 The women writers’ works on display
are the result of library acquisitions dating back to the University’s beginnings in
1890. In 1981, the establishment of the Rare Book and Texana Collections brought together
several important collections already belonging to the Libraries. These included a
significant number of rare books by women. Since 1981, the Rare Book and Texana
Collections have actively continued to acquire women writer’s works. The current
exhibition is the first to show a majority of the works together.The exhibition
concentrates mainly on books from the following collections:
The Eighteenth Century Collection
One of the Rare Book Collection’s strengths
is eighteenth century literature and culture, especially Samuel Johnson and his circle.
The Collection contains a wealth of works by women, including Fanny Burney, Elizabeth
Carter, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Hannah More, Hester Lynch Piozzi, and Sarah Scott.
The Weaver Collection
The Gustine Weaver Collection was donated to the
Libraries in 1936. Mrs. Weaver devoted herself to collecting children’s literature.
Those on display include Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden and an
unprecedented number of English translations of Johanna Spyri’s Heidi. Besides
strictly children’s literature, Mrs. Weaver also collected first editions by
Christina Rossetti (her works for children and adults) and Mary Webb.
The Pat Warde Memorial Collection of Southern Letters
The Pat Warde Memorial Collection of Southern
Letters was established in 1992 by a generous donation from the Friends of the UNT
Libraries. The collection is made up of first editions by southern women writers and
criticism pertaining to them. On display are first editions by Eudora Welty, Katherine
Anne Porter, Flannery O’Connor, and Kate Chopin.
The Larry McMurtry Collection
The Larry McMurtry Collection was purchased by the Libraries in
the early 1960s. It includes McMurtry’s manuscripts as well as his personal
collection of first editions of Willa Cather.
Rare Book &
Texana Collections || Exhibits
|| UNT Libraries || UNT
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