On Display: Monthly Highlights

2020

2019

    2 December to 20 December 2019

    On display are holiday-inspired books and ephemera from some of the most important fine presses around the world, including Canada, from the past and present.

    1 November to 29 November 2019

    This month, we focus on highlights of the Fisher's collections of comics, graphic novels and "wordless" narratives, with a special emphasis on Canadian content.

    1 October to 31 October 2019

    This Hallowe' en month we are showcasing books, prints, manuscripts, and ephemeral material about the Dance macabre, an allegorical concept of death deeply rooted in late medieval traditions.

    2 September to 30 September 2019

    Eighty years ago, on 10 September 1939, Canada entered the Second World War. Approximately 42,000 would be killed and another 55,000 would be wounded. This exhibition tells some of their story.

    2 July to 16 August 2019

    The great Latin poems of the Classical past were among the first works of literature to find their way into print, and it was not long before early editions of these works were adorned with woodcut illustrations.

    3 June to 28 June 2019

    To celebrate Pride Month, we are showcasing a selection of material, including literary works, essays and poetry, from the author Oscar Wilde, who has been described as a “homosexual martyr” and embraced within the first wave of the gay rights movement.

    1 May to 31 May 2019

    This exhibition showcases material related to watercolour held in the Fisher’s collections, including original travel journals, sketchbooks, works on paper and instructional manuals.

    1 April to 30 April 2019

    This display honours the 15th anniversary of the MA Program in English in the Field of Creative Writing at UofT, featuring published books from the graduates along with archival material about the creation of the program

    1 March to 27 March 2019

    For generations, volumes of fairy tales and nursery rhymes have entertained, cautioned, and occasionally frightened children from around the world. This international display celebrates the art and design of these well-loved books.

    1 February to 28 February

    The production and use of cannabis, opium and alcohol have a long history. On display are some the library's early printed and illustrated works on medicinal cannabis, hemp, opium, as well as 16th-century instructional books on distillation.

    7 January to 31 January 2019

    Glenn Goluska has been called Canada’s finest letterpress designer and printer. On display are examples of Goluska’s work, along with materials from his contemporaries.

2018

    3 December to 21 December 2018

    Take a walk with the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future as we celebrate the 175th anniverary of Dickens' enduring A Christmas Carol.

    1 November to 30 November 2018

    We commemorate the 100th anniversary of the armistice of the First World War as an acknowledgement of the great sacrifices this generation of Canadians made, especially those who never returned and lie in foreign fields far from home.

    1 October to 31 October 2018

    UC’s early administrative history is on display, along with the personal records of prominent faculty and staff, a large collection of records on the University College fire of 1890, and many publications from the College’s student body.

    3 September to 28 September 2018

    To celebrate the beginning of the academic year, this month’s showcase explores Charle Dodgson’s (aka Lewis Carroll) educational writings and the educational applications of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

    28 June to 17 August 2018

    In celebration of the 21st Biennial International Congress of the New Chaucer Society, we are pleased to display modern and early-modern editions of Geoffrey Chaucer’s works from our collections.

    26 May to 27 June 2018

    The oldest English-language book in Canada, Caxton's Cicero from 1481, is now on display.

    1 May to 25 May

    Literatura de cordel, or "string literature," is the tradition of popular pamphlet poetry that emerged in the Brazilian Northeast at the turn of the 19th century. They are known for their woodcut illustrations, many which are on display this month.

    2 April to 30 April 2018

    This month, we highlight a collection of recently acquired phrenology material. Phrenology was a set of 19th century pseudo-medical theories and practices based on the notion that one's character was reflected in the size and shape of the skull.

    1 March to 30 March 2018

    This year marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of Rochdale, an experiment in student-run alternative education and community living.