Robbins Library Notes

At left: “The Book Fool,” from Sebastian Brandt’s The Ship of Fools (1494).  This woodcut, along with many of the others in the book, is believed by many to have been executed by a young Albrecht Dürer.

Good morning, readers!

Bibliophilia seems to be a common ailment amongst academics and those devoted to the life of the mind.  For any bibliophile Harvard students reading this blog who are book and art collectors, you may be interested in entering the Philip Hofer Prize in Collecting Books and Art.

Here’s the description from the Houghton Library Web site:

The Philip Hofer prize is awarded each year to a student whose collection of books or works of art best exemplifies the traditions of breadth, coherence, and imagination represented by Philip Hofer, A.B. ‘21, L.H.D. ‘67, founder and first Curator of the Department of Printing and Graphic Arts in the Houghton Library and Secretary of the Fogg Art Museum. The entries are judged on purpose, consistency, and quality; cost, rarity, and size are not criteria. The prize, which is to encourage student interest in collecting, was established by Melvin R. Seiden, A.B. ‘52, L.L.B. ‘55. The panel of judges reserves the right to make the award only to candidates whose collections are considered to be of exceptional quality. A first prize of $2,000 and second and third prizes of $1,000 and $500 will be offered in 2009-2010. Winners will also be invited to lend representative books or works of art to an exhibition at the library.

For further information, contact Hope Mayo, Philip Hofer Curator of Printing and Graphic Arts in Houghton Library, via e-mail.

A few things to note:

• Entry Rules – The complete entry rules for 2009-2010 can be found here.
• Deadline — The deadline for submissions is 18 February 2010.
• Who is eligible — The contest is open to all Harvard students, whether in the undergraduate program, graduate programs, or the professional schools.
• The Objective of the Prize –  The memo about the prize that I received states: “The objective of this prize is not reward wealthy students who collect fine art or rare books, but rather to encourage and acknowledge students who use their resources, however small, in a thoughtful and organized way to build collections expressive of their own interests.”

I also have a flyer here at my desk, which interested students may come and photocopy.

You may enjoy reading Nicholas Basbanes’ A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books, to whet your appetite.

Good luck!  And happy collecting!