Discover LUC's Michalak Collection
Recently, LUCVS members together with Dr. Micael Clark of the English Department participated in an hour-long examination of one of Loyola University Chicago's best-kept secrets - the Michalak Collection. LUC'S Chicago Archives and Special CollectionsLibrarian Kathy Young exhibited some of the gems of the collection, including works such as The Hunting of the Snark (1876), A Tangled Tale (1885), The Game of Logic (1887), and Sylvie and Bruno (1889) by Lewis Carroll, autographed copies of The Roots of the Mountains (1890) and The Well at the World's End: A Tale (1896) by William Morris, the serials and first edition of Dombey and Son (1848) by Charles Dickens, Kidnapped (1886) and Catriona (1893) by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Tower of London (1840) by William Harrison Ainsworth, Poems by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1866), and The Children of the Sea by Joseph Conrad, to name a few.
LUC'S Chicago Archives and Special Collections recently announced the acquisition of this collection of broadsides and rare volumes highlighting satire and caricature in 19th century Britain. The collection is currently undergoing digitization in partnership with Loyola's Textual Studies department and can be accessed here. According to the Archives and Special Collections' website, "Thomas J. Michalak (BS '63) assembled this collection featuring the work of illustrators George Cruikshank, Robert Cruikshank, Thomas Rowlandson, and John Leech in works by William Harrison Ainsworth, William Combe, George Cruikshank, Charles Dickens, Charles Lever, and William Makepeace Thackeray.
The collection includes first editions of The Loving Ballad of Lord Bateman (1839) by Dickens and Thackeray; Dombey and Son (1848) by Dickens; A Man Made of Money (1849) by Douglas Jerrold; Tom Burke of "Ours" (1843–1844) in parts by Lever, and Plain or Ringlets? (1860) by Robert Smith Surtees. In addition, the collection includes runs of Ainsworth's Magazine (1842–1846), Bentley's Miscellany (1837–1839), Douglas Jerrold's Shilling Magazine (1846–1848), The Illuminated Magazine (1843–1845), and Short Stories from Bentley (1837–1841). The broadsides highlight the work of George Cruikshank, including several of his famous Napoleonic caricatures, Isaac Cruikshank, and James Gillray. Thomas and Jo-Ann Michalak have also established an endowment for the Special Collections of the Loyola University Chicago Libraries as part of their gift."
What this collection offers not only Loyola students, but also students in the Chicagoland area, is the chance to engage with original copies of Victorian works that may not be available at other local libraries such as The Newberry Library or those belonging to nearby universities (UIC, the University of Chicago, and Northwestern University, etc.). Consider making an appointment with Kathy Young to examine and possibly construct a project around a work from the Michalak Collection.
