Honorary Degree Books 2005
Susan Aglukark
Susan Aglukark, fondly referred to as the "Arctic Rose," is a talented Inuit singer and songwriter. She was honoured with the first ever Aboriginal Achievement Award for Arts & Entertainment in 1994, the Vista Rising Star Award from the Canadian Country Music Association in 1994, a Juno for "New Solo Artist" in 1994, and a second Juno for "Music of Aboriginal Canada (Canadian) Recording'' in 1995. Aglukark acts as a powerful role model for Inuit youth, emphasizing the importance of education and of maintaining the Inuit language and culture.
Rink, Johannes. Die Geschichte von Kagsagsuk. Leipzig: Insel-Verlag, 1914.
Die Geschichte von Kagsagsuk
Johannes Rink, a geologist, lived in Greenland from 1848 until 1871 and became widely recognized for collecting and recording the mythological tales of the Inuit he encountered. The book was calligraphed and illustrated by Charlotte Veit and includes ten full-page bold black and white drawings, 40 vignettes, and decorated initials. [PT 8165 R56 G47 1914]
Dr George Elliott Clarke
George Elliott Clarke has made exceptional contributions to African Canadian literary studies and is known as one of the best English language poets in Canada. Without his efforts as a writer and academic, African Canadian literature would not be as widely known, read, and respected as it is today. His 11 books of poetry and drama have been published to critical acclaim, including the Execution Poems, which won the 2001 Governor General's English Canadian Poetry Award.
King, Ron, and Roy Fisher. Anansi Company.
London: Circle Press, 1992.
Anansi Company
This seventh collaboration between the artist/printer and poet is a collection of verses featuring the ubiquitous West African spider god Anansi, accompanied by thirteen carnivalesque screen printed removable wire and card puppets. Anansi has had universal appeal for many generations because he/she represents a spirit of rebellion and flies in the face of social order. It is a brilliant addition to Special Collections’ strong holdings of artists’ bookworks. [N 7433.4 K54 A6 A532 1992]
Dr John Evans
Founding Dean of Medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, John Evans spearheaded new approaches to medical education and curriculum development. He also played a prominent role in international health by conducting studies on population-based medicine for the Rockefeller Foundation in New York. Evans is a Companion of the Order of Canada, member of the Order of Ontario, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (London), Master of the American College of Physicians, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
Names and Description of the Qualities of those Medicines Contained in the Domestic Medicine Chest. With an Account of Their Several Uses, and the Quantities Proper for a Dose. London, 1787.
Medicines Contained in the Domestic Medicine Chest
This is an important little guide to the contents of the ubiquitous "medicine chest" that was often carried by ships, fur traders, and explorers. This very rare copy will add an interesting dimension to the Peel library's strong collection of exploration narratives and books about the history of the fur trade in western Canada. [RC 81 N38 1787]
Dr Roderick Douglas Fraser
Recently made an Officer of the Order of Canada, Roderick Douglas Fraser has many outstanding contributions to post-secondary education and public life. Prior to becoming president and vice-chancellor at U of A (1995-2005), he was principal at Queens University, professor of economics, and Dean of the Faculty of Arts. His vision and dedication set the course for raising U of A's international profile: in just 10 years, U of A signed over 240 international agreements with 46 countries. During Fraser's tenure, student enrolment increased from 29,000 to 35,000 and 1,174 new professors were hired.
Canadian Pacific Railway. Own Your Own Home in Canada and Apply for a Ready-Made Farm to the Nearest Canadian Pacific Agent. London: Eyres & Spottiswoode, n.d.
Own Your Own Home in Canada
At the beginning of the last century, the Canadian Pacific Railway was the largest owner of real estate in Northwestern Canada. Immigration and colonization were vigorously encouraged by the Company, which established an immigration department with offices in Great Britain and Europe. Brochures, pamphlets, and an array of these eye-catching, large format posters were distributed to railway stations, mechanics’ institute reading rooms, hotels, agricultural fairs, and public meeting rooms. The posters are very rare as they were generally torn down and discarded to make room for newer versions. The Peel library has very strong holdings of immigration literature and the addition of such ephemeral publications adds to its research value. [NC 1807 C2 O96 1900z]
Dr Jean Gray
Jean Gray, U of A alumna, is Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Pharmacology at Dalhousie University. Throughout her long and successful career, she pursued a wide range of research interests, including drug metabolism, hypertension, women's health, and medical education. Gray developed tools to better evaluate residents in training and championed mentoring programs for women medical students.
Gaubius, Hieronymous David. Libellus de Methodo concinnandi Formulas medicamentorum. Lugduni Batavorum: Apud Conradum Wishoff, 1739.
