Science fiction, which has been distorted or mocked, has established itself in popular culture. Indeed, over half a century of science fiction writing and American-Canadian editor Judith Merrill, the genre has developed in parallel with her career. The author donated her personal collection of 5,000 items to the Toronto Public Library. Today, science fiction and fantasy are immensely popular on television, books, and movies. One of the most significant examples is the cinematic adaptations of Marvel and DC heroes.
Located on the third floor of the Public Library Branch, the current collection includes a collection of fiction, non-fiction, biographies, periodicals, pulp magazines, graphic novels, manuscripts, correspondence, original artwork, and role-playing books. Originally it was called the library Out of range before it was officially renamed in 1990.
The collection also includes many valuable works, the rarest of which is the book of William M. The ship that sailed to Mars (The ship that sailed to Mars). A work of 48 pages of text and 48 color plates, printed in 2,000 copies in 1923, most copies in unidentified private collections.
«The collection is a Toronto treasure“Before she deputizes for it,” says Sephora Henderson, director of the Merrill Group division. Many people have yet to discover this gem. »
From niche audiences to mainstream culture
Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, David Eddings, Kurt Vonnegut: They were discovered by Toronto Star contributor Larry Silverberg, thanks to this group. he found” Cozy but great hangout for other like-minded geeks “… at a time when science fiction and fantasy weren’t getting much attention, and great writers like Philip K. Dick, were out.”literature ».
Since then, the appearance has changed, as have the authors and audiences. “In 1970, science fiction wrote a handful of writers, mostly men and exclusively white.Kim Hall, General Librarian at LaFore explains. “This has changed dramatically, with more diverse representation evident in recent years, with more women or non-gender people.»
Expo: Ray Bradbury, Finding the Internet
Sephora Henderson adds, “Visitors included science fiction writers such as Neil Gaiman, Laurel K. Hamilton, or Cory Doctorow, as well as academics and researchers, who came from as far away as Australia to access the works.”
The curious can also consult more than 170,000 items from the house, using the library’s digital archive. “In the environment of private collections, where there are scarce archival books and documents, great care is taken not to handle the material too much‘,” explains the head of the Merrill Group’s main division.“Digital alternatives provide a way to check it out and enjoy it without any undue manipulation“,” conclude.
via : toronto star
Credit: Roy Barros (CC BY 2.0)