Date: 12/3/24 5:36 pm From: Harry Armistead <harryarmistead...> Subject: [MDBirding] disposition of my library
November 24, 2024:
In a few days (probably Tue., Nov. 26) I intend to post this to the MD & VA LISTSERVs: (MDBIRDING & VA-BIRD)
DONATION OF MY LIBRARY
I’m 84. Rather than have my family deal with the disposition of over 3,600 book titles when I pass on to the great national wildlife refuge in the sky, I want to donate them, preferably to some worthy institution, academic place, or other library.
George Armistead gets 1st dibs, but he is less acquisitive than I am and already has a good library of his own.
I hereby solicit suggestions from you on what to do about this. IF you respond please do off-line to: <harryarmistead...> I have already been turned down by the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel U., the Maryland Ornithological Society, and the Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory.
The 3,600+ titles comprise c. 4,000 volumes (e.g. Forbush’s Birds of Massachusetts and Other New England States is one title but consists of 3 volumes).
TERMS AND CONDITIONS. Recipient must take them all, adding many to their already existing collection, or either selling, giving away duplicates or the unwanted, sending some to departmental libraries, etc. Must come and get them.
A few hundred are at our MD property: books concerning MD, DE, VA, Chesapeake Bay plus the few that concern behavior as well as considerable runs of Maryland Birdlife, the Raven, Delaware/Delmarva Ornithologist, and the Chat. The 18 slip-cased c. 720 fascicles of Birds of North America are also in MD. Most journals are picked up by S.O.R.A., so I have not kept them except as noted here.
I’d contribute up to $2,000 for transportation, fuel, labor, and boxes. Boxes should be labeled, very briefly, according to their contents. My books occupy 406 feet of shelving.
NAMING RIGHTS. I don’t care if there are or aren’t any, but IF the recipient wants to set up naming rights of course that is fine. My library is probably not comprehensive enough to justify naming rights. But I DO insist that at least a fairly detailed description of this gift appear in their newsletter, annual report, or journal.
ATLASES, general ones, are not part of the gift. Nor are conventional English language dictionaries. I expect to retain probably 1-3% of the other 3,600+ titles. But many state or provincial atlases and monographs are part of the gift.
the CATALOG My Natural History Library that I wrote in 1999 (255 pages, listing 3,064 titles) contains c. 84% of the titles I now own.
APPRAISED VALUE. Currently undetermined. It’s the responsibility of the donor to have gifts appraised. In any correspondence thanking the donor the appraisal of their value should be included/referenced.
LIBRARY DESCRIPTION. Overwhelmingly English language and post 1900, less overwhelmingly exclusively ornithological, and with considerable international representation, but predominantly North American titles. I have been collecting books since the late 1950s, not comprehensively, but selectively, say, a few most months. 13% are review books, free but for the considerable labor of writing the reviews. Many others are gifts, used books bought at a bargain, inherited titles, etc.
I am not compulsive about getting books autographed but a fair number of them are autographed, are presentation copies with inscriptions, etc.
CONDITION. I’m not a mint condition collector, but most of my books are in good or fair condition. Few of these titles are rare or expensive. Most state or provincial monographs, even older ones, are worth < $200, recent atlases < $100.
MY ACQUISITION PHILOSOPHY. Not really a philosophy. I’m not a compulsive acquisitor, but steady and slow. Purchasing these books helps support the authors and publishers. It is a pleasure to randomly, sometimes just pull a book to glance through it. Unpredictable projects arise that my library helps support as I write and research.
“I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library.” - Jorge Luis Borges. “I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of Middle Atlantic coast saltmarsh on a fair day in late September. Until I can get there again, my study will suffice.” -Yours truly. “I cannot live without books.” -Thomas Jefferson.
Book shelves/cases would be part of the bargain, too, but I think the recipient would not want them. 11 knotty-pine with plywood backing stained dark brown that I made, 3 the same but painted white, 3 small hardwood commercial cases, 1 case with framed glass fronts that you raise up then shove to the back, 2 fine wood shelves built by Alberto Menocal, 2 white cases you put together from some forgotten box store, a few others.
