The Weird and Unusual…

With over 40,000 items, the Rare Book Room collection houses a vast variety of subjects as well as formats.  Here are a few of our more unusual items…

Map of the Retail Places of Business in the District Covered By…Listing houses of ill-fame, saloons, free theatre saloons, second-hand clothing stores, barber shops, restaurants, etc.

This fascinating map graphically depicts the waterfront about 70 years after the opening of the Erie Canal.  Within a 6-block area, the Canal District had 75 brothels, more than 120 saloons and 19 “free theatre saloons” [note the proximity of the “Free Kindergarten” at the corner of Erie and Seneca Streets].  The heyday of the Erie Canal was 1825-1865.  The Canal connected Albany, on the Hudson River, with Buffalo on Lake Erie and had an immediate effect on travel, immigration, and commerce in New York State.  Travel time between Buffalo and New York was reduced from six weeks to ten days, and transportation cost fell from $100 a ton to $10.  Cities and towns flourished along the canal routes.  Buffalo, being the point where the traffic of Lake Erie transferred to the Canal, grew faster than any other town on the route.  Thanks to its strategic location, the frontier village grew tremendously, and by the end of the 19^th century, Buffalo was the eighth largest city in the United States.

This area later became known as “Dante Place,” a tenement neighborhood for Italican and Sicilian immigrants.  This map roughly corresponds to what is now the Marine Drive Apartment area.  In 1938, Dante Place was demolished for Convention Hall [The Aud!].  Our map is the only copy in WorldCat, and as far as we know, the only copy held by a library.

Het Onze Vader

Text of the Lord’s Prayer in English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Swedish. RBR Miniature 1958 .L67.

At 6 millimeters, this is the smallest book in the Rare Book Room, and is part of our Miniature Book collection.  In the mid-1950s when this book was published, it was thought to be the smallest book in the world.  At first, miniatures were made for convenience.  Many of these early miniature books were religious; they could be carried in a pocket or tied to the waist.  Later, they developed as reading material for travelers, children’s books, etc.

Additionally, books of this size were and are created as a challenge for bookbinders and printers, allowing for experimentation in bindings, coverings, illustration, and typography.  Het Onze Vader is a polyglot, containing the Lord’s Prayer in 6 languages.  The cover is paper, is very fragile, and as one can imagine, it’s extremely difficult to turn the pages.

The Edinburgh Stereoscopic Atlas of Anatomy

Booklet, and Abdominal Cavity no. 8. Section 4 of 5. RBR QM 25 W2 1906.

Upper Limb-Front of Forearm and palm no. 2 and Lumbar Region no. 3. Section 4 of 5. RBR QM 25 W2 1906.

This consists of a stereoscope and 250 stereoscopic views ofthe various parts of the human body. The accuracy of the representationsis guaranteed by the fact that they are photographs of representativespecimens carefully dissected and labeled to show the variouspoints of anatomy. Each view is on a card containing description.This, series will be found of great value to any one who wishesto study anatomy and will be a valuable accessory to the manualsnow in use in conjunction with work on the cadaver. The well-knownclearness with which views of scenery are brought out by thestereoscope and the popularity of this instrument throughoutthe country makes it a little surprising that no adaptationof this principle to the study of the body has previously beenmade.*

*Quoted from the Journal of the American Medical Association.  Retrieved 11/29/2010.

Turkey Day

A look through the Grosvenor Room’s Local History File reveals Thanksgiving Days of yesteryear when the ability to have a turkey on the table was questionable. World War II was on and the U.S. sent troops into battle, which meant rationing on the home-front. A September 18, 1943 Courier Express newspaper article explained that the government “slapped a two way freeze order on the national turkey crop. It froze the sale of the birds until it can buy up from 15,000,000 to 20,000,000 pounds needed by the armed forces…”. When Uncle Sam had his share, the remaining turkeys would be for civilian use. By November, 1943 the Courier published two new developments. The Office of Price Administration, which oversaw rationing,  was looking into possible corralling of the market to sell turkeys at over-the ceiling prices. Meanwhile, those who looked to chicken as an alternative were warned that dealers might not have enough chickens to fill the demand! Ultimately, the OPA found that the turkey trade in the Buffalo area fell within OPA ceilings.

