Special Collections and Rare Book Department: 19th and 20th Century Collections
Outlines major collections, provides links to finding aids and describes services of the Special Collections and Rare Book Department at Western Michigan University.
Images from the Collections
Frontispiece of Through Masai Land... by Joseph Thomson, 1885. From the Alan H. Jacobs East Africa Collection
Cover of limited edition book, 1981. From the Seamus Cooney Black Sparrow Press Collection
German aviators plotting their course for a bombing run over Great Britain. Loose plate from WWII Propaganda and Print Collection
Major 19th & 20th Century Collections
WMU Special Collections holds many materials which were produced during the 19th and 20th centuries, including collections of personal and scholarly papers, books published in limited editions or with annotations and inscriptions and specialized collections donated by individuals. The collections particularly pertain to the histories and literatures of Europe and the United States, although significant collections relating to aspects of nineteenth and twentieth Africa are found in the Alan Jacobs and Edward Callan collections. most of these items are cataloged individually in the WMU Libraries online catalogs.
- World War II Propaganda and Print Collection, 1904-1964World War II Propaganda and Print Collection is the cumulative title for several donations that have been combined to form a single collection of Nazi German and Allies publications, photographs, and ephemera. The Howard Mowen N.S.D.A.P. (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei) Collection consists of over 50 newspaper titles, photographs, books, and contemporary currency for the period of 1933-1945 in Germany and forms the core of the collection. Dr. Mowen taught in the Western Michigan University History Department until 1982. Edwin W. Polk, whose experiences on a PT boat in the South Pacific prompted his interest in collecting, donated many of these items. Mr. Polk was an alumnus of Western State Teachers College (1937), now Western Michigan University. Additional donors include Tyler Baker, Robert C. Anderson and Maira Bundza.
- Seamus Cooney Black Sparrow Press Collection, 1966-2006The Black Sparrow Press was a small, distinguished Californian fine press started by John Martin in 1966 which was shut down in 2003. Seamus Cooney, Professor of English at Western Michigan University, was an editor for the Black Sparrow Press from 1969 until 2003 and sold the collection to Western Michigan University. This collection includes of a variety of materials: manuscripts from the works Professor Cooney edited, proofs, corrections, and of course the final printed version of the book. Due to Cooney's long-standing relationship with the press, Special Collections has an almost complete archive of the press's published works from 1966 to 2003.
- Katharine M. Briggs Collection, 1806-1980Katharine M. Briggs (1898-1980) was a folklorist who contributed greatly to the field of British fairies and folk narratives. The collection contains typescript and manuscript copies of some of her later works: Nine Lives: Cats in Folklore (1980); The Vanishing People (1978); Folklore of the Cotswolds (1974); Abbey Lubbers, Banshees & Boggarts (1979); A Dictionary of Fairies (1976) and A Dictionary of British Folk-Tales (1970-1971). We also hold manuscript and typescript copies of articles: "Folk-Tale Story Tellers"; "Tradition and Invention in Ghost Stories" ; "Fairy Themes in Folktales and in Modern Children's Literature"; "Some Unpleasant Characters Among British Fairies"; "Fairies, Hobgoblins and Other Strange Creatures" (1978); "Historical Traditions in English Folklore" (1965); and a biographical notice for Edward Clodd (1979).
- Comics CollectionsWMU Libraries Comics collections are comprised of DC, Marvel and other comics that were donated by Eric Lean, a physician employed by Western Michigan University, at the Sindecuse Health Center. This collection is known as the A & M Lean Collection, named in honor of the donor's two daughters. Prominently featured among the DC and Marvel comics are Avengers, Batman, Captain America, Catwoman, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Incredible Hulk, Justice League of America, Superman and X-Men. The second collection is comprised of Dutch-language Donald Duck comics donated by Western Michigan University alumnus, Jeff Reid.
- Alan H. Jacobs East Africa CollectionAlan H. Jacobs (1930 -2010) was a professor of anthropology at Western Michigan University. Jacobs was an undergraduate at WMU, then went on to complete a masters degree at University of Chicago and a doctorate at Oxford University in 1966. He was one of the world's foremost experts on the semi-nomadic Maasai people. He retired from WMU in 1996. This collection was acquired by a combination of donation and purchase via the Jacobs family of Kalamazoo, in 2012. It includes primarily books, but also serials, relating to the cultural, historical, political and geographic study of East Africa. Several books relate to other regions of Africa. The dates of the publications range from the early nineteenth through late twentieth centuries and are primarily in English, but others are in Dutch, German or French. Titles associated with this collection are searchable in WMU Libaries online catalog.
- Ben Tibbs CollectionBen Tibbs (1907-1995) was a Kalamazoo-area poet who was also known for his work in graphic arts. He designed the covers of his own books as well as the covers of other poets' works. His family donated his extensive poetry collection to Special Collections, the majority of which are signed or inscribed by the authors. These include books by Diane Wakoski, Denise Levertov, Muriel Rukeyser, Anne Sexton, Galway Kinnell, David Meltzer, Charles Reznikoff, Diane DiPrima, Robert Bly, W.S. Merwin, Gary Snyder and many others. Tibbs' own poetry, book design and other graphic art is represented in the collection as well.
Small 19th & 20th Century Archival Collections
Many of the 19th & 20th century collections are small and specialized. In addition, there are collections in American women's poetry, children's books or Cistercian Studies, associated with this period, which appear in other sections of this guide. Listed below are a few of these smaller collections.
- Ben Tibbs Archive 1958-1977(supplements the Ben Tibbs Collection of books)