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Inside Spencer: The KSRL Blog

Books on a shelf

Welcome to the Kenneth Spencer Research Library blog! As the special collections and archives library at the University of Kansas, Spencer is home to remarkable and diverse collections of rare and unique items. Explore the blog to learn about the work we do and the materials we collect.

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That’s Distinctive!: “Poems of the Plains, and Songs of the Solitudes”

Check the blog each Friday for a new “That’s Distinctive!” post. I created this series to provide a lighthearted glimpse into the diverse and unique items at Spencer. “That’s Distinctive!” is meant to show that the library has something for everyone regardless of interest. If you have suggested topics for a future item feature or questions about the collections, you can leave a comment at the bottom of this page. All collections, including those highlighted on the blog, are available for members of the public to explore in the Reading Room during regular hours.

This week on That’s Distinctive! I am sharing a book from our Kansas Collection. The book, titled Poems of the Plains, and Songs of the Solitudes, Together With “The Rhyme of the Border War,” was written by Thomas Brower Peacock and published in 1888. The book is a compilation of older revised poems as well as poems Peacock had never published before. The copy of the book housed at the library is signed and dated by the author.

The library houses many other books by Peacock including The Vendetta, and Other Poems (1876), The Rhyme of the Border War (1880), and a later addition of Poems of the Plains, and Songs of the Solitudes, Together With “The Rhyme of the Border War” (1889). As one can see, The Rhyme of the Border War is included in the book shown today and was originally published as a stand-alone book in 1880.

This is one of those books I found while walking through the stacks. It just seemed to jump out to me on one particular day and I took note of the call number to pull it for the blog. It can be frustrating sometimes when I pull a book and cannot find much information on it or the author, but I suppose that should be expected especially the older the books are. Nevertheless, I do still get to enjoy the smell of old books while fumbling through the pages.

KU’s second copy of the book is available to check out from Watson Library, or it can be viewed online through the Library of Congress. The Internet Archive also has an online copy of Peacock’s 1872 work Poems. Finally, Washburn University offers a nice overview of early poems about Kansas that includes a mention of Peacock’s work.

The book's front cover with the title and the author's name in black letters against a blue background. There is also a sketch of an indigenous man with a bow and arrow in gold.
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This image has the handwritten text "Presented to the Library of the University of Kansas, With the Compliments of the Author. Topeka, Kansas, April 3, 1888. Thomas Brower Peacock."
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This image has the text of the poems "Love" and "A Secret of the Sea."
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This image has the text of the poems "Sonnet to Richard Henry Stoddard" and "My Lost Gem."
The front cover, author inscription, and selected poems from Poems of the Plains, and Songs of the Solitudes, Together With “The Rhyme of the Border War by Thomas Brower Peacock, 1888. Call Number: RH B112. Click images to enlarge.

Tiffany McIntosh
Public Services

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This entry was posted on Friday, July 19th, 2024 at 8:00 am and is filed under Kansas Collection, That's Distinctive. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.