Libellus de Methodo concinnandi Formulas medicamentorum
This is the first edition of a book that is considered by medical historians to be Gaubius’s best work. It was issued in many later editions over several decades. Gaubius was the Chair of chemistry at Leyden and reputed to be the pre-eminent teacher of pathology in his day. His medical and pharmacological teachings had an important influence on German medical thought. [RS 125 G38 1739]
Ted Harrison
Ted Harrison, distinguished U of A alumnus, is one of Canada's most talented artists, renowned for depicting the land and people of Yukon. He is also an internationally recognized author and illustrator of children's books and has spent much of his life teaching art to children. Harrison received the Order of Canada in 1987.
Muir, Ann. Harvesting Colour: The Year in a Marbler’s Workshop. Oldham, England: Incline Press, 2000.
Harvesting Colour: The Year in a Marbler’s Workshop
This beautifully conceived book is divided into twelve chapters, one for each month. Each is preceded by a marbled paper created to reflect that month by the internationally renowned artist Ann Muir. The chapters are introduced with the quotation (from the text) that provided the inspiration for the marbled paper, followed by a technical description of the paper’s production. The art of paper marbling can be traced back to the 14th century, and just one aspect of Muir’s incredible talent is the wide range of dexterity she displays in the skilful manipulation of colour and combs in order to produce modern versions of traditional designs. [Z 271.3 M37 M85 2000]
Harry Hole and James F. (Jim) Hole
Brothers Harry and James F. (Jim) Hole are two of Edmonton's leading philanthropists, businessmen, engineers, and community supporters. Both U of A alumni and civil engineers, their involvement with the university and the greater community has led to significant contributions to business, the arts, athletics, health, and education. The Holes have given their time and talents through active participation on numerous boards and committees.
Canadian National Railway. “It’s Mine!” Canada: The Right Land for the Right Man: Canadian National Railways: The Right Way! London: Dudley, Spencer, [19--].
“It’s Mine!”
In the aftermath of World War I, both the Canadian Pacific and the new, Crown-owned, Canadian National Railway companies conducted extremely successful promotional campaigns to advertise the benefits of immigration to Western Canada. Brochures, pamphlets, and beautifully designed large-format posters were disseminated to railway stations, mechanics’ institute reading rooms, hotels, agricultural fairs, and public meeting rooms. These eye-catching posters are very rare as they were generally torn down and discarded to make way for newer versions. The Peel library has a very strong immigration literature collection and the addition of such ephemeral materials enhances its research importance. [NC 1807 C2 I87 1900z]
Drs Doris and Peter Kule
In linking Canada and the Ukraine by building relationships between academic institutions that will grow in perpetuity, Doris and Peter Kule have helped to internationalize post secondary education in Canada. The couple's visionary support for education in particular will touch the lives of many professors and students for generations to come. In August 2003, the Kules created an endowment chair, titled the Kule Chair in Ukrainian Ethnography at U of A.
Sherbinin, Michael A. The Galicians Dwelling in Canada and Their Origin. Winnipeg: Manitoba Free Press, 1906.
The Galicians Dwelling in Canada and Their Origin
Michael Sherbinin was a friend of Leo Tolstoy who portrayed him as “Tsherbinin” in War and Peace. After coming to Canada at the beginning of the twentieth century Sherbinin taught and ministered to the Doukhobours near Saskatoon. He moved on to Winnipeg where he taught at Manitoba College, later the University of Manitoba. He was a pioneer in researching and recording the Ukrainian immigration experience. [DK 508.42 S54 1906]
Ronald Neil Mannix
Ronald Neil Mannix, distinguished U of A alumnus, plays many lead roles: past chair and director of the Carthy Foundation; member, director, and past chair of the Norlien Foundation, which he created in 1998 to support health and wellness, environmental protection, and children at risk initiatives; director and past chair of the Scripps Foundation; and many more. Mannix is a leading supporter of the U of A Faculty of Business Centre for Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise (CEFE).
Rubinstein, Arthur. My Young Years. New York: Knopf, 1973.
My Young Years
This is a first edition of the autobiography of the Polish-born American pianist considered by many to be the greatest twentieth-century piano virtuoso. He studied in Warsaw and Berlin, making his North American debut in 1906. He was a supreme interpreter of Chopin, appeared in many films and made distinctive recordings. His reputation continued to grow until he was recognized as a great pianist in the 1950s. For 85 of his 95 years he appeared with the world’s major symphony orchestras. [ML 417 R89 A4 1973]
Dr John Polanyi
John Polanyi, an esteemed Canadian chemist, is the recipient of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the dynamics of chemical elementary processes. He was founding member of both the Committee on Scholarly Freedom of the Royal Society and the Canadian Committee for Scientists and Scholars, of which he is currently President. A firm defender of fundamental science and a strong advocate for world peace, Polanyi' s dedication to the advancement of knowledge and public policy is outstanding.
