Peek in the Stacks

Francesca Lia Block published three books of poetry prior to her debut novel Weetzi Bat: Moon Harvest, Season of Green: Poems, and IV, Four Poems, when she was 15, 17 and 22, respectively. All three titles were published and printed by the Santa Susana Press, CSUN’s fine press which ran from 1973 to 1994, and are held in Special Collections and Archives.

In 1930 W. D. Fard formed the Black religious and social movement known as the Nation of Islam (NOI) in Detroit, Michigan. When Fard mysteriously disappeared in 1934 his disciple, Elijah Muhammad, assumed control until his death in 1975. During the mid 1950s NOI national spokesman Malcolm X was instrumental in establishing Mosque No. 27 in Los Angeles, California...

In 1930, a publishing company called the Stratemeyer Syndicate, working with Grosset & Dunlap, published a mystery novel featuring Nancy Drew, a teenage girl detective, as its protagonist. Now a best-selling work of children's literature, it is titled The Secret of the Old Clock, and is the first of 175 novels featuring Nancy, her family, and her friends that make up the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories....

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....