...WHERE THEY WILL BE SAFELY KEPT FOREVER" I often hear this when I go out to buy books. And then I think of one of the favorites in my bookplate collection. I found this bookplate on the front pastedown endpaper of a book being sold by the University of Miami in one of their sales. So I bought the book. It was a copy of John Kunkel Small's Florida Trees; a Handbook of the Native and Naturalized Trees of Florida. It had been in the University's collection and then it was discarded. Two things that are interesting: first this is a rare book, important in Florida natural history. And second, Dr. Pearson, the man who donated this book, was the second President of the University from 1953 to 1962. The Richter Library was built during his tenure and Dr. Tebeau, in his history of the University of Miami, said "(Pearson) was the best friend of the library that the (University of Miami) ever had...". To be fair to the University, they do warn you when you make book donations that books not in their collecting interests will be sold to enable them to buy books that they do need. Also, as for this specific book, it is possible that Dr. Pearson donated three copies of this title and now, after forty years, they are discarding the least used copy to make room for recently arrived books.
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