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!