Gmelins, Johann Friedrich. Johann Friedrich Gremlins ... Einleitung in Die Chemie: Zum Gebrauch auf Universitäten. Nürnberg: ben Gabriel Nicolaus Raspe, 1780.
Johann Friedrich Gmelins
This is the first edition of one of the rarest chemistry books by Johann Friedrich Gmelins (1748-1804), a member of a distinguished scientific family and professor, variously, of philosophy, medicine, chemistry, botany, and mineralogy at the University of Tübingen. He is perhaps best known for his history of chemistry, which is one of the standard books in the field. This is a textbook of chemistry prepared for university students, and is considered to be one of the leading textbooks of the time. [QD 28 G54 1780]
Sharon Pollock
Sharon Pollock is one of Canada's leading English-language playwrights, celebrated for her excellent writing, challenging themes, and innovative dramatic structures. She has thirteen published plays that have been produced across Canada as well as in the United States, England, Japan, Australia, and Europe. She has also written award-winning plays for radio, television, and children's theatre, and is an accomplished actor, director, and theatre administrator. Pollock has received two Governor-General's Awards for Drama, for Blood Relations in 1981 and Doc in 1986.
Kondoleon, Harry. The Côte d'Azur Triangle.
New York: V. Fitz Gerald, 1985.
The Côte d'Azur Triangle
In this collaborative work, the artist and playwright have blended vibrant etchings and lithography with a classically inspired text. The dealer’s catalogue states, “In Beard’s illustrations, caryatids are juxtaposed with modern swim-suited characters, complementing Kondoleon’s use of the classic Greek dramatic forms to tell a modern story. The book is alive with primary color, foldout pages, and fall-out paper doll characters that physically force the reader to interact with the principals.” The book is brilliant addition to the strong artists’ book holdings in the Peel library. [NE 539 B368 A6 C843 1985 folio]
José Saramago
José Saramago, recipient of the Nobel Prize of Literature (1998), is an eminent author, journalist, and commentator of international renown. Born in Portugal into a landless family, he was forced to abandon grammar school at the age of 12 and attend a technical school and become a mechanic. Saramago’s first novel, The Land of Sin, appeared in 1947; his literary career began in earnest in 1966 with the publishing of Os Poema Possiveis.
Francis, of Assisi, Saint. Il Cantico Delle Creature de Francesco di Assisi. [S.l. : s.n.], 2001.
Il Cantico Delle Creature de Francesco di Assisi
This timeless poem glorifying the sun is written out in a calligraphic hand in 165 different dialects and languages for this facsimile edition. It was published especially for a Bookbinding Competition held in Italy. [Z 269.3 F55 C36 2001]
Dr Janice Stein
Janice Stein is one of Canada's leading scholars in the field of international relations. The Globe and Mail recently noted that she was the most highly quoted academic in Canada. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Stein is a Trudeau Fellow and was awarded the Molson Prize of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council in 2003 for outstanding contribution by a social scientist to public debate.
Hays, Mary. Female Biography, or, Memoirs of Illustrious and Celebrated Women, of All Ages and Countries: Alphabetically Arranged. London: Richard Phillips, 1803.
Female Biography, or, Memoirs of Illustrious and Celebrated Women
Mary Hays is remembered today primarily as the friend who introduced William Godwin to Mary Wollstonecraft. She was, however, an important intellectual figure in her own right who published polemical essays in the 1790s and who wrote a number of sentimental novels, biographies, and histories. She was an ardent champion of women's rights and an advocate for better education and work opportunities for women. These six volumes contain accounts of the lives of hundreds of women from ancient times to the beginning of the nineteenth century. [CT 3203 H39 1803 v.1-6]
Alfred George Wirth
Alfred George Wirth, a leading figure in the financial services sector, is a passionate supporter for education and the arts, humanities, and social services. He was born in Vienna and moved with his family to Canada in 1952. Wirth’s contributions to the development of the internationally renowned Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central European Studies at the U of A will ensure the maintenance of the Institute and its programs in perpetuity.
Keim, Franz. Die Nibelungen: Dem Deutschen Volke Wie Der Erzahlt. Leipzig: Gerlach u. Wiedling, c1920.
Die Nibelungen: Dem Deutschen Volke Wie Der Erzahlt
A lovely copy of this charming little book illustrated by Carl Otto Czeschka, a prominent member of the Vienna Secession and a designer for the Wiener Werkstätte, it features eight double-page spreads printed in gold, red, blue, and black, as well as many small black and white vignettes, initials, and head and tail pieces throughout. It is one of the finest examples of the Art Nouveau book. [PT 2621 E25 N53 K45 1920]