Collecting New Mexico materials for the library began in 1895 when the Board of Regents asked for donations relating to the early history of the Territory. Some New Mexico titles were kept on the rare book shelf in the librarian’s office. They included El Gringo; or, New Mexico and Her People by W.W.H. Davis, Journal of a Military Reconnaissance from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to the Navajo Country by James H. Simpson and The Story of the Outlaw by Emerson Hough. In 1928 the Class of 1920 gave $250 for an endowment from which the accrued interest would be used to purchase books dealing with New Mexico. One of the items purchased was the Report of Lieut. J.W. Abert, of His Examination of New Mexico in the Years 1846-’47. While New Mexico was the primary focus for collecting special materials, notable gifts now housed in Special Collections were given to the library. The Class of 1920 also gave a bound volume of the "Stars and Stripes", the official newspaper of the American Expeditionary Forces. W.A. Archer, a member of the class, mailed the issues to the library while he was stationed in France and the Class of 1920, of which he was a member, paid to have the issues bound into one volume. The NMSU Library may have the only existing original copies of the AEF "Stars and Stripes".     During 1941 a complete set of the first editions of Eugene Manlove Rhodes’ works were acquired for the library. Eugene Manlove Rhodes, novelist, essayist and poet, is one of New Mexico's most beloved writers. Gene Rhodes' fiction was serialized in the Saturday Evening Post; adapted for motion pictures, television and the stage; and published in hardcover, paperback, and Armed Services Editions. The collection includes almost all published items by or about Rhodes. In 1954 Louis E. Freudenthal gave the library approximately 175 volumes pertaining to 18th and 19th century Russia. The books were part of the private library of Eleazer S. Mashbir, who was Mr. Freudenthal’s uncle. Several books in the Mashbir Collection were published during the eighteenth century, including The History of the Life of Peter I., Emperor of Russia by John Mottley.    During 1974 the NMSU Library purchased a large portion of the book stock of the Gotham Book Mart in New York. Frances Stelloff founded the Gotham Book Mart in New York in 1920 and the collection reflects her interests -- poetry, literature, the theater and fine arts. Several thousand volumes, including all of Miss Stelloff’s personal copies, were placed in Special Collections,. Many of the titles are first editions signed by such authors as W.H. Auden, William Burroughs, e.e. cummings, Ernest Hemingway, Henry Miller, Diane Wakoski, and Tennesse Williams. The largest single collection received as part of the Gotham purchase was the Gorey Collection. Edward Gorey, writer and illustrator , since 1950 has produced small volumes of drawings, illustrated book jackets, designed titles for television series, and displayed his puckish humor throughout his literary endeavors. More than 370 works by Edward Gorey are in Special Collections. His most recognizable work is the titles for the PBS Mystery series.    Prior to July 1977 when the Special Collections unit was established in the NMSU Library, the collecting focu s for the rare book collection was New Mexico. However, when the new unit was established, the collecting focus was broadened to include not only New Mexico but also the Southwest and specific subject areas supporting University programs. The Astronomy Collection falls into the latter category. The earliest printed books in the library are a part of this collection of classic works in the field of astronomy. Most of the 75 titles were printed prior to 1850 including several works printed during the sixteenth century. Works by Galileo, Kepler, LaPlace, Watts, and Gelpke are represented in the collection. The New Mexico Collection includes books about New Mexicans (Anglos, Native Americans and Hispanics), books published in New Mexico, and books written about New Mexico. It includes the library's collection of Territorial documents. The collection includes first editions by Mary Austin, Witter Bynner, Willa Cather, Oliver LaFarge, Tony Hillerman, Richard Martin Stern, William Eastlake, Walter Satterthwait, and John Nichols. Works about New Mexico artists including Maynard Dixon, Peter Hurd, Georgia O'Keeffe, Pablita Velarde, and Allan Houser are also collected. The collection includes books on farming and ranching, science and techn ology, and history and culture of New Mexico.     In 1988 a former library staff member gave a generous donation to Special Collections which was used to purchase 184 books, all New Mexico fiction. The criteria for inclusion in the collection is that the novel’s setting is either entirely or partly in New Mexico. Some of the titles purchased were Bronco Apache: a Novel by Paul Wellman, The Golden Quicksand; a Novel of Santa Fe by Anna Burr, Shadow Man by James Kunetka; and Death in the Snow by Richard Martin Stern. Genres represented include mysteries, science fiction, westerns, and romance. Books in the Southwest Collection reflect the history of the region as it encompasses New Mexico. Of particular interest are the books relating to the Indians of the Southwest, mapping and exploration, frontier and pioneer life, flora and fauna, the cattle industry, and overland trails. Classic works in Southwestern and border history are represented in the collection.    More than 1,100 children’s books with Southwest themes were purchased from a New Mexico bookstore in 1992 to fo rm the Southwestern Children’s Book Collection. It is a research collection of tales, stories, poems and songs written for children. The collection is a treasure of artwork. Most of the books are illustrated, many by well-known artists including Gerald Cassidy, Lorence Bjorklund, Beatien Yazz, Harrison Begay, Conrad Buff, Fred Kabotie, and Paul Goble. The Western Women Collection identifies more than 400 titles, both fiction and non-fiction, which focus on the lives, accomplishments, and experiences of women whose contributions continue to influence the history and development of the West. Of particular interest are the personal stories of women told through their diaries, letters and reminiscences.    The most recent collections purchased are works by New Mexico poets Peggy Pond Church, Alice Corbin Henderson and Leslie Marmon Silko. As new collections are processed a note is added to the bibliographic record in Ole that identifies the collection name, e.g. Peggy Pond Church Collection. As time permits, notes will be added for all the named collections.    During the past one hundred years the library’s special materials have been housed on a rare book shelf in the librarian’s office, in the rare book room and in Special Collections. In keeping with the University’s land grant mission, it is the responsibility of the library to preserve and provide access to special materials for future generations of researchers.

Send comments and questions to: archives@lib.nmsu.edu