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Have Book, Will Travel
Mapping Provenance in Rare Books & Special Collections

1 September - 2 December 2016

Curator: Marie Larsen

From America, England, Europe and even Antarctica, many of the books held in Special Collections have travelled far and wide to get here. This exhibition showcases just how far some of these books have come, based on the inscriptions and bookplates found inside their covers.

This exhibition was both physical and virtual. A selection of books were displayed broken down into geographical areas with details of the books and their origins.

The virtual exhibition featured a google map containing all the books on display, along with many others that were found during the duration of the project.

What is ProvenanceProvenance is a record of ownership, custody or location of an historical object. In the case of books, this can mean signatures or notes written in books, as well as bookplates and stamps. Learn more

What is Provenance

Types of ProvenanceProvenance comes in a variety of styles and forms, but is most commonly found as signatures, inscriptions and bookplates. Learn more

Types of Provenance

The MapMapping is the act of tracing the origins or movement history of people, objects, occurrences etc. by marking known past locations on a map. Learn more

The Map

South AustraliaA selection of featured books from the collections which could be traced to former owners in South Australia. Learn more

South Australia

AustraliaA selection of featured books from the collections which could be traced to former owners in other states around Australia. Learn more

Australia

United KingdomA selection of featured books from the collections which could be traced to former owners in the United Kingdom. Learn more

United Kingdom

United States of America, and CanadaA selection of featured books from the collections which could be traced to former owners in the United State of America, and Canada. Learn more

United States of America and Canada

Africa and EuropeA selection of featured books from the collections which could be traced to former owners in Europe and Africa. Learn more

Africa and Europe

New Zealand and AntarcticaA selection of featured books from the collections which could be traced to former owners in New Zealand and Antarctica. Learn more

New Zealand and Antarctica

Provenance StoriesFeaturing several items discovered which had interesting backgrounds as discovered through their provenance, but lacking in traceable locations. Learn more

Provenance Stories

Provenance LostWhile provenance is considered important by many today, it has not always been this way. Featuring books which have had their provenance removed or hidden. Learn more

Provenance Lost
University Library
Address

Barr Smith Library
South Australia 5005
Australia

Contact

Phone: +61 8 8313 5224
special.collections@adelaide.edu.au