McGill Fortnightly Review

In addition to digitizing the McGilliad we have also recently put online the full run of 18 issues of the McGill Fortnightly review.

McGill Fortnightly review was founded by F.R. Scott and A.J.M. Smith as an independent undergraduate journal after it was announced that the Students’ Council couldn’t support the publishing of the McGill Daily Literary supplement which is detailed in the first issue editorial. The student publication ran from 1925-1927 and featured modernist poetry and prose.

Front page of the The McGill Fortnightly Review first issue from 1925. http://mcgill.worldcat.org/oclc/428073817

Front page of the The McGill Fortnightly Review first issue from 1925. http://mcgill.worldcat.org/oclc/428073817

 

Read more about the  McGill Fortnightly review in Ken Norris’ 1980 English thesis “The role of the little magazine in the development of modernism and post-modernism in Canadian poetry” which is available online in our institutional repository, eScholarship.

You can download all of the issues from our catalogue or you can see the original by visiting the Rare Book and Special Collections reading room during opening hours.

Plan of the wharves in the harbour of Montreal, 1877

When this map of the Montreal harbour came to us it’s small 11 x 15 cm cover hid a map that measured over 96 x 31 cm when unfolded. Too delicate to weigh down we shot this with our Betterlight 8K medium format camera. With a full image size of 9426 × 3352 pixels when you extract a JPG from the PDF you can get some really nice detail.

You can download the map from our catalogue or you can see the original by visiting the Rare Book and Special Collections reading room during opening hours.

Harbour Commissioners of Montreal., & Kennedy, J. (1877). Plan of the wharves in the harbour of Montreal, 1877. Montréal: Printed by] the Burland Desbarats Co.

Close of Lachine Canal from the Plan of the wharves in the harbour of Montreal, 1877. Montréal: Printed by] the Burland Desbarats Co.

Harbour Commissioners of Montreal., & Kennedy, J. (1877). Plan of the wharves in the harbour of Montreal, 1877. Montréal: Printed by] the Burland Desbarats Co.

Harbour Commissioners of Montreal., & Kennedy, J. (1877). Plan of the wharves in the harbour of Montreal, 1877. Montréal: Printed by] the Burland Desbarats Co.

Harbour Commissioners of Montreal., & Kennedy, J. (1877). Plan of the wharves in the harbour of Montreal, 1877. Montréal: Printed by] the Burland Desbarats Co.

Cover of Plan of the wharves in the harbour of Montreal, 1877. Montréal: Printed by] the Burland Desbarats Co.

Coming soon: McGill Daily

Last month we started an ambitious project to digitize all of the back issues of the McGill Daily, the student newspaper founded in 1911. Starting in January the plan is to start collecting the +60,000 files into PDFs and run optical character recognition to make the papers fully searchable. Next up will to upload them to the Internet Archive and then create a digital collection that features more of our digitized student publications. Our hope is to preserve and create a searchable index to part of McGill student history. We hope to follow up by adding the publications that preceded the Daily, namely the McGill (University) Gazette 1873-1890, the McGill Fortnightly 1892-1898, the McGill Outlook 1898-1907 and the (McGill) Martlet 1908-1911.

Since that is still many months away I’ll tease you with just the front page of the first issue.

Searching the first issue of the McGill Daily  (1911).

Searching the first issue of the McGill Daily (1911).

The McGilliad

The McGilliad was a periodical published by the Arts Undergraduate society of McGill University from 1930-1931. According to the first issue editorial the periodical was started because some sutdents

… feel the need for some forum where they (the students) can exchange their intellectual and emotional experiences, where they can present to their fellow-beings their clarified conception of some bewildering phenomenon or some haunting passion. And it is to fill this need that the “McGilliad” makes its appearance.

The first year they published two issues in March and April of 1930 under the editorial direction of A. M. Klein.

In November 1930 publication resumed under the direction of David Lewis. In the last issue of our collection, Volume 2 Issue 5, the editorial happily announced that the Students’ Council had “definitely taken the journal under its jurisdiction. The “McGilliad” is now a legal student activity, resting on a basis of sound and lasting security.”

You can read and download all seven issues from our catalogue or you can see the originals by visiting the Rare Book and Special Collections reading room during opening hours.