On November 11, 1945, the Courier reported that turkey would be plentiful but “king size”.  The 20 to 30 pound birds were too big for typical family ovens. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A.) came up with a solution–“telescoped turkey”. This involved adjusting the neck, cutting an inch of the “rudder”off as well as the wing tips and tying down the legs and wings so they fit tightly to the body.

After recovering from World War II, turkey prices managed to climb and stay high. The Courier reported on October 15, 1952 there had been a record breaking crop of turkeys but the purchase of the birds for school lunches by the U.S.D.A. would  keep prices high. Two other factors in pricing included the popularity of the new Beltsville White turkey (it’s the genetic foundation practically every turkey sold today) and the gradual trend toward extending turkey consumption throughout the year.

The Courier noted on November 23, 1971 that driving out to the farm to buy a fresh-dressed turkey for Thanksgiving had been on the way out since the end of World War II. They found only three farms in Erie County where one could order the “holiday bird”. Modern farming techniques allowed higher production while rapid transportation and the convenience of shopping at the plaza market made turkey a much more regular visitor on the menu.

If you’re looking for different angle on turkey, get the history behind the 115th Annual  Turkey Trot. 12,500 runners are registered for this year’s event. Happy Thanksgiving!

New finds related to William Morris

There are a couple of interesting, uncataloged items that we recently uncovered in the bottom of a flat folio file drawer in the Rare Book Room.  Both are related to the current exhibit (open through January 30, 2011) at the Central Library entitled The Ideal Book: William Morris and the Kelmscott Press.

 

Gift of Mitchell Kennerley, 1924

There were 52 complete titles produced at the Kelmscott Press during their run from 1891-1898.  Trial pages for a 53rd title were also printed on vellum (160 copies) in September, 1897 for a translation of Froissart’s Chronicles.  Although the Rare Book Room does not have this original printing, our first find was two facsimile pages that were printed for Frederic & Bertha Goudy in June, 1920 in New York City.   Frederic Goudy, it should be noted, was one of the finest American type designers.  The second find is a keepsake which was the first impression made in America on the hand-press formerly owned by Morris that at the time of printing (1924) was owned by Frederic Goudy.  The printing was done only a year before Spencer Kellogg, Jr. founded the Aries Press and later (1927) acquired the  very same press from Goudy for use by his Eden, NY-based operation.

Finding Family Secrets

All genealogists will eventually run into a family secret.  It may be a black sheep, a scandal, skeletons, misfits, or information today that we would not consider to be secret-worthy such as adoption or divorce.  The following resources will help you uncover or delve deeper into these surprise findings.

• How to Guide

Finding Your Famous {& Infamous} Ancestors –McClure, Rhonda – HSS *CS49.M35 2003 – Includes chapters on locating black sheep and uncovering skeletons.

•  Select Erie County Resources in the Grosvenor Room

Adoption’s (sic) Recorded in Erie County Hall, Buffalo, 1874-1900 – Jewitt, Allen E. – Gro Ref. F127 .E6 J48 1984, 2 vols.

Annual report of the Board of Police of the City of Buffalo (many years 1880s-2000s) – Buffalo HV8378.B9 A1 – Homicides are recorded for most years into the 1950s.  Details given include information about the criminals, crime, victims, the arrest, and the sentence.  Many early years (1890s-1914) also include listings of “convictions for the year” which give criminal’s names, offense, date of arrest, court, and sentence.

Annual Report of the Commissioners of the Erie County Penitentiary to the Board of Supervisors of the County of Erie (1859-1898) – Buffalo HV8378.E8 A2  – Includes lists of persons who were discharged by paying a fee in most years from the mid-1880s-1890s.

Annual report of the Erie County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (many years 1882-1938) – Buffalo HV4702.E6 – Reports from 1894-1909 detail serious cruelty offenses.  Most entries list the offender’s name.

Erie County Records, Adoptions 1857-1876 – WNYGS Microfilm ML 139, Book 3 – Not a comprehensive set of Records.

Local History File – A select index to Buffalo newspapers, magazines, books, and other resources.  Look alphabetically under: Crime and Criminals, Executions, Mentally Ill, Prohibition, Smuggling, and Vice in Buffalo.

