More Fun Additions for Fall Reading

Hart House Library continues to get new acquisitions that will whet several types of appetite! Some of the new books you can find on our shelves include:

The Boardwalk Jungle (Ovid Demaris; History) gives a history of the development of Atlantic City as a gambling resort, and a lot of the backroom dealing and underworld elements that built it up. If you’re excited about the new HBO show Boardwalk Empire, this book may be a great selection.

The Politics Of Housework (edited by Ellen Malos; Generalities) combines Feminist essays and debates from the 60’s and 70’s, discussing women’s role with domestic labour. If your interested in the shifting role of women from previous generations to the present, highlighted by shows such as Mad Men, then this book may be an exciting exploration for you.

On the spiritual front, we also have Stories for the Six Worlds: Micmac Legends (Ruth Holmes Whitehead; Canadiana), Greek Myths: With Selected Episodes from the Trojan War (edited by Olivia Coolidge; Generalities) and Mythology (Edith Hamilton; Generalities). I personally have always loved reading about Native American legends and other mythologies – no matter in what tradition your spirituality lies, reading about other cultures’ traditions can offer insight into spiritual life and the world around us. Delving into stories or traditions can offer an exciting perspective we are not normally accustomed to.

Also on the topic of spirituality, or at least 'spirits,' Bluenose Ghosts (Helen Creighton; Canadiana), is a folklore of real experiences of ghosts in the Maritimes, an area known for having a lot of hauntings. This book is renowned for its legitimacy, so it may be the perfect reading material if you like thinking about what may be left over in an old lighthouse or colonial barracks.

Some other interesting books that have recently come into our collection are:

History: 20 Years Of Rolling Stone: What A Long Strange Trip It's Been by Jann S. Wenner

Generalities: Fear Of Falling – The Inner Life Of The Middle Class by Barbara Ehrenreich

University: The Prevailing Influence: Hart House And The Group Of Seven by Catharine D. Siddall

Fiction: Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Canadian Poetry: The Nightmare Alphabet by Sean O’Huigin

Hart House has many books that may be a great escape during the quiet first weeks of school, or anytime you need a break. Pop up to see us and you may just find what you never knew you were looking for!

Richard III...minus Al Pacino.

"Conscience is but a word that cowards use, Devised at first to keep the strong in awe."
--Richard in Act V, Scene III

Sir William Shakespeare's Ricahrd III will be playing at the Hart House Theatre from September 15th until October 2nd. To prepare yourself for this historical affair, why not stop by the Hart House Library first and familiarize yourself with the play?

Richard is suave, calculating and brutal. Come and meet one of Shakespeare's greatest villains!

Student tickets are available for $12, as well as $10 student tickets on Wednesday nights. Visit http://www.harthouse.ca/hart-house-theatre/richard-iii to find out more.

James Reaney, [b.1926-2008]

On the first of this month was the birthday of beloved James Reaney, a Canadian poet, playwright, professor and critic. He was born in South Easthope Ontario and led a thoroughly literary life, inspired by the noteworthy Northrop Frye. Reaney was awarded his PhD, here at the University of Toronto, in 1958. Having taught at both the University of Western and the University of Manitoba, Reaney's accomplishments did not end with his students. He won three Governor General's Awards and launched a successful career in writing drama. Several of his plays have been performed at Hart House's very own Theatre.

Beginning in September, the Hart House Library dedicated a display to several of James Reaney's books to begin educating people about his influence on Canadian literary culture.

James Reaney's style has been referred to as "Southern Ontario Gothic." Margaret Atwood was also quoted as saying that without "[Reaney's short story] The Bully, my fiction would have followed other paths."

"Clouds"

These clouds are soft white horses
That draw Weather in his wagon
Who bears in his old hands
Streaked whips and strokes of lightning.
The hooves of his cattle are made
Of limp water, that stamp
Upon the roof during a storm
And fall from dripping eaves;
Yes these hooves have worn away mountains
In their trotting over Earth.
And for manes these clouds
Have the soft and various winds
That still can push
A ship into sea
And for neighs, the sable thunder.

Reaney's poetry demonstrated a true playfulness, as shown in "Ice Cream," a poem from his collection Souwesto Home, currently on display at the Hart House Library.

"Ice Cream"

The local poet is riding his bike uptown
On a fairly hot summer day
Bent on Jumbo's Ice Cream Booth
Before mailing a poem to Chimaera at the Post Office
At Jumbo's Ice Cream Booth there are
Thirty flavours including --
Licorice, fudge, lemon, orange, apple, grape,
Banana, chocolate, cherry, Maple Walnut (my favourite)
Vanilla, of course, peppermint, strawberry, raspberry --
Weren't there some vegetable ones? Do I remember --
Onion ice cream?
And this pair of double dip skim milk flavours
Cost only a nickel each!
And the ceiling was of pressed tin!
So, I plunk down a nickel for a Maple Walnut!
And so out the door bent on making the cone
Last till I reach the Post Office Door --
The Post Office is French Provincial with four clocks.
The poet holds his bicycle up with his left hand.
Walks slowly licking as he proceeds.
Two little girls say scornfully: "He's acting
Just like a little kid!"
But he thinks -- "Isn't that what life is all about?"

