The Books Have Arrived!
Kerry Magruder, curator, OU Libraries History of Science Collection, unpacks a first edition of Darwin's "Voyage of the Beagle"
This morning, the first-editions of Darwin’s books arrived from the University of Oklahoma Libraries History of Science Collection. Curator Kerry Magruder brought them himself, packed in four big plastic tubs, in an OU van under armed escort by OU PD.
I admit it’s kind of funny how excited a bunch of academics can get about a few boxes of old books, but there is something about these that does give you a little jolt… knowing, with the gift of hind-sight, how some of them would change their world.
Some of the books are also quite beautiful. The illustrations are each individually hand colored. The bindings are elegant. Some have old library catalog numbers inked on the spines, and you know that some of the books are well-travelled and much handled over the years.
An OU Police officer escorted the collection of Darwin first editions to the museum
This morning, one of our curators brought to my attention a wonderful blog that some enterprising person is creating out there: a blog re-creating the voyage of the HMS Beagle, complete with illustrations and Google maps! Verrry cool. This is a fun way to make yourself smart on the subject of Darwin’s travels. Here’s the link: check it out for yourself! www.thebeaglevoyage.com