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This is the second French edition of Humboldt’s essay on New Spain, which is regarded as one of the seminal works of Western Americana. Humboldt, a German scientist, spent five years in the Spanish dominions of the New World, from 1799 to 1804, and recorded his experiences in a series of works stretching over decades after his return to Europe. One of the first of these was the Essai Politique, describing northern New Spain, particularly Mexico and the northern provinces, including California and the American Southwest. The atlas is most important for its inclusion of Humboldt’s great map titled "Carte Generale du Royaume de la Nouvelle Espagne," originally executed by Humboldt during his stay in Mexico in 1803-1804, and covering two large folio double sheets. Map bibliographer Carl Wheat calls the map a "truly magnificent cartographic achievement" and concludes that before the explorations of Lewis and Clark, Humboldt’s maps were in the first rank of western cartography. Katherine Goodwin, cartographic archivist for Special Collections, calls the Humboldt works "ground breaking achievements by one of the greatest scientific minds of the time." She also said that Humboldt, unlike other map makers, "was given access to Spanish archives that were generally off-limits to foreigners." Sally Gross, department head for Special Collections, said that "the works will be added to the holdings of the Virginia Garrett Cartographic History Library and made available to researchers on the sixth floor of UTA’s Central Library." The Humboldt works were donated to UTA by the Summerlee Foundation in honor of Jenkins and Virginia Garrett, longtime donors and library supporters. For more information, please contact: Katherine Goodwin, Special Collections Division, UTA Libraries, Box 19497, Arlington, Texas 76019-0497. 817-272-5329 (phone), 817-272-3360 (fax), and email goodwin@uta.edu.
Manuscripts, research notes, letters, financial documents, Leonard Family genealogy, a scrapbook, clippings, a video, oral history tapes and summaries, maps, photographs, artifacts, programs, newsletters, and miscellaneous printed materials comprise the Leonards Department Store Collection. In addition, the personal papers of Marvin Leonard, acquired from the family and included in the collection, contain materials that document much of the history of the Leonards Department Store. The personal papers also reveal Marvin Leonard's various other interest in golf, real estate, and oil. The papers are currently in process, but a preliminary inventory is available. For more information, please contact: Brenda Mcclurkin, Archivist, Special Collections Division, UT-Arlington Libraries, Box 19497, Arlington, TX 76019-0497, 817- 272-3393 (phone), 817-272-3360 (fax), email: mcclurkin@uta.edu
Special Collections This page last update on Friday, April 16, 2004 UTA Libraries Online |
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Alexander von
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