What’s New at the Internet Archive

The Archive’s quality assurance manager for books, Marcus Lucero, bookmarked these volumes of fairy tales. He’s gotta know the Archive’s books better than anyone, so they’re worth seeing! Most have incredible illustrations, and are (of course) in the public domain.

• The Wonder Clock: Or, Four & Twenty Marvellous Tales, Being One for Each Hour of the Day (1915)
• The Sleeping Beauty (1920)
• East of the Sun West of the Moon: Old Tales from the North
• Indian Fairy Tales (1892)
• Aesop’s Fables (1869)
• Old French Fairy Tales (1920)
• Fairy realm: A Collection of the Favourite old tales. Illustrated by the pencil of Gustave Doré (1866)

Mary Shelley (1797-1851), best known as the 19-year-old creator of Frankenstein, wrote numerous novels and stories throughout her life. She was the daughter of two famous (even notorious!) writers: William Godwin (1756-1836), a radical philosopher best known for his work “Enquiry Concerning Political Justice” and for his novel Caleb Williams; and Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797), considered to be the first feminist for her radical treatise, A Vindication of the Rights of Women. Mary Wollstonecraft died from an infection resulting from Mary’s birth. The devastated Godwin hurriedly wrote and published a Memoir about his deceased wife as well as her embarrassing letters to her ex-lover. While these writings were problematic for Wollstonecraft’s reputation at the time, they provide an rare look into the complex life of an exceptional 18th century woman. Godwin also published her unfinished novel, Maria, or the Wrongs of Women.

At age 17, Mary Shelley ran off with the (already married) atheist vegetarian poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), whom she married after his wife’s subsequent suicide. Widowed at the early age of 25, Mary Shelley was forced to support herself and her son with her writing. She worked hard to cleanse Shelley’s radical reputation and popularize his work for a Victorian audience, eventually editing and publishing his poems with commentary. Her efforts resulted in his becoming one of the most celebrated poets of the nineteenth century.

Works by Mary Shelley on the Archive:

• Frankenstein (1833 edition)
• The Last Man (1826 edition)
• The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck, volume 1 and volume 2 (1830 edition)
• Mathilda (first published 1959)
• Prosperine and Midas (first published 1922)

The Internet Archive, with sponsorship from Yahoo!, is now in the process of digitizing books from UCLA’s Department of Special Collections which is located on campus in the Charles E. Young Research Library. The primary focus so far has been the rare books that make up the Children’s Book Collection. Many of the books chosen for the project originate from Colonial America and the United Kingdom and were used by young children as psalm books or primers in churches and schools during the18th and 19th centuries.

The Archive’s UCLA Scanning Coordinator, Kris Brix, says that she has only four scanners working on this collection.

“Our scanners are being very careful while scanning this collection. We have added extra weights to the book cradles to alleviate pressure on the pages, and on occasion we simply bring the book up to the glass in order to eliminate pressure altogether. The scanning of these books naturally is going very slowly; our priority is to prevent damaging these fragile books and they are kept under lock and key when I am not here.”

Kris has provided photos of some of the special preservation packaging the books come in which includes custom pamphlet pockets, acid free paper sleeves, cellophane dust jackets and other creative protective measures. Kris says that these books have been specially prepared for long-term preservation and storage and are sent to her through an arrangement with Rare Books Librarian, Cristina Favretto.

“You can see there is a great deal of in-house preparation and preservation that goes into some of these books. I tried to find and photograph several unique examples. Special Collections has their own conservationist prepare long term packaging or it may be sent it to our library preservationist, Kristen St. John. Some of these books are as thin as tissue and no bigger than a credit card – great pains are taken to protect these little gems.”