Honorary Degree Books 2017

Anna Harriet Leonowens. The English Governess at the Siamese Court; Being Recollections of Six Years in the Royal Palace at Bangkok. Boston: Fields, Osgoode, 1870.

The English Governess at the Siamese Court

Anna Leonowens’ memoir of her life as a governess in Thailand’s royal court in the 1860s continues to be well known today, thanks in part to the Rodgers and Hammerstein 1951 musical adaption (The King and I). This is a very good copy of the very rare first edition and features illustrations drawn from photographs provided to the author by King Mongkut. Mrs Leonowens was hired by the king to teach the royal children the English language, as well as science and literature, but not to attempt to convert them from Buddhism to Christianity. [DS 568 L58 1870b]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Florence Nightingale. Notes on Nursing: What It Is, and What It Is Not. Boston: William Carter, 1860.

Notes on Nursing: What It Is, and What It Is Not

Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) is regarded as an icon in the nursing profession for her intellectual achievements and her outspoken advocacy for occupational reforms. She was also a prolific writer who worked tirelessly to influence the profession through books, letters, and public lectures. Nightingale became famous for leading a large team of nurses at an overseas hospital during the Crimean War, returning to London years later where she was celebrated as a national hero for her legendary accomplishments. Her Notes on Nursing (1859) was first published in England in 1859 and it was widely used to train nursing students and prepare them for professional work in the United Kingdom and abroad. This copy of Nightingale’s seminal text is a rare first edition American copy that includes a 16-page biographical sketch and a wood-engraved frontispiece depicting the author. [RT 40 N68 1860b]

Samuel Warren. The Confessions of An Attorney. New York: Cornish, Lamport, 1852.

The Confessions of An Attorney 

The book’s preface advises readers that the subsequent “confessions” are attributed to the author of “The Experiences of a Barrister,” a work issued by the publishers of this volume, and they are both generally attributed to Samuel Warren, Esq. (1807–1877), author of “Ten Thousand A-Year” (1841). The Confessions of an Attorney features the attorney, Gustavus Sharp, as narrator and protagonist, who reflects on cases, lawyers, trials, and courts. Charles Dickens wrote journalistic pieces on English law and lawyers for his periodical Household Words, which are incorporated in this volume. This copy has been beautifully rebound in full morocco leather by Edmonton bookbinder Alexander J. McGuckin. [PR 5732 C74 1852]

John Dryden. Alexander’s Feast; or, the Power of Musick. 1697. Adapt. Newburgh Hamilton. Composed by George Frideric Handel. London: Walsh, 1738.

Alexander's Feast; or, the Power of Musick

This is a lovely celebration of George Frideric Handel’s famous ode to the power of music. Handel composed the music in 1736 and Hamilton adapted Dryden’s ode, Alexander’s Feast; or, the Power of Music, published about 40 years earlier, for the libretto. In 1737, the publisher solicited subscriptions for the complete score of Alexander’s Feast, and in the following year he published it in a handsomely printed folio edition (i.e. oversized) with an engraved frontispiece featuring Handel’s portrait. While this copy lacks the frontispiece, it is in very good condition and is currently the only copy of this scarce publication in a Canadian library. Although the publication is not without errors—for example, the pagination skips p.167—it was the beginning of a long-term business relationship between the composer and his London publisher. [M 1530 H23 A37 1738 folio]

George M. Lattimer. Official Report: III Olympic Winter Games, Lake Placid 1932. New York: Olympic Winter Games Committee, [1932].

Official Report: III Olympic Winter Games

At the third Olympic Winter Games (1932) in Lake Placid, the Canadian Olympic team (38 men and 4 women) was ranked third, behind the United States and Norway, after winning a total of seven medals. It is a national record that would go unmatched until 1992. This is a first edition of the official report compiled by George Lattimer and features approximately 150 black and white photographs. Seventeen nations were represented by 115 entries in skiing, 32 in men’s speed skating, 10 in women’s speed skating, 45 in figure skating, 49 in hockey, 56 in bobsleigh, 13 in dog derby, and 32 in curling. Norwegian figure skater Sonja Henie was the star athlete, and the 1932 games were notable for introducing the two-man bobsled and women’s speed skating. [GV 842 1932 035 1932]

Eddie Dooley. Under the Goal Posts. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1933.

