2012 Adler Prize Winners

Posted by Regine Heberlein, Processing Archivist and Administrator of the Adler Prize

Chloe Ferguson; Mohit Manohar, Lily Healey, Mary Thierry

The winners of the 2012 Elmer Adler Undergraduate Book Collecting Prize were announced at the Friends of the Princeton University Library’s winter dinner on March 25, 2012. The jury awarded two first prizes, one second prize and one honorable mention.

First prize went to Chloe Ferguson, class of 2013, and Mary Thierry, class of 2012. Mary’s essay, entitled “Mirror, Mirror: American Daguerrean Portraits” is about her interest in the intimate nature of daguerrean portrait photography. She received a prize of $2000 and a copy of Roger Taylor and Edward Wakeling’s book Lewis Carroll: Photographer. Chloe’s essay is entitled “The Farther Shore: Collection, Memory, and the East Asian Literary Tradition” and discusses how she came to love and collect titles about East Asia. She received a prize of $2000 and a copy of Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney’s Rice as Self: Japanese Identities through Time..

Second Prize was awarded to Mohit Manohar, class of 2013, for his essay “An Indian Reading Life,” in which he recounts his discovery of Indian literature at a young age, and the difficulty of collecting modern literature in India before he had access to online shopping. Mohit received a prize of $1500 and a copy of Partha Chatterjee’s narrative history, A Princely Impostor? The Strange and Universal History of the Kumar of Bhawal.

Honorable mention was awarded to Lily Healey, class of 2013, for her essay “Running After Gatsby,” in which she describes her passion for collecting modern editions of The Great Gatsby. Lily received a prize of $500 and Paul Giles’s The Global Remapping of American Literature as well as the winter 1992 issue of the Chronicle, which contains Charles Scribner III’s essay on Francis Cugat’s cover art for The Great Gatsby.

Each of the winners also received a certificate from the Dean of the College. The book prizes, chosen to complement each student’s collecting focus, were once again donated by the Princeton University Press. Thanks to Peter J. Dougherty, Director of the Press for his continuing support of this competition. The first prize essays will be printed in the Princeton University Library Chronicle and will represent Princeton in the National Collegiate Book Collecting Competition, which is sponsored by the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America.

My sincere thanks to this year’s judges for their congenial service: Richard Levine, member of the Friends of the Princeton University Library; Louise Marshall, also a member of the Friends; John Logan, Literature Bibliographer; Paul Needham, Scheide Librarian; Maria DiBattista, Professor of English and Comparative Literature and a member of the Friends; and Rob Wegman, Associate Professor of Music.

Congratulations to all our winners.