One website remarked that James Reaney has treated the contrasting worlds of innocence and experience, the underlying forces of evil in everyone, love's power to redeem and the process of growth from childhood to adolescence and maturity. He has done so with talent and grace. This year, James Reaney would have been 84 years old and his works remain alive with each re-reading. Isn't that what literature is all about?

Our collection continues to grow!

The Hart House Library has recently acquired a number of new exciting donations. As always, we have a lot of diverse books that will be interesting for a variety of discriminating tastes.

Some of the new acquisitions include six lesser-known novels by author Jules Verne. Verne is, of course, famous for his science fiction novels such as Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Centre of the Earth and Around the World in Eighty Days. He is referred to as one of the "Fathers of Science Fiction," along with Edgar Allen Poe, Hugo Gernsback and H.G. Wells (a collection of whose short stories we have also acquired). Verne is also the second most translated author of all time, second only to Agatha Christie.

Our new Verne novels are:

1. Five Weeks in a Balloon -- Verne's first novel involves the exploration of Africa, which was still fresh to European explorers at the time.

2. A Floating City -- An adventure novel about a woman who, while on board a ship with her husband, finds that the man she loves is also on board.

3. The Steam House Parts 1 & 2 -- Tells the story of a trip through British-controlled India in a wheeled house pulled by a steam-powered mechanical elephant. The book is set after the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and contains plenty of historical information as well as social commentary.

4. The Secret of the Island -- the third part of the Mysterious Island Trilogy and the second sequel to his famous Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

5. Michael Strogoff: A Courier of the Czar -- The title character must race across Russia to deliver a message, helping to thwart the attempt of an invasion. Critics consider this to be one of Verne's best novels.

6. Into the Niger Bend: Part 1 of the Barsac Mission -- The first part of an adventure to French West Africa where a team is captured and brought to a mysterious city in the desert.

Verne's novels are best known for their scientific predictions that include navigable aircraft, practical submarines, air conditioners, space travel and the Internet. They were also popular for their fantastic adventurousness and may be a great, light escape between assignments this Fall!

We have a number of other exciting acquisitions, including a history of Rolling Stone Magazine. As well, we now host some great Canadian poetry by Michael Ondaatje and Sean O'Huigin in addition to a book about the relationship between Hart House and the Group of Seven. So, when you have a moment this Fall, stop in to take a breather at the library!

Want to buy a library?

...Okay no, Hart House Library is not for sale!

However, as Larry T. Nix of Library History Buff Blog points out, you can buy one of the original Carnegie libraries in Duluth, Minnesota for less than the cost of a downtown Toronto condo. Only $862,000 folks! The building has been generating revenue by renting office space, but other Carnegie branches have been less fortunate. Just across the bridge in Superior, Wisconsin a Carnegie branch remains abandoned and in search of a purpose.

Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist who aided the building of 2,500 public and academic libraries between 1883 and 1929. Funding was given gradually over the course of the library's development and this method was largely successful for development. Carnegie also ensured that free service would be given to all patrons once the library had been established. His philosophy was one of success through hard work. Having struggled as an immigrant in a new country, Carnegie was convinced that libraries are essential to personal and professional growth.

Andrew Carnegie's philosophy is greatly admired by the Hart House Library. Although, we can't say that we'll be buying that Duluth library just yet!

Exciting New Acquisitions for 2010

The following list of delicious summer selections is brought to you by Hart House Library's very own Socialite Librarian, Katya Pereyaslavska.

1. Oonagh O'Hagan: I Lick my Cheese
2. Keri Smith: The Guerilla Art Kit
3. David Foster Wallace: Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
4. Keri Smith: How to Be an Explorer of the World: Portable Art (Life) Museum
5. Faythe Levin & Cortney Heimerl: Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft and Design
6. C.D. Payne: Youth in Revolt
7. Wearing Propaganda: 1931-1945, Textiles on the Home Front in Japan, Britain, and the United States
8. Mario Bataille: ABC 3D
9. Adria Vasil: Ecoholic Home
10. Chuck Klosterman: Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto (Now with a new Middle)
11. Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein: Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar...Understanding Philosophy through Jokes
12. Alex Ross: The Rest is Noise: Listening to the 21st Century
13. Steve Knopper: Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age
14. Ben Luzatto: The Theory of Everything, Abridged
(Iceland: Ugly Duckling Press, 2010 -- Limited 1st edition [500] artist book)
15. Denis Dutton: The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, and Human Evolution
16. Lewis Carroll: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass (Limited Edition -- Illustrated by Ralph Steadman)
17. Steven Henry Madoff: Art School: Propositions for the 21st Century
18. Christina Kiaer: Imagine No Possessions: The Socialist Objects of Russian Constructivism
19. Ed. Alex Steffen: World Changing: A User's Guide for the 21st Century
20. Conn Igulden & Hal Iggulden: The Dangerous Book for Boys
Andrea J. Buchanan & Miriam Peskowitz: The Daring Book for Girls

