Last Chance to See Special Collections: A to Z
You have just one week left to visit our free exhibit Special Collections: A to Z on display in the TD Gallery at the Toronto Reference Library.
If you've ever been interested in learning more about the fascinating (and sometimes weird) items that Toronto Public Library has amassed since 1884, this show is a great introduction. From an illustrated map of the North Pole from 1680, to beautiful ivory hornbooks, to a 15th century Latin encyclopedia, to a rare first-edition copy of The Hobbit — there really is something for everyone!
The alphabet of items on display is representative of the range and variety of materials found in each of our specialized collections: Arthur Conan Doyle Collection, Baldwin Collection of Canadiana, Special Collections in the Arts, Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & Fantasy and the Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books.
Take a peak at this itty-bitty library of miniature books containing the full text of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Chronicles of Sherlock Holmes, created by noted miniaturist Barbara Raheb in 1979. It is hard to get a sense of scale here, but each book is about the size of a small matchbox!
You can get a taste of what's on display by visiting our Virtual Exhibit here. A previous blog post described a few of the more obscure topics in the show.
Don't miss it! Special Collections: A to Z closes April 24. There is one last guided tour of the exhibit on Tuesday, April 19 at 2 pm.
For even more eclectic and delightful collection finds, be sure to join us on Wednesday for a Discover Special Collections talk titled, "Q is for Quirky Items." The talk begins at 3 pm in the Marilyn & Charles Baillie Special Collections Centre (5th floor of the Toronto Reference Library). You can drop in, no registration is required. It is the perfect pairing to a visit to the gallery.
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