Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Oscar Wilde and William Shakespeare did battle in UNCG’s Jackson Library last week.
Some odds-makers were expecting Dickens to triumph, but Hardy won in a runoff, and Shakespeare had such a fan following
that within a day he won too, helping Jackson Library acquire not one
but three rare selections for the University Libraries’ Special
Collections.
The format of the battle was a first for the University Libraries. Representatives of the Special Collections and University Archives each made short presentations to members of the Jackson Society to persuade them to cast their vote to purchase a book or selection of books by each of the four authors. The presentations focused not only on the history of the book and its importance, but also on the ways in which acquiring it would help the Library connect better to its goal of engaging UNCG students and faculty with important rare books.
The Jackson Society members in attendance certainly seemed to be en…