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Will Crooks, who grew up in extreme poverty in London's East End at the end of the nineteenth century, wrote of that magic. As a young man he spent tuppence for a second-hand copy of Homer's Illiad. He was overwhelmed by what he read: "What a revelation it was to me! Pictures of romance and beauty I had never dreamed of suddenly opened up before my eyes. I was transported from the East End to an enchanted land. It was a rare luxury for a working lad like me just home from work to find Myself suddenly among the heroes and nymphs of Ancient Greece." But this reading was not merely a mechanism for escape, as desirable as that might be. Working men and women made clear distinctions between the penny-dreadfuls and good literature -– Ruskin, Carlyle, and Defoe were favorites -– and they recognized the value of the latter. Through their reading, these working men and women came to think of themselves as individuals, and as their reading expanded, they learned of their oppression and their rights.
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Student Initiative Helps Launch Popular Literature Collection
The Popular Literature Collection was rolled out late last spring in response to a request from the College's Student Government Association to make books available for recreational reading. The ever growing collection is now shelved in a separate alcove near the reference desk. Books for the collection were initially purchased with funds from SGA and the Library. New material is added as suggestions are received. Pictured here are Andrew Scrimgeour, Director; Linda Connors, Associate Librarian; and Spencer Bates, SGA President. (Photo: V. Debbink)
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