What's On at the Library

To celebrate this year's Keep Toronto Reading Festival and the One Book community read selection, "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury, the Merril Collection is hosting an exhibit of Bradbury memorabilia.

The exhibit runs from April to June and is a must see for Bradbury devotees. Featured items include first editions of "Fahrenheit 451" and "The Martian Chronicles,"
an illustrated volume of "The Nefertiti-Tut Express," and a rare edition
of Bradbury's poetry.

Located on the 3rd floor of Lillian H. Smith Branch, the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & Fantasy is a research collection containing over 72,000 items, including: original manuscripts, limited editions, out of print materials, art books, audiovisual and multimedia materials.

There are many cool things at the Merril Collecton other than Bradbury rarities. Below is a list of nine other unique items – identified by Collection Head Lorna Toolis and staff.

*A 1st edition of Dracula by Bram Stoker – Published in 1897 by Archibald Constable and Co.

*The Hugo Award won by Judith Merril and Emily Pohl-Weary – Won at TorCon3,
the World Science Fiction Convention held in Toronto in 2003. It was
awarded for "Better To Have Loved," Judith Merril's letters, edited by her
grand-daughter Emily Pohl-Weary.

*Worldly Wisdom – A fabulous painting by Leon & Diane Dillon. The
painting will be exhibited at the Toronto Reference Library in an upcoming
TD Gallery exhibition.

* The Portland Gazette, Nov. 1875, V.5, nos.1, 2 & 3 – Published in
Portland, Maine. This amateur publication serialized "The Vampire," by
Julius L. Corore, the first vampire fiction published in a North
American periodical.

* The Bell From TorCon1 – The first world science fiction convention to be held outside the US was held in Toronto. The bell used to convene TorCon 1, the 6th World Science Fiction Convention, July 3 – 5, 1948 was donated
later to the Merril Collection. The Collection also has a copy of the
TorCon 1 program book.

* A complete set of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels

* Fantasy and science fiction role-playing games – Vampire the
Masquerade, Call of Cthulhiu, Mage the Ascension, Dungeons &
Dragons, Paranoia, Shadowrun, Deadlands and many more.

* A copy of the World Fantasy Award – A stylized version of the face of H.P. Lovecraft.

* Copies of The Absolute Sandman – The oversize format does full justice to Dave McKean's art.