There are no free-standing book cases at Rigby’s Folly. All of the shelving is set in the walls.
It might be the case that my library could get sold to some major dealer, but I’d prefer to donate them to a non-profit.
[somewhat unrelatedly: also at Rigby’s Folly a collection of c. 325 titles that are almost all duplicates, superseded editions, field guides, country and state books, and various biographies and general books, incl. titles on non-avian taxa (plants, insects, et al.). I will keep these as they form a pretty good basic library in their own right, although mostly somewhat dated. 10 shelves worth (c. 25 feet of shelving).]
Thank you! Henry (“Harry”) T. Armistead, 10 S. Letitia St., Apt. 202, Philadelphia, PA 19106-3025. 215.913.4784.
SELECTED AUTHOR REPRESENTATION, of those who have written, here, 6 or more titles. in addition to those listed below in the subject areas: ALI 7 titles, ARMISTEADs 9, BADGER 6, BAILEY (Alfred M.) 6, BROWN (Leslie) 6, BULL 7, CHAPMAN 12, DENNIS 7, DUNNE 7, FISHER 6, GRISCOM 7, HEINTZELMAN 12, HUDSON 6, JOHNSGARD 15, LANE 12, LAWRENCE (T. E.) 12, MEANLEY 11, OLSON 6, PEARSON 7, PETERSON 28, PETTINGILL 9, RAND 6, REIGER 7, ROBBINS 7, SAUNDERS 6, SCOTT (Sir Peter) 6, SKUTCH 14, SPRUNT 6, STOKES 7, SUTTON 13, SYKES 8, TERRES 6, ZIM 12.
REPRESENTATIVE, mostly MAJOR, subject areas, in part. Many other areas than these are not listed below. These numbers are slightly low, one reason: because they do not include oversized titles:
AFRICA: 73 titles.
ALASKA 35
ANTARCTICA REGION 23
ATTRACTING, nesting boxes, etc. 65
AUDUBON books by or about 32
AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND 27
BEHAVIOR 51
BIOGRAPHY 78
BIRDS AND MAN 20
BOTANY/PLANTS 96
CALIFORNIA 53
CARIBBEAN, WEST INDIES, CUBA (10) 42
CENTRAL AMERICA (but not MEXICO 22) 31
CHESAPEAKE BAY 57
ENDANGERMENT, EXTINCTION 30 (but not titles dealing w/ 1 or 2 spp.)
EUROPE 130
EXPLORATION, SURVIVAL, MOUNTAINEERING, ADVENTURE 70
FIELD GUIDES (North America) 85
FISH & FISHING 47
FLORIDA 34
HERPS (reptiles & amphibians) 48
HISTORICAL (esp. colonial North America) 60
HUMMINGBIRDS 17
INDIA & the SUBCONTINENT 33
INSECTS 44
MAMMALS (excluding SQUIRRELS 14) 151
MARYLAND 42.
MATTHIESSEN, PETER 11
MEINERTZHAGEN, RICHARD 6
MIGRATION 22
NEW GUINEA 11
NEW JERSEY 55
NIDIFICATION, nests, eggs 22
OWLS 35
PARKS, REFUGES, COLLECTED SITE DESCRIPTIONS 61
RUSSIA 11
SEABIRDS 37
SEASHORES, SHELLS, LITTORAL ZONE 31
SOUTH AMERICA 61
SOUTHEAST ASIA & the SOUTH PACIFIC 71
SWANS 10
TEALE, EDWIN WAY 7
TEXAS 43
THESIGER, Sir WILFRED 8
THOREAU 7
VETERINARY, AVICULTURE, PETS 21
VIRGINIA 70
WARBLERS (New World) 17
WOODPECKERS 26
WATERFOWL (excluding SWANs 10) 74
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