Under the Goal Posts

Edwin Dooley (1905–1982) was a radio personality and journalist who was well-known to sports fans through his sports radio broadcasts and articles in The New York Sun. His novel tells the story of Chuck Arnold who runs into difficulties playing football under a “roughneck” coach. The promotional blurb on the dust jacket promises a lively story that is fun to read: “How Chuck finally got a chance to show what he could do on the field and how the team was led to triumph by a coach with a heart, makes absorbing reading.” As a young man Dooley was enrolled in Fordham University’s School of Law where he completed his law degree, and he later went on to become chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission and a member of the New York State House of Representatives. This first edition copy of Dooley’s novel has the scarce dust jacket illustrated by James Y. Stowell; it depicts Chuck in action on the football field. [PS 3507 0586 U63 1933]

Stephen Leacock. Canada: The Foundations of Its Future. Montreal: House of Seagram, 1941.

 

Canada: Foundations of Its Future

Stephen Leacock (1869–1944) achieved literary fame for his serious work, especially in biography, but also for his humorous fiction, literary essays, and articles. He was a founding member of the Canadian Authors Association, which continues to operate in the present with a mandate to assist writers at all stages of their writing careers. Leacock’s books were popular in Canada, the United States, and England, and he was awarded the Royal Society of Canada’s Lorne Pierce Medal for literature in 1937, which bolstered his reputation as one of Canada’s finest and most accomplished writers. In Canada, Leacock wanted his readers to know that “any proper story of Canada, even in narrating the past, must open the windows of every outlook to the sunshine of the future” (xxix). He elaborates in his foreword: “We can best appreciate the present in the light of the past, and in the same light we can realize the measure of our duty and obligation towards the future” (xxvii). This limited edition copy is attractively bound in red morocco leather and it is signed by Leacock at the end of the foreword. [FC 163 L43 1941]

Heinz Haber. The Walt Disney Story of Our Friend the Atom. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1956.

The Walt Disney Story of Our Friend the Atom

This copiously illustrated book introduces readers to the wonders of atomic science. The colourful illustrations trace the history of atomic research, from Greek philosopher Democritus, who is remembered for giving us the word atomos, to Ernest Rutherford’s (1871–1937) discovery of the atomic nucleus. The illustrations were completed by 22 Walt Disney Productions artists who created well over a hundred pictures and diagrams in colour to simplify the language of atomic theory. Walt Disney (1901–1966) explains in his foreword that atomic projects are a high priority for his company: “The atom is our future. It is a subject everyone wants to understand, and so we long had plans to tell the story of the atom...we are planning to build a Hall of Science in the TOMORROWLAND section of DISNEYLAND where we will—among other things—-put up an exhibit of atomic energy. Then, our atomic projects at the Walt Disney Studios were two-fold: we produced a motion picture and this book, so that we could tell you this important story in full detail” (11). This is a first edition with an appealing dust jacket that has an eye-catching and retro design. [QC 778 H33 1956]

A Manual of Foreign Exchanges, Monies, Weights, and Measures; With Explanations of the Courses of Exchange, and Tables of the Value of Foreign Monies, Examples of Foreign Bills, with Various Tables for Reducing Foreign Money to Sterling, &c. &c. Intended As An Assistant to the Counting-House. Compiled Chiefly from Real Business. Glasgow, 1820.  

 

A Manual of Foreign Exchanges, Monies, Weights, and Measures

This important financial handbook documents early nineteenth-century international commerce and trade. Under the heading “British America” is a detailed description of currency exchange in Canada: “Dollars are the Current money of Canada, bearing a value of 5 Shillings Currency: they have also Joes and half Joes, worth about £ 3.12 and £1.16 Sterling.” A search of OCLC’s WorldCat, an extensive database of information about the world’s library collections, reveals that this book is held by only four libraries, highlighting its extreme scarcity. This copy has the bookplate and stamps of Francis Philip Nash and the signature of Henry Lindsay on the title page, which offer us some useful information on previous owners. The book is modestly bound in marbled paper boards with a brown cloth spine. [HG 3851 M36 1820]

Friedrich Sarre. Islamic Bookbindings. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., 1923.

 

Islamic Bookbindings

This handsome folio volume with numerous tipped-in plates (i.e. illustrations) of Islamic bookbindings is a welcome addition to the burgeoning collection of rare books about the history of bookbinding in Bruce Peel Special Collections. In his preface, Friedrich Sarre explains that few works are in existence which introduce readers to the beautiful bindings of Islamic books, and so he aims at encouraging people to appreciate these bookbindings for their artistic significance. His book draws upon the resources of the Islamic collection of the Kaiser Friedrich Museum and a private collection in Berlin to show how Islamic bindings convey meaning through the splendour of their decoration, structure, and ornamentation. This limited edition copy of Sarre’s handsome book includes the publisher’s slipcase and scarce dust jacket. [Z 269 S2413 1923 folio]

John Hunter. The Natural History of the Human Teeth: Explaining their Structure, Use, Formation, Growth, and Diseases. Published with A Practical Treatise on the Diseases of the Teeth. London: J.          Johnson, 1803.

