Top Shelf Books From the Age of Queen Victoria - Last Week

This Fall we've enjoyed showing off some of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library collection's 19th Century books along the top shelves of the reading room.  Our Fall intern Whitney Frazier selected one of the books on display to write about for the blog. You can read about her selection below, but if you'd like to see the books for yourself, stop by the Library before they return to the stacks on January 28, 2011.

Caricature and Other Comic Art

In the Reading Room of the Jean Outland Chrysler Library, lining the top of the shelves is a collection of Victorian books. After looking into each of the interesting collection, I chose Caricature and Other Comic Art by James Parton. This book was published in 1878 by Harper & Brothers, Publishers. This publishing company is now known as HarperCollins. On the cover is a comic called Pigmy Pugilists—from Pompeii. It shows two men one on the ground reaching for help while the other is still ready to fight. This book offers a range of caricatures from the Romans through America 1875. The author, James Parton was a well known biographer, writer and historian of his time. His books were widely published and admired of his time. He was author of many presidents’ biographies, among other historical topics. This book is an interesting composition of cartoons poking fun at everything and everyone who was a popular topic at the time. The book explores political, religious, literary, social, and economic avenues. Caricature and Other Comic Art is greatly interesting as a social view of the times and what was historically critical at the time. I enjoyed reading into the Reformation and Roman and Greek historical caricatures and how they applied socially. This book is a fascinating resource into social and historical values.

 - Whitney Frazier, Library Intern Fall 2010

Top Shelf Books from the Age of Queen Victoria

The World’s Columbian Exhibition, 1893

As an ode to the beauty of Victorian book and their ornate bindings, we’ve filled the top shelves of the reading room with volumes most fitting of attention. One such is The World’s Columbian Exhibition, 1893. The pale blue, gold and black volume is lavishly decorated with scenes of innovation and antiquity. The inside is even more impressive than the binding. The book is filled with photographs and sketches of the exhibits and participants, architecture and inventions. The account of artwork and technology in each building was painstakingly compiled by Trumbull White, World’ Fair Correspondent and William Igleheart, World’s Fair Editor of “Chicago Record.” Others contributed introductions and commentary. Such a large exposition could not possibly be reported by just two journalists. With a full list of illustrations, a department by department introduction, and further commentary by luminaries of the time, this book would have been a must-have for anyone attending the exposition as well as those too far away to enjoy its wonders. Please stop by the Jean Outland Chrysler Library and have a look at this marvel of decorative binding and all of the other books on display.

-SCM