Mormonism, Utah, & the West
Literature
World History & Culture
Photographs
Arts & Communications
BYU HistoryConference Program
PRE-CONFERENCE PROGRAMThursday March 26, 2009 Workshops are available onlym for conference attendees; each will be taught twice: 8:30 am to 11:30 am and 12:45 to 3:45 pm. Attendees may register for up to two workshops. Lunch is not included on this day. |
How to Identify Repairs:Book Collecting Forensics 101 |
| Instructor: Ethan Ensign (Scrub Oak Bindery, Salt Lake City) |
| Two sessions: 8:30am — 11:30am and 12:45pm — 3:45pm |
| Workshop location: Lee Library Friends Room (HBLL 6525) |
| Abstract: In this hands-on workshop and lecture, attendees will learn to identify repairs and alterations on rare books, and learn the basics in bibliography on the subject. This workshop will teach collectors the skills needed to confidently and defensively buy rare books.
The workshop will include a
Such repairs and alterations may or may not be appropriate; however, collectors should have the skills to identify alterations and negotiate and purchase accordingly. |
| Route: walk south on any floor to the last bank of elevators, take an elevator to the 6th floor, walk through the double doors, then turn right and look straight ahead.
→ click here to see a Google Map of this location. |
Illumination: the Decorated Letter from Medieval to Modern
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| Instructor: Joan Merrell (immediate past president of the Association for the Calligraphic Arts) |
| Two sessions: 8:30am — 11:30am and 12:45pm — 3:45pm |
| Workshop location: the Lee Library Conservation Lab (HBLL 3452) |
| Abstract: Still used today, a colorful variety of eye-catching initial letters have been used in books and broadsides for many hundreds of years. The earliest printed books often had hand-rendered decorative letters reminiscent of those in medieval manuscripts. In many cases, artists and “rubricators” were specialists that did the colored and decorateive parts after the scribe finished his work. This hands-to class will give participants the opportunity to learn how several kinds of illuminated letters are made and to do their own gilding and decorating of at least three types, using both medieval and modern tools, materials, and ideas. |
| Route: walk south from the atrium (the sole library entrance), walk past the HBLL Circulation Desk, note the stairs on the right and a few feet beyond to the left a hall, walk down the hall and through some double doors, the Conservation Lab is on your left (note the sign right of door). If the door is closed push hard on the door bell.
→ click here to see a Google Map of this location. |
Japanese Stab Binding (Bookbinding) |
| Instructor: Rachel Hirschi (BYU Bookbinding Instructor) |
| Two sessions: 8:30am — 11:30am and 12:45pm — 3:45pm |
| Workshop location: BYU building B-67, 2230 North Canyon Road (North of main campus, formerly the Albertson Grocery Store Bldg.), Room 170 |
| Abstract: There are not many things in life as satisfying and rewarding as creating a beautiful, usable object. In this bookbinding workshop, participants will be able to use their creative abilities (existing or new found) to create a series of three handmade books using multiple Japanese Stab Binding methods. The Japanese Stab Bind offers the bookbinder a simple yet elegant solution for binding loose papers together in a non-adhesive binding form, with a technique that can be transferred to many different applications. Participants will be presented with information that will allow them to do this once leaving the conference. The instructor will provide excellent step by step instructions that will ensure a positive experience for any level of expertise. |
| Route: leave campus from the west, turn north on Canyon Road, travel north to 2230 North (two blocks north of the BYU Stadium), park in the east parking lot, go through the doors located on the southeast corner, then to room 170. |
THURSDAY EVENING PROGRAMMarch 26, 2009, 7:00 to 8:30 pm The L. Tom Perry Special Collections is proud to present an evening for book collectors, book artists, calligraphers, rare book curators and dealers; please join us for an evening program and reception with: Rosie Kelly, Book Artist & Calligrapher (Chicago, Illinois) 7:00 to 8:30pm, 1060 HBLL (Auditorium and the De Lamar Jensen Lecture Room), includes a 45 minute presentation, Q & A session and reception. Instructors, presenters and organizers of the A. Dean Larsen Book Collecting Conference will be invited to mingle and visit with conference goers during the reception afterward. This lecture is cosponsored by the University of Utah Book Arts Program and the Utah Calligraphic Artist Guild. The A. Dean Larsen Book Collecting Conference wishes to thank these two organizations for their generous underwriting of this presentation.
