On a recent Saturday, Western Michigan University held its second annual book collectors’ event. Librarians invited students and community members to share their most prized items. Only a few turned out. But the organizers are looking toward the future.
The event took place at the Zhang Legacy Collections Center, better known as the WMU Archives. Distinctive Collection Librarian Sue Steuer said it was inspired by a similar meetup held by the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America.
Steuer said she thought it would be fun to see what collections others have to showcase.
“I know there are students here that collect. I know there are community members that collect. And maybe it would be fun if we just got together and talked about what we collect and why and what we think is fun about it," she said.
Steuer added that there weren't any special requirements to participate.
"It’s just a chance to bring the community together and share favorite book collections."
Steuer brought her collection of cookbooks, and two other book collectors joined her.
One was Western alumna Alisa Heskin. She shared the connection between her background in medieval studies and one of her comic book collections, Loki, Agent of Asgard. It’s a Marvel series about a character who was raised by gods you’ll find in Norse mythology.
“There are certain points where they do actually quote lines from old Norse poems, which, since I'm a medievalist, I study a lot of old Norse and old English. So, when you think about old English, think Shakespeare and then go another 500 years into the past or so.
"At that point, it almost seems like a foreign language, and old Norse is bopping around it around the same time. So, there's a lot more sort of revisiting of those sources and using that as inspiration for the character. And as someone who studies that, it's just really fun to see, and also just to see how it changes the character," Heskin said.
WMU associate history professor Larry Simon also brought books to the event. He said he has a collection of about 5,000 books. He chose to display two rare editions of “Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada,” a book on the Spanish-Christian and Muslim wars in the late 15th century, written by Washington Irving. He’s better known for stories like the “Legend of the Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle.”
“Yeah, the book is a modest little book to look at. But you know, you can turn the pages and read and it's in really good shape," Simon said.
The book was originally published in 1829, under an alias.
“One curiosity about him is that he published it under a pseudonym, he didn’t publish it under a real name. He used the pseudonym Fray Antonio Agapida. The person he published it under was a fictional character and a supposed Spanish monk, " Simon said.
Although there were few collectors or attendees this year, librarian Sue Steuer was not discouraged. She plans to hold the event again. She even thinks it could expand.
“If we were to get enough interest, we might start doing this twice a year so that more people could participate. Again, it's just fun to see people's things that they collect and talk to them about things they're passionate about," Steuer said.
But Steuer suggested it may take time for word to spread among book collectors and fans.