readers.