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Archive: "American Rare Literary Authors" Category

Art Nouveau Bindings for National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month, and to celebrate, we’ve created a gallery of some rather gorgeous poetry books. The bookbindings shown here were all designed in the art nouveau style, and published between 1880 and 1910. Art nouveau features long, flowing lines, inspired by organic forms. It was popular in decorative arts of the late Victorian …

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Tip Top Weekly

Planning your Turkey Bowl or your fantasy team for this Thanksgiving? Even a century ago, football was still a main feature of the holiday weekend, as demonstrated by this 1905 issue of the long-running serial Tip Top Weekly. Branded “An Ideal Publication for the American Youth,” Tip Top Weekly churned out wildly popular adventure and …

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New exhibit of African American literature

This month, Special Collections is highlighting three centuries of first editions by African American authors, from Phillis Wheatley to Toni Morrison. The exhibit is on display inside the Special Collections Reading Room, but you don’t need to be a researcher to come visit — just ask the reference staff for admission!

A Christmas Welcome to the Saviour Guest

Special Collections’ latest exhibit features Christmas tales and poems from the 19th century. It brings together items from across our major collecting areas: the Americana, Victorian, Rare American Literature, Fine Press, and Literary Manuscripts collections. This is a great chance to see the breadth of our literature collections—from a first edition of A Christmas Carol …

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Walking With Thoreau

Philosopher, naturalist, and writer Henry David Thoreau was born July 12, 1817. To celebrate the life of this influential American writer, Special Collections is displaying first editions of his work in our reference room, including copies of Walden and “Civil Disobedience.” The exhibit, “Walking With Thoreau: A 200th Anniversary Celebration,” is on display throughout the …

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New acquisitions: literature by women

For Women’s History month, today’s post features some of our newest literary acquisitions by women authors, across several genres, from Victorian sensation fiction to the how-to book. VICTORIAN NOVELS Harriet Rakes, The Marriage Contract. London, 1849. Call number: Victorian Collection PR 5205 .R68 M3 1849 Elizabeth Missing Sewell, Ivors, or The Two Cousins. London, 1856. …

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Jack London

100 years ago today, Jack London, American author and activist, died at age 40 in California. London is best known for his tales of the Klondike Gold Rush, including the novel The Call of the Wild and the oft-anthologized short story “To Build a Fire.” He was a prolific writer who wrote nearly two dozen …

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New sources for American poetry

Special Collections has recently acquired copies of several important 19th and early 20th century anthologies of American poetry and literary criticism. These are wonderful resources for students of  American poetry, providing information about literary reception and canon formation in the 19th century as well as publishing the work of  many long-forgotten poets of the period. …

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New Acquisitions: Literary Criticism and Biography

Looking for new sources on topics in American literature? Here are a few of the latest additions to BYU’s comprehensive collections of authors Herman Melville and Walt Whitman. You will only find them in Special Collections! Christine Gerhardt, A Place for Humility: Whitman, Dickinson, and the Natural World. University of Iowa Press, 2014.   Justin Martin, …

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