Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Working on Equality: The Lifelong Work of Anna Howard Shaw and A Novel by Edward Bellamy


Equality by Edward Bellamy - After Treatment

A very special copy of Equality, a utopian novel by Edward Bellamy that was first published in 1897, resides in the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections & University Archives (SCUA) here at UNCG and was recently treated in Preservation Services

Inscription by Susan B. Anthony

This copy once belonged to Susan B. Anthony and was signed and dated by her in 1903. In later years, it was her gift to her mentee Anna Howard Shaw, a fellow suffragette who was also the lifetime companion of Anthony’s niece, Lucy Elmina Anthony


Anna Howard Shaw

Shaw, aside from her many years of service to the cause of women’s right to vote, was also an ordained Methodist minister and a physician. SCUA holds some of her papers dating from 1917-1919, including some letters she exchanged with students of State Normal and Industrial College (now UNCG). Shaw spoke at the 1919 commencement and received an honorary degree. Shaw Residence Hall is named for Anna Howard Shaw.
  
Shaw’s copy of Equality, with its interesting provenance, arrived in Preservation Services in very good condition and requiring only minimal treatment. The title page was loose and the interior hinges of the front and back covers were splitting due to somewhat brittle paper.



Title Page Before and After Treatment

The title page was tipped in with a Japanese paper hinge and starch paste. The hinges were also reinforced with Japanese paper. Minor restoration of the spine at the head and tail was completed using toned Japanese paper and starch paste.

Spine Before and After Treatment

Back Cover Hinge Before and After Treatment

This volume was returned to SCUA and will be used in classes and exhibits. Anna Howard Shaw’s papers are also open for research at the Hodges Reading Room in Jackson Library.

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