CONFERENCE PROGRAMFriday March 27, 2009 Participants choose four out of eight offered seminars (lunch is included). Seminar will be taught up to three times during the day based on demand (and the disposition of the instructor!) Click here to register. |
Collecting and Caring for Castoffs-Turned-Treasures:
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| Instructor: Jay Burrup (archivist and private collector, West Valley City, Ut.) |
| Abstract: Produced, purchased, and mailed for mere pennies, picture postcards were widely viewed as an annoying and fleeting fad at their early 1900s debut in America. However, the craze soon evolved into a pillar of popular culture that has flourished for more than a century. Until recent years most picture postcards were not perceived to be documents of historical or sociological importance, and they were routinely mutilated and discarded by many hobbyists. Previously relegated to antique stores’ dusty bargain bins, many printed and photographic “main street” views of Inter-mountain West communities now command prices ranging from $25-$150+ each. Today, collecting postcards has become the number three ranked hobby in the world. Auction sites sizzle with postcard sales, archival and historical institutions readily collect picture postcards, and archival supply houses produce specialized preservation products. The picture postcard has finally gained respect.
This seminar session will focus on
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“Are There any Mormon Books Left to Collect?” |
| Instructor: Peter Crawley (BYU Math Dept., retired; author of A Descriptive Bibliography of the Mormon Church, v. 1 & 2) |
| Abstract: With the prices of the early editions of the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and hymnals, and the early periodicals reaching astronomical limits, many are wondering if it is still possible for ordinary folk to collect Mormon Americana. My answer is Yes! And this seminar will discuss three areas where the prices are reasonable, the collecting is fun, and the results are significant: Mormon biographies, nineteenth-century European Mormon pamphlets, and the books published by the Juvenile Instructor’s Office. |
“Scots Wha Hae:” Collecting Scottish Literature from Burns to the Scottish Renaissance |
| Instructor: Maggie Gallup Kopp (BYU Curator of Rare European Books) |
| Abstract: Scotland has had a distinct written literary tradition since the middle ages, but in this, the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, we will examine the flowering of Scottish literature during and since the career of Scotland’s national poet. From the popularization of Scottish themes and scenery by early 19th century novelists to the sentimental writing of “kailyard” (or “cabbage patch”) authors like J.M. Barrie to the postwar political nationalism of Hugh MacDiarmid, Scottish writers have alternately embraced and confronted Burns’ legacy.Drawing from BYU’s rich Robert Burns, Victorian, and Edwardian literature collections, this seminar will trace the major trends in Scottish literature from Burns and Sir Walter Scott through the mid-twentieth century. We will look at many of the most important and collectible books by Scottish authors and poets of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, including Allan Ramsay, Thomas Carlyle, Susan Ferrier, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, George MacDonald, and William Soutar. |
“What of the Faith and Fire Within Us, Men Who March Away?”:
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| Instructor: Robert Means (BYU English Language and Literature Librarian) |
| Abstract: Great War (World War One, 1914-1918) poetry has resonated with soldiers and civilians alike for the way its classical forms and poetic language combine with the shock and awe of the of the first 20th Century war. The poetry of Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, and Rupert Brooke have been edited, analyzed, and anthologized. But the well known poets represent only a fraction of the generation that went up the line in the Great War, a “unique generation” (as critic Paul Fussell calls them) that included some of the most literate and literary figures of Edwardian England. Many of these men, officers by virtue of their class, education, and or family served honorable and sometimes heroically, and often privately published small volumes of poetry and prose on their experiences. Likewise, many talented enlisted men – “other ranks” – penned songs and sonnets, as well as ditties and doggerel, and the most popular of these found their way into print. There were also women writing about, if not writing in this “No-man’s-Land.” These fascinating, lesser known volumes of Great War poetry by lesser known writers broaden our perspective of what it was like to endure “the War to end all wars.”