 

The Natural History of the Human Teeth

John Hunter (1728-1793) was an innovative surgeon and anatomist who insisted that all procedures and therapies should be tried and tested and that practitioners should continually review their work, update their methods, and learn from their mistakes. A sought-after surgeon and an influential educator, Hunter’s writings exerted considerable influence over many decades. First published in 1771, this is the third edition of The Natural History of Human Teeth, a detailed study of the mouth, jaws, and teeth complete with accurate copperplate illustrations, and the first edition to be published with A Practical Treatise on the Diseases of the Teeth. It features 16 engraved plates and a nineteenth-century half morocco binding. [RK 50 H94 1803]

Joseph Lancaster. Improvements in Education as it Respects the Industrious Classes. London: Darton & Harvey, 1805.

 

Improvements in Education as it Respects the Industrious Classes

An innovative and influential educator, Joseph Lancaster (1778-1838) had a deep personal commitment to bettering the condition of the poor, and this led him to offer free education. A sign in his schoolroom read: “All who will may send their children and have them educated freely, and those who do not wish to have education for nothing may pay for it if they please.” Since he could not afford to hire assistants to help him cope with large numbers of students, Lancaster pioneered what came to be well-known in Britain and North America as the “Lancasterian approach” to mass education in which the focus is on core curriculum (reading, writing, and arithmetic) and the more proficient students tutor the less proficient students. In this volume, three very early editions of Lancaster’s most influential publications are bound together: Improvements in Education (1805), Of the Education of the Poor (1809), and A Letter to John Foster, Chancellor of the Exchequer for Ireland, on the Best Means of Educating and Employing the Poor in that Country (1805). [LB 675 L24 1805]

Elizabeth Carter. A History of Furnivall Sculling Club, 1896-2004. Deddington: Elmore Press, 2006.

A History of Furnivall Sculling Club

Based on the River Thames at Hammersmith, the Furnivall Sculling Club for Girls was founded in 1896 by 71-year-old Dr Frederick Furnivall. Although membership was extended to men in 1901, the club continued to restrict captaincy to female members for the first half of the twentieth century. Noting that Dr Furnivall rowed regularly throughout his life, right up until his death at age 85, the club’s website characterizes him as “the ultimate enthusiast; passionate about social justice and personal health.” A wonderful addition to the Peel library, this is a first edition of Elizabeth Carter’s history of the world’s first sculling club for women. It features a large number of historic and contemporary photographs from several members’ personal collections. [GV 795 C37 2006]

Mike Dangeli. Re-emergence. 2002. Serigraph print. Bruce Peel Special Collections, Edmonton.

 

Re-emegence

In the Commission’s final report, a photograph of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Alberta National Event (March 2014) shows a drum made by Nisga’a artist Mike Dangeli being presented by “Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal representatives from 4Rs Youth Movement … as an expression of reconciliation” (10). Dangeli founded an art and carving studio in Vancouver called the House of Culture where he takes a holistic approach to teaching traditional art to urban Aboriginal youth. Himself a versatile artist, Dangeli has made masks, drums, regalia, paintings, silk-screened prints, totem poles, and a thirty-foot ocean worthy canoe. This limited edition serigraph print (90/100) celebrates the idea of re-emergence. It is a lovely addition to the Peel library’s collections. [NE 542.3 D36 A74 2002 folio]

Sir Jonas Moore. A Mathematical Compendium; or Useful Practices in Arithmetick, Geometry, and Astronomy, Geography and Navigation, Embattelling, and Quartering of Armies, Fortification and Gunnery, Gauging and Dyalling. London, 1705.

 

A Mathematical Compendium

Born in Lancashire, England in 1617, Jonas Moore was a teacher of mathematics who wrote an influential textbook titled Moore’s Arithmetick (1650). Later in life he became involved with the founding and operation of the Royal Mathematical School of Christ’s Hospital. Moore was also an accomplished surveyor, receiving a prestigious appointment to the position of Surveyor General of the Ordnance in 1669, and, for his substantial contributions to mathematics, he was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Society in 1674. This fourth edition copy of Moore’s Mathematical Compendium has a special bookplate noting the name of mathematics teacher William Mountaine Esq. F.R.S., who presented the book to Burnt Yates School in North Yorkshire in 1775. [QA 33 M66 1705]