BeerBBQBands + Books?

Coming up on Thursday July 29th at 7pm is the 3rd Annual Craft Beer Festival. Why not reward yourself after a few good reads by joining fellow beer drinkers in the Hart House Quad?

Your $35 ticket ($25 for students) includes 8 beer samples, some BBQ bites and free tunes provided by CIUT 89.5 DJs. Simply visit www.uofttix.ca or call 416-978-8849

All craft brews are Canadian and include some of the finest ales, lagers and pilsners.

Here is a list of participating breweries to excite your thirst! ...

Beau's All-Natural Brewing Company · Big Rock Brewery · Creemore Springs Brewery · F & M Brewery · Flying Monkeys Brewery · Great Lakes Brewery · Hockley Valley Brewing Company · Mill Street Brewery · Steam Whistle Brewery · Wellington Brewery and Quebec's very own Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel! · Les Trois Mousquetaires and Microbrasserie Charlevoix

Or visit the event page for more info: http://www.harthouse.utoronto.ca/beta/html/events/craft.php

National Geographic Documentary

Notice: The Hart House Library will be closed this Sunday, July 18 2010, for a very exciting purpose.

The National Geographic Channel's Explorer Series has chosen Hart House Library as part of the film locale for a documentary based upon John Geiger's book The Third Man Factor! Interestingly, the Explorer Series is the longest-running documentary series in cable television history.

Explorer is taking a close-up look at the extraordinary phenomenon highlighted in the book, investigating the science behind reported experiences from people at the very edge of death (often adventurers or explorers) who experience a presence beside them who encourages them to make one final effort to survive. This film is truly about the science behind this phenomenon -- including top neuroscience being done in the US, Canada and Switzerland. Bestselling author John Geiger is a Senior Fellow at Massey College and his interview in the documentary will be set against the backdrop of our very own library.

Much to our excitement, National Geographic will also be dedicating a "Special Thanks" to Hart House at the end of the Third Man Factor documentary. It will be broadcast in Spring 2011 on the National Geographic Channel, which reaches 320 million households in 34 languages in 166 countries.

Stay tuned to the blog as Hart House Library will likely host a special screening of this programme in the Spring.

Supporting Independent Toronto Bookstores

Hart House Library is an avid supporter of the independent bookstores around town. The majority of new acquisitions are purchased from local downtown stores such as BMV, Sonic Boom or This Ain't the Rosedale Library. Much to the disappointment of many Torontonians, particularly the bibliophiles, This Ain't the Rosedale Library will be unable to continue serving its patrons due to a $20,000 debt. With the reported drop in book sales by BookNet Canada, other stores may follow suit if they do not become fierce competitors to online giants such as Amazon.com and Amazon.ca. John Scythes, owner of the bookstore Glad Day in Kensington Market, points out that patrons walk into his store to browse, but inevitably make their purchases online from retailers such as Amazon.

For more accounts of how the book selling industry is changing in our city, check out Vit Wagner's article for the Toronto Star: http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/article/831630--tough-times-but-some-bookstores-have-a-different-story

Yes, Amazon does offer a myriad of discounted books, but Hart House Library will continue to support the independent stores around town whenever possible.

What is it that makes Hart House Library so unique from the other libraries on campus?

The Hart House Library is a non-circulating, special library. It is a library of discovery!

Truly an organic space, the library is a living institution which grows and adapts to the ever-changing needs of our dedicated multi-demographic patrons. And our library is certainly one of historical and cultural character.

Hart House Library is run by volunteers and overseen by the Literary and Library Committee, which strives for the library as an inclusive space. The Committee ensures that the special collection of literature is relevant to the library’s evolving interest and seeks to build a stronger literary community at the University of Toronto.

The library boasts a strong Canadian flavour and this is reflected through a Canadiana section, in addition to both Canadian Fiction and Canadian Poetry.

To browse more of what the library has to offer, visit the Hart House Library catalog at http://www.librarything.com/catalog/HartHouseLibrary/yourlibrary