This seminar session will discuss some undersaturated collecting areas of Great War literature: including writings by enlisted men, P.O.W.s, women, soldiers in theatres other than the Western Front, and servicemen in branches other than infantry. |
“Collecting around the Edges: Factoring ‘Ancillaries’ into a Book Collection” |
| Instructor: Richard L. Saunders (University of Tennessee at Martin, Special Collections) |
| Abstract: Ancillaries are the “friends and relations” of a book, works that relate—even tangentially—to specific titles in a collection. More than merely ephemera, such as book announcements or proofs, ancillaries fill out the literary, historical, or biographical context for a specific title. They might include works that criticize or respond to a book, biographies of an author, reference works on the topic, or titles that simply relate to a work thematically. Especially suitable for collections with a specific focus, the study and inclusion of ancillary works broadens and deepens the collector as well, allowing a collection to reflect substance and significance rather than merely reflect a checklist, and to become a group of ideas rather than merely a group of discrete objects. The process of defining and identifying ancillaries to your collection is an excellent way to learn not only the field but also clarify your interests and bounds in it. |
Thomas L. Kane:
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| Instructor: David Whitaker (Curator of 19th Century Western & Mormon Americana) |
| Abstract: Less a seminar and more a behind-the-scenes exhibit tour, this seminar will look at Thomas’ and his wife Elizabeth’s main published works, but also suggest some additional non-Mormon related items for Kane-bibliographers (or people interested in Kane’s influence on 19th century LDS Church leaders). Since Kane tended to publish his Mormon defenses anonymously in newspapers, there are certainly letters and articles that remain to be identified by interested parties. The tour will include a heretofore unknown published item Kane wrote anonymously on American educational reform (a copy of which the L. Tom Perry Special Collections has recently acquired). Kane also assisted his brother Elisha Kent Kane in getting his Arctic expedition accounts published in 1856, thus helping to establish his brother’s image in 19th century American popular culture. |
Preserving the Present: Collecting Crawford Gates |
| Instructor: Darcy Whetten (Senior majoring in Music, BYU) |
| Abstract: What began over ten years ago as the accumulation and storage of over 800 compositions has evolved into BYU’s Crawford Gates Archive, a dynamic collection of compositions, correspondence, media and photographs. As Mr. Gates continues to compose and donate his materials, he works closely with BYU’s Music & Dance Library employees in identifying, organizing, cataloging, and promoting his works. The close relationship formed between the archivist and the living donor introduces both challenges and valuable opportunities. This presentation will demonstrate an overview of the contents and nature of the Gates Archive, as well as explore the perspectives of working with an active donor and how this helps refine the art of archiving (both institutional and private archiving). |
Collecting the American Sports Cards |
| Instructor: Rich Kimball (BYU History Dept.) |
| Abstract: In this session, Professor Kimball will examine sports memorabilia as an area of collecting. In addition he will explore what these items tell us about our culture and values. From examples in the BYU archives to pulp magazines, sports memorabilia say a lot about who we are and what we consider important in our society. Come have a look at some of the interesting treasures from Special Collections and draw your own conclusions. |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES:
Jay G. Burrup is a native of Downey, Idaho. He served an LDS mission in Milan, Italy, and graduated from BYU with a BA in History (1982) and an MS in Library and Information Science (1984). He has been employed as an archivist/information specialist for the LDS Church History Department since 1985. He is married to the former Dorothy Anderson of Taber, Alberta, Canada, and they are the parents of four daughters. Jay’s fascination with postcards began as a pre-teen when he became interested in family and local history research and curious regarding why many of his family’s photographs from the 1905-1930s era bore postcard backings. Over the years he has focused his collecting interests on selective areas and topics related to Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, and Alberta, Canada.
Peter Crawley received a BS and PhD in mathematics from Caltech and taught at the University of Washington, University of Minnesota, University of California, Berkeley, and Caltech, before coming to BYU in 1971. He has been a serious collector of Mormon Americana for forty-five years and is the author of A Descriptive Bibliography of the Mormon Church.
Scott Duvall is a co-founder of the A. Dean Larsen Book Collecting Conference and is the Assistant University Librarian for Special Collections. Prior to his current appointment, Scott served as chair of Special Collections from 1990 to 2002. He has been a major part of Special Collections since 1976, and for nearly fifteen years, taught a unique Western Civilization Honors course centering on the history of writing, print and the book (HNRS 201 and 202) using three millennia of rare materials found in Special Collections.
Ethan Ensign has been a bookbinder and conservator for 14 years and is the owner of Scrub Oak Bindery. Scrub Oak Bindery is the company where Ethan has been conserving books and art on paper for the last five years. The bindery has hosted workshops on historical bookbinding and fine binding styles. Scrub Oak Bindery is currently reproducing an edition of an early binding, which involves papermaking and letterpress printing. Ethan is also actively creating artistic fine bindings for competitive competitions (including the Chicago One Book exhibition). He trained at the Marriott Library at the University of Utah and was employed there for six years. He also completed a rare book and art on paper conservation internship at the Folger Shakespeare Library with Franklin Mowery.
He has had the opportunity to conserve and evaluate numerous early LDS books including: the first edition of the Book of Mormon [Palmyra, 1830 - over 30 treated], Times and Seasons, Messenger and Advocate, etc…. for dealers and collectors from across the western U.S.
Rosie Kelly is a nationally known figure among book artists, calligraphers and book programs throughout the United States. A calligrapher, book designer and therapist, Kelly is also a popular instructor and speaker who blends spiritual and psychological concepts into her work and teaching. Kelly’s handmade book Mostly True won the 1995 Newberry Library Purchase Prize Award, and is part of the permanent collection at the Newberry Library (Chicago).