The McGilliad. Vol. 1 no. 1

The McGilliad. Vol. 1 no. 1 – 15 cents a copy

The McGilliad. Vol. 1 no. 2

The McGilliad. Vol. 1 no. 2 – 20 cents a copy

The McGilliad. Vol. 2 no. 1

The McGilliad. Vol. 2 no. 1 – 25 cents a copy

The McGilliad. Vol. 2 no. 2

The McGilliad. Vol. 2 no. 2 – 25 cents a copy

The McGilliad. Vol. 2 no. 3

The McGilliad. Vol. 2 no. 3 – 25 cents a copy

The McGilliad. Vol. 2 no. 4

The McGilliad. Vol. 2 no. 4

The McGilliad. Vol. 2 no. 5

The McGilliad. Vol. 2 no. 5 – 25 cents a copy

City of Montreal key plans showing arrangement of plates

City of Montreal key plans showing arrangement of plates. Canada 1912. By Chas. E. Goad Co. Civil Engineers.  From Volume 1 of Atlas of the city of Montreal and vicinity : in four volumes, from official plans, special surveys, showing cadastral numbers, buildings & lots

City of Montreal key plans showing arrangement of plates. Canada 1912. By Chas. E. Goad Co. Civil Engineers. From Volume 1 of Atlas of the city of Montreal and vicinity : in four volumes, from official plans, special surveys, showing cadastral numbers, buildings & lots

You can download a full resolution version from our catalogue or you can drop by anytime during Rare Books and Special Collections opening hours to consult the original. 

Close of up Plate 18 & 20. City of Montreal key plans showing arrangement of plates. Canada 1912. By Chas. E. Goad Co. Civil Engineers.

Close of up Plate 18 & 20. City of Montreal key plans showing arrangement of plates. Canada 1912. By Chas. E. Goad Co. Civil Engineers.

 

The romance of a princess : a comedy, and other poems by Amy Redpath Roddick

This 94 page volume of poems was Lady Amy Redpath Roddick’s (1868-1954) 5th piece of published writing. While she might be best know as the McGill benefactor of the Roddick Gates, having donated them in the memory of her husband in 1924 she was also an accomplished writer with 17 works in 27 publications in 2 languages. 

Front inside cover & title page of The romance of a princess : a comedy, and other poems by Amy Redpath Roddick (1922)

Presented to the Library by the Author. Front inside cover & title page of The romance of a princess : a comedy, and other poems by Amy Redpath Roddick (1922)

We recently digitized 9 of her books bringing the total online to14.Screen Shot 2014-07-17 at 11.18.39 AM  You can read more about her in the Canada’s Early Women Writers digital collection at the Simon Fraser University library or for more on the history of the Roddick Gates visit McGill digital exhibition Virtual McGill: Campuses and Buildings 

McGill Model School Girls’ Department

McGill Model School

McGill Model School Girls’ Department. Prize awarded to Lulu Borden for Reading, French and Geography in the Junior Division. Montreal, 23rd June, 1897. Mary J. Peebles Head Mistress. S. P. Robins Principal.

Decorative book label from the Philippe Masson Collection of Ex Libris  in Rare Books and Special Collections.  The Philippe Masson Collection of Ex Libris comprises of approximately 4500 bookplates, of which, three thousand are Canadian in origin.

http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/bookplates/

Collection of Montreal tourism material

Digitization at the McGill library is provided as a research service so it’s always a pleasure to see our work in scholarly publications. Recently a special collaboration between the Rare Books and Special Collections librarian Ann Marie Holland and our own digitization administrator Jennifer Innes helped get over 20 images from our collection into the beautifully illustrated Destination Québec: Une histoire illustrée du tourisme by Marc H Choko, Michèle Lefebvre & Danielle Léger.

To give you a peak at some of our contributions I’ve posted a small subset but it’s worth picking up the book for the almost 350 images they have pulled together from diverse collections.   All originals are available for consultation from Rare Books and Special Collections reading room during regular opening hours.

Cover of Weldon, W. S. (1905). The Windsor Hotel, Montreal. Montréal: International Railway Pub. Co.

Cover of Weldon, W. S. (1905). The Windsor Hotel, Montreal. Montréal: International Railway Pub. Co. Rare Books/Special Collections – McLennan Bldg, 4th floor. FC2947.62 W56 1905

 

Front cover of 'Enjoy historic and gay Montreal' pamphlet published by the Montreal Tourist & Convention Bureau in the 1950s.

Front cover of ‘Enjoy historic and gay Montreal’ pamphlet published by the Montreal Tourist & Convention Bureau in the 1950s. Rare Books/Special Collections – McLennan Bldg, 4th floor. Uncat 0461.

 

 

Cover of Highlights of Montreal: The graphic digest for travellers. (1948). Montreal: Travel Publications.