Newspapers – The Grosvenor Room carries numerous Buffalo newspapers, with many going back to the mid-1800s or earlier.  Newspapers are a great resource to look in for trial reports, arrests, and feature articles on controversial topics.

Records of the Evangelical Lutheran St. John’s Orphan Home…1865-1961 – Coppola, Mrs. R. Donald et al, comp. – Buffalo F129 .B8 C763

Vertical Files – The Local History Vertical Files include materials such as articles, pamphlets, brochures, and other materials.  Topics of interest include: Asylums and Orphanages, Crimes and Criminals, Terrorism, and others.

• Ancestry Library Edition – Available for use in-library at any B&ECPL location.

Read 10 Things to Know: Black Sheep an Ancestry.com newsletter article that lists contents related to black sheep including US criminal case files and penitentiary records; UK criminal registers, blacklists, and parole lists; as well as Australian convict registers, pardons, death registers, transportation registers, and bank books.

U.S. Census Records – List individuals in institutions including prisons, asylums, and orphanages.

U.S. Special Census Schedule, 1880 – “Defective, Dependent, Delinquent” schedules

• Websites

Black Sheep Ancestors

Hunting for Witches in the Family Tree

New Acquisitions

The Rare Book Room acquires a modest number of items each year.  Here are four of the latest additions to the collection:

The Space In Between · Lara Henderson

The Space In Between is an artist book created by Lara Henderson in 2010. It is a colorful woven book, made of interlocking circles. The text explores the complexity of human dynamics and how it intersects with science. Included in the book are 5 varying paper mechanics, including volvelles, a paper slides and a suspended mirrored object. The imagery, made from monotypes, hand drawing and photographs, has been converted into spot color and printed using offset lithography in the Borowsky Center for Publication Arts by Amanda D’Amico.

The Construction of Roman Letters · Albrecht Dürer

The Roman alphabet constructed by Albrecht Dürer ‘for the guidance of architects, painters and others’ first appeared in Book III of his treatise on geometry, Underweysung der Messung mit dem Zirckel und Richtscheyt, published at Nuremberg in 1525.  It has been re-engraved and reprinted several times with the text in various languages….The letters on the following pages are printed from process blocks made by Emery Walker from a copy of the editio princeps in the British Museum.

Bound for Success · Jeanette Koch

This catalogue illustrates each entry in the prestigious bookbinding competition held by Designer Bookbinders, one of the foremost bookbinding societies in the world. The Designer Bookbinders International Competition is being held at the Bodleian Library, Oxford in 2009.  Published to celebrate the winning entries in the Competition and also to accompany the exhibition held in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, this catalogue illustrates nearly four hundred examples of contemporary binding, featuring a remarkable range of styles, materials, and approaches to the ancient craft of bookbinding.

Mark Twain: A Skeptic’s Progress · Isaac Gewirtz

The Morgan Library and Museum and the New York Public Library…present a major exhibition at the Morgan exploring a central, recurring theme throughout the iconic author’s body of work: his uneasy, often critical, attitude towards a rapidly modernizing America. The exhibition coincides with the 175th anniversary of Twain’s birth in 1835 and includes more than 120 manuscripts and rare books, including original manuscript pages from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885) and Life on the Mississippi (1883), as well as letters, notebooks, diaries, photographs, and drawings associated with the author’s life and work….Mark Twain: A Skeptic’s Progress captures the essence of the author’s wit, humor, and philosophy towards his era’s great changes in all their guises, with examples of his work as a novelist, short-story writer, fabulist, critic, lecturer, and travel writer.

Text Sources:

• The Space In Between – quoted from the artist’s online store.  Lara Henderson’s website.
• The Construction of Roman Letters – extracted from Printer’s Note by Bruce Rogers.
• Bound for Success – quoted from Bodleian website.
• Mark Twain – quoted from the Morgan Library website.

Family Relationships

If you’re looking into your family tree, maybe you’ve come across a variety of cousins but you’re not sure how you’re related. The Polish Genealogical Society of New York State (PGSNY) does a great job of simplifying how to number your cousins and what “once removed” really means. See their “What is a First Cousin?” page. Stop in to see the PGSNY collection, which resides in the Grosvenor Room of the Central Library!

