Books and Other Publications
Special Collections books fall into three categories: Nevada and the Great
Basin, Book Arts, and rare books. Some of the books meet more than one of the
criteria. The original collection was acquired through transfer from other areas
of the library and a number of large gifts. It has grown through purchases and
additional gifts from collectors and generous donors. A large collection of
Western American books was donated in 1974 by Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Griffen
in memory of their daughter, Gloria Griffen Cline. Another large collection
came from the estate of Edgar J. Marston in 1962. For the protection and preservation
of Special Collections books, they are paged for readers from closed stacks,
and must be used in the Reading Room.
Nevada and the Great Basin
The Special Collections Department actively collects books written about Nevada,
particularly the part of the state north of Goldfield. The collection also includes
a large number of books relating to Southern Nevada and areas outside the state
but contiguous to Northern Nevada, especially the Great Basin and the eastern
side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Northern California mining history is closely
related to early Nevada mining, and is well represented in the collection. Books
in the collection cover the history, geology, agriculture, industries, cultures,
archaeology, and politics of the geographical area. Oral history transcripts,
memoirs, biographies, autobiographies, family histories and other personal accounts
are especially valuable for social history research. In addition, Special Collections
subscribes to journals, magazines, newsletters, and newspapers published in
and about Northern Nevada, and collects directories and other locally-published
reference materials.
Book Arts
This collection contains materials on the history and development of printing
along with related arts such as book design, papermaking, typography, and illustration.
The collection includes an extensive number of books which exemplify the history
of printing and publications of contemporary printers, produced in limited editions.
Many of the contemporary books are examples of fine printing on hand presses,
or letterpress publications. Others are handmade artists' books, or works of
art in the form of a book, sometimes taking unique 3-dimensional forms, sometimes
hand printed as a collection of loose pages in a box or folio. more ...
Rare Books
Many of the books in Special Collection are rare and valuable, for one of several reasons: limited edition; scarcity; publication date; special printing, illustrations or binding; or its history (an inscription by an author or to a historical figure, from the library of someone prominent). For example, a copy of The Uncivilized Races, or, Natural History of Man from the library of Mark Twain has his annotations in the margins. Other rare books include illuminated manuscripts, Shakespeare folios, and several books from the 15th century. Some, but not all of the rare books are part of the Book Arts Collection.
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Please direct questions to Donnelyn Curtis
Updated 20 September 2007
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