Cover of Highlights of Montreal: The graphic digest for travellers. (1948). Montreal: Travel Publications. Rare Books/Special Collections – McLennan Bldg, 4th floor. FC2947.18 H54 1948

Page 2-3 of La province de Québec: Parcs et réserves = parks and reserves. (1962). Québec: Office du tourisme. Rare Books/Special Collections - McLennan Bldg, 4th floor. Uncat 0504.

Page 2-3 of La province de Québec: Parcs et réserves = parks and reserves. (1962). Québec: Office du tourisme. Rare Books/Special Collections – McLennan Bldg, 4th floor. Uncat 0504.

Cover of Montréal and the Laurentians. (1935). Québec (Province). Rare Books/Special Collections - McLennan Bldg, 4th floor. Uncat 0454.

Cover of Montréal and the Laurentians. (1935). Québec (Province). Rare Books/Special Collections – McLennan Bldg, 4th floor. Uncat 0454.

Cover of Montréal: The Paris of the New World. (1937). Montréal: Montréal Tourist & Convention Bureau.

Cover of Montréal: The Paris of the New World. (1937). Montréal: Montréal Tourist & Convention Bureau. Rare Books/Special Collections – McLennan Bldg, 4th floor. FC2947.18 M657 1937

 

Cover of Direct to the Laurentians from Montreal tunnel terminal. (1926). Montreal: Canadian National Railways. Rare Books/Special Collections - McLennan Bldg, 4th floor. Uncat 0480.

Cover of Direct to the Laurentians from Montreal tunnel terminal. (1926). Montreal: Canadian National Railways. Rare Books/Special Collections – McLennan Bldg, 4th floor. Uncat 0480.

 

 

 

 

1898 City of Montreal map

Map of the city of Montreal : prepared expressly for Lovell's Montreal Directory for 1898 by Charles E Goad.

Map of the city of Montreal : prepared expressly for Lovell’s Montreal Directory for 1898-9 by Charles E Goad.

If you’d like to zoom in on an even bigger version you can download the full size PDF from our catalogue and export a 7.7MB JPG that measures 10004 × 7876 pixels.

At that size you can really zoom in and get some detail.

Map of the city of Montreal 1898 - zoom into McGill University

Map of the city of Montreal 1898 – zoom into McGill University

 

The original map is available for consultation from our Rare Books and Special Collections map room during regular opening hours.

Montreal Leisure – What well dressed men will wear

The cover of the Brodie Tailoring Company's catalogue featuring "tailored-to-measure" clothes entitled What Well Dressed Men Will Wear. Creator: Brodie Tailoring Company Date: 1929 Commercial and Industrial Catalogue Collection. Rare Books and Special Collections, McGill Library.

The cover of the Brodie Tailoring Company’s catalogue featuring “tailored-to-measure” clothes entitled What Well Dressed Men Will Wear.
Creator: Brodie Tailoring Company
Date: 1929
Commercial and Industrial Catalogue Collection. Rare Books and Special Collections, McGill Library.

Excerpt of a text from the digital exhibition Art Deco and the Decorative Arts of the 1920s and 1930s.

Montreal Leisure – Consumer Society

Art Deco was a style that one could wear: luxurious furs, long gowns, three piece suits, and accessories for women and men were just a few of the means to display one’s sense of taste and fashion. Eaton’s was one of Montreal’s leading department stores and catered to a wide clientele. It operated a successful catalogue service through which orders could be placed by telephone or sent by mail. Other stores catering to Montreal’s elite were a block away from Eaton’s on Phillip’s Square; Henry Birks and Sons specialised in fine jewellery and table wares and Henry Morgan and Co. (now The Bay) featured fine goods from Europe.

Montreal Leisure – Travel & Leisure

Travel for both business and pleasure became far easier with the increased speed of transportation and the introduction of new modes of travel. Headquartered in Montreal, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) built on its nineteenth-century dominance of the Canadian railway service by establishing shipping lines. Following the coordination of the schedules of the transcontinental trains and transatlantic ocean liners, the volume of business at Montreal grew to be second only to that of New York City. By 1930, the CPR operated 14 first and cabin-class ocean liners, including the British Empire’s largest and fastest, the Empress of Britain, out of Montreal and Quebec City. These brochures depict the leisure activities of pleasure outings in the newly accessible countryside. Menus and views of interiors provide a glimpse of a few of the opportunities for fine dining in Montreal in the 1920s and 1930s. Theatre programmes participate in depicting the era in terms of society sensibilities.

This exhibition was organized to celebrate 10th World Congress being held in Montreal, Quebec, May 24 – 30, 2009 and put together by the staff from Rare Books and Special Collections and the Blackader-Lauterman Library.