Rachel Hirschi has been an instructor for the Brigham Young University Visual Art Department for the past eight years. She returned to BYU to teach after establishing her love of bookbinding as a local book artist for a number of years. She is now focusing on the implementation of print media in the art form of bookbinding and encourages her students to explore the same. Rachel graduated from BYU with a degree in Visual Arts/Design (BA, 1998), pursuing her bookbinding interest while obtaining her degree by receiving training in book repair as an employee of the HBLL Book Repair Lab, along with a continuous study of book making classes. She is currently pursuing interests in letterpress and graphic design, and is doing freelance design work with Pearson Education.
Richard Ian Kimball is an associate professor of history at Brigham Young University. He teaches courses in American political history, American cultural history, and the history of American sport. He is the author of numerous essays and articles ranging from minor league baseball in Salt Lake City to the great heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson to the ideals of muscular Mormons. His first book, Sports in Zion, was published by the University of Illinois Press in 2003. Although not an avid collector of sports memorabilia himself, Professor Kimball has an ongoing interest in the material culture of sports and how sports paraphernalia offers a window into American history generally.
Maggie Gallup Kopp is Curator of European Books at L. Tom Perry Special Collections, where she is responsible for the Burns, Victorian, and Edwardian literature collections, among others. She co-curated the Robert Burns exhibit currently on displayed on the third floor of the Harold B. Lee Library with Matthew Wickman of the BYU English Department. Maggie recently presented a paper on the depiction of Robert Burns in children’s literature at the University of Glasgow’s Centre for Robert Burns Studies. She holds an MA in Medieval Studies from Fordham University and an MLS from the University of Texas at Austin.
Robert Means is the English Language and Literature Librarian at the Harold B. Lee Library at BYU. His interest in English Literature, and especially Great War writing, came to him one evening (ca. 1977) when, as a teenager, he tuned into the PBS poetry program Anyone For Tennyson? and caught the episode entitled “Men Who Marched Away,” a program of Great War poetry (the title was a variation on that of Thomas Hardy’s poem, “Men Who March Away”). It was his first encounter with Rupert Brooke, Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen, and the rest of the company, and Robert would never be the same.
Joan Layton Merrell teaches workshops for calligraphy guilds around the country and her work has been published in Letter Arts Review as well as other publications. Joan has served for nine years on the board of directors of the International Association for the Calligraphic Arts, and has studied with many top lettering artists across the county. She has also frequently served as faculty member for international lettering arts conferences.
Richard L. Saunders is Curator of Special Collections and University Archivist at the University of Tennessee at Martin and the author or coauthor of Collectible Mormon Books of the Twentieth Century: A Short List of Books in English (1996), Printing in Deseret: Mormons, Economy, Politics, and Utah’s Incunabula, 1849-1851: A History and Descriptive Bibliography (University of Utah Press, 2000), Eloquence From A Silent World: A Descriptive Bibliography of the Published writings of Dale L. Morgan (University of Utah Press, 1990) and The Yellowstone Reader: The National Park in Popular Fiction, Folklore and Verse; A Lady’s Ranch Life in Montana (University of Oklahoma Press, 2004).
Brad Westwood grew up in Utah with his summers in Oregon, he is co-founder and chair of this conference, previously he was the Chair of BYU’s Special Collections Library (2002-2008) and assistant chair (1997-2002); he has had the joyful responsibility of working across all collecting areas and with all of the library’s curators, rare book catalogers, conservators, reference staff and exhibition personnel. His subject specialties include modern manuscripts, the administration of cultural repositories (archives, rare book libraries, museums and historical societies), architectural history and historic preservation. Brad’s degrees are from BYU in American Studies (BA, 1985) and from the University of Pennsylvania in Historic Preservation (MS, 1994).
Darcy Whetten has presented the Crawford Gates Archive at the Mountain Plains Music Library Association Conference as well as the International Association for Music Libraries Conference in 2008. She loves her job as a student employee and appreciates the honor of working closely with Crawford Gates. She will graduate this April with a B.A. in Music. Her hobbies include hiking, traveling, playing and teaching the bassoon, and Latin dancing.
David J. Whittaker, Senior Librarian, has a PhD in American History and has served as the Curator of Mormon and Western Americana (manuscripts) in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections, for over twenty-five years. He is also an Associate Professor in the Department of History, BYU. He has been a Beinecke Fellow at Yale University and a Senior Scholar-Librarian William F. Fulbright Fellow in the David and Mary Eccles Centre for American Studies, British Library, London. He has served as the President of the Mormon History Association and has authored or co-authored eight books and sixty academic articles. He is currently on partial leave from the library, serving as an editor and team leader for the Joseph Smith Papers Project (LDS Church Historical Department).
New Acquisitions