The Tom & Ethel Bradley Center contains over 100 images of the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time, Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. in Louisville, Kentucky on January 17, 1942. His life changed forever when he told Louisville police officer and boxing coach Joe Martin that he was going to “whup” whoever stole his bicycle
One unique format that can be found amongst diaries and journals is the five-year journal. In this type of journal, the writer records short entries every day and when the new year begins, they go back and record the day’s entry next to the previous year’s entry. Then, after five years each page displays a single day spanning five years.
Simple and digestible literature is not often considered historically significant, but literature like this is a fantastic window into what was important to people who came decades before. After all, most people do not interact directly with those in power....
Special Collections & Archives holds a pamphlet from 1897 titled A Handbook on the Annexation of Hawaii written by Lorrin A. Thurston (1858-1931). Thurston, the son of American Protestant missionaries, was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. He attended law school at Columbia University in New York beginning in 1880, and opened a law practice....
As people move around the 2nd floor of the library and pass Special Collections and Archives, they sometimes pop in to ask, "What is this place?" Special Collections and Archives holds the library’s rare book and periodical collections, and a wide variety of manuscript collections and individual items. The next question often starts "So, what is your (pick an adjective) item or book?" Today for our blog, we have set out to answer a few of your most pressing questions...
In a previous blog post titled Selections from the University Art Collection, we highlighted some art pieces that were donated to CSUN to illustrate the importance of the contemporary art and culture of Southern California. This post will focus on the giclée prints that were acquired from Cheech Marin, comedian, actor, writer, Chicano art collector, and CSUN alumnus...
In 1969 American poets Charles Bukowski and Neeli Cherkovski began producing a literary magazine titled Laugh Literary and Man the Humping Guns. Bukowski and Cherkovski published the mimeographed magazine...
Special Collections and Archives has lot of books on the topic of typography only a few of which are highlighted here. Today, Word, Photoshop, and other programs and websites offer hundreds, if not thousands, of letter designs and type at different fonts......
While people around the world have been sending greeting cards for centuries, most cards produced prior to the 19th century were crafted by hand. They were prohibitively expensive for many, and were not widely circulated as a result. Advancing print technologies and the introduction of the...
On January 12, 1959, Berry Gordy Jr. founded Tamala Records in Detroit, Michigan with an $800 loan from his family. One year later it was incorporated as the Motown Record Corporation, a blended nickname that comprised the words Detroit had come to be known for, motor and town. The musical talent ....
