Events
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Opening Reception
4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Hirshland Exhibition Gallery
Carl A. Kroch Library
Thursday, May 5, 2005
"The Fiske Dante Collection: How, Why, and So What?"
A lecture given by Christian Dupont
Director of the Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Library
4:00 p.m.
Olin Library room 106
Between 1894 and 1896, Daniel Willard Fiske amassed for Cornell University Library what remains today the largest collection on our continent of historical works by and about Dante Alighieri and his Divine Comedy. How did he manage this feat so quickly, by what means and with whose help? Why did he apply his bibliographical prowess and passion for collecting to the medieval Florentine poet? And what significance did his collection have, and still have today?
Christian Dupont is director of the Special Collections Research Center at Syracuse University Library. He holds a doctorate in theology and philosophy from the University of Notre Dame. For the past several years, Dupont has been studying the formation of major American Dante collections and presenting his findings through publications, lectures, and exhibitions.