Congratulations to the Winners of the Book Collector's Contest!



Clockwise from top-left: Albert Mann, Abby Miller, Elise Stewart, Diana Hamlin

Congratulations go out to all of the winners of the recent Undergraduate Book Collector's Contest sponsored by the Friends of the Rosemont College Library. The winners, with comments from the selection committee, are as follows:

1^st Prize:          ELISE STEWART for her presentation and collection of books by various authors that were affected by World War II. As she stated in her essay, “Nothing is so painful and life altering as the truth of someone’s circumstances. And yet the character that forms from everyday life circumstances is so precious. It is with a memorable past that one can learn the true essence of being.”

                        Her chosen books highlighted the struggle of many World Was II victims of the Holocaust – individuals, the youth in Hungary, Jewish cultures transferred to America. To quote Elise again, “...These books profoundly outline the differences between cultures and the importance of tolerance...[they] emphasize the importance of history and living as an individual.”

2^nd Prize:        ABBY MILLER for her varied collection of books directed towards creating a visual reference library that will support her goal as a visual artist and art teacher of adults interested in folk art. Topics covered: a Book of Symbols, Ukrainian decorative eggs, African Sculptures, works by Haitian, Russian, Japanese, & Spanish artists. Abby’s students are in for a treat and she has, most certainly, a good start toward her goal of having a reading room in her home.

Honorable Mentions:

                        ALBERT MANN tells us that his book collection usually falls under the genres of fantasy, science fiction or both. Several years ago he became caught up in the book world of Japanese Manga, where art and words are merged to create a unique medium, similar to the English genre of graphic novels. From then on he methodically collected the entire twelve book series known as Death Note. As Albert describes it, he finds a “deep and compelling story by using powerful themes and strong images that relate to morality and the nature of good and evil, culminating into one of the best cat and mouse detective tales.”

                        DIANA HAMLIN's book collection revolves around the mystical and magical world of strong female characters. As put forth by Diana, she has three books that were "inspired by or reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland." There are twists and turns as characters go through a magical world of fun and games. Diana was also introduced to a book series by Tamora Pierce a few years ago when she found herself caught up by the mystical adventures of Ally, age 16, whose mother is a female knight and her father is a spymaster in the realm of Torall.

Thanks to all of the participants for sharing your collections with us!