Local History Collections

The Western New York, Buffalo Photograph and Niagara Falls guide book collections in the Grosvenor Rare Book Room consist of approximately 2,200 volumes.  There are a wide variety of resources ranging from local guide books and histories to anniversary pamphlets, prints and maps.

Among the holdings are a 5-volume set compiled by George Nathan Newman in 1931 called The Newman Collection of Photographs of Vanished and Vanishing Buffalo.  Nearly 200 photos from the collection spanning approximately 1810-1930 can be viewed online at http://www.nyheritage.org/collections/george-nathan-newman-collection-photographs-vanishing-buffalo.  Also at this same site are close to 20 glass plate (lantern) slides of Buffalo circa 1890-1910 featuring images of cityscapes, street views, events, and architecture.  There are even some letters online from the War of 1812 written during and recalling afterwards the regional circumstances of the war; these were originally part of the collection of the Young Men’s Association, one of the predecessors of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library.

Veterans Day

“The war to end all wars” or World War I came to a halt when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. The first official Presidential proclamation to commemorate “Armistice Day” was issued a year later on November 11, 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson.  The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 a.m. A federal law created in 1938 made the 11th of November a legal holiday, a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as “Armistice Day.” The intention was to honor all who served in World War I. By 1954, Congress had changed the law and the name of the day to “Veterans Day” as a way to honor veterans of all wars. A 1978 federal law ensured that “Veterans Day” would always be on November 11th. Years prior, the holiday moved around in accordance with another federal law that designated Veterans day would be celebrated  on a Monday to create three day week-ends, which would encourage travel and recreational activities.

Western New York has sent many of its sons and daughters into combat. The Local History File in the Grosvenor Room  has numerous entries for newspaper articles about veterans, the American Legion, and military related clubs. There is a whole section devoted to the Viet Nam war. Librarians created Military History and Records: Genealogical Sources for Buffalo and Erie County, which introduces researchers to sources about local participation in various wars and records of ancestral military service. There are several other guides that address the Civil War, War of 1812, and military resources for areas other than Buffalo and Erie County.  Click here for access to the guides. We also have scrapbooks and books about local connections to our proud military service tradition.

Use Veterans Day as an opportunity to thank someone who served their country.

Buffalo: Our Heritage and Our Future

Join us this month for two lunchtime lectures presented by the Center for the Study of Art, Architecture, History and Nature.  The events are held at the Central Library “Ring Of Knowledge” area (just past Fable’s Café; just outside of the Grosvenor Room).

2nd Tuesday theme:  “Imagine Buffalo Niagara in the 21st Century”
November 9, 2010, 12:15- 1 PM
Henry McCartney
Executive Director, Preservation Buffalo Niagara

4th Tuesday theme: “Why are Buffalo Niagara’s Art, Architecture, History, and/or Nature Important?”
November 23, 2010, 12:15- 1 PM
Dottie Gallagher-Cohen,
President and CEO, Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau

Eat – Listen – Discuss
All are welcome!

For a complete list of future 2010/2011 Lecture & Discussion speakers, as well as AUDIO presentations of previous speakers, click here.

The Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau recently created a video that proudly displays Buffalo’s architectural heritage entitled “Buffalo: The Place Matters.”  View it here.

We’re Cooking with X-rays!

Did you see today’s Google image?  Today is the 115th anniversary of the discovery of x-rays.  The Rare Book Room holds a first edition of Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen’s Eine neue art von strahlen, (On a New Kind of Rays). This important work is part of the Milestones of Science Collection.

Acquired in the late 1930s by the Museum of Science in Buffalo, New York, the Milestones of Science is a collection of first and rare editions by world famous early scientists. Assembled in an incredibly short span of time, the 196 titles of the Milestones of Science Collection were brought together by Chauncey Hamlin of Buffalo’s Museum of Science. Remarkably, Hamlin was assisted with the financial and moral support of several ethnic groups in Buffalo who paid for the acquisition of many of the items written by their fellow countrymen. A comparable collection would be all but impossible to assemble today without vast financial resources and a great deal of time. The books were acquired quite cheaply, as the rare book market had suffered severely during the era of the Depression when the collection was assembled.

Images:

• Google, accessed November 8, 2010.
• Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen
• x-ray of Roentgen’s wife’s hand