Bruce Peel Special Collections

The University of Alberta has been presenting honorary degrees to inspirational, influential, and visionary figures since its founding in 1908. These degrees have been presented in recognition of outstanding achievements in learning, discovery, and citizenship to such notable figures as Mother Theresa (1982), Alexander Cameron Rutherford (1908), The Hon John Walter Grant MacEwan (1966), and Wayne Gretzky (2000). Bruce Peel Special Collections has purchased a range of rare and scholarly materials in honour of the university’s recent honorary degree recipients thanks to contributions from the Senate Library Endowment Fund. These volumes have ranged from fifteenth-century Italian books of poems to avant-garde artists’ books. They have been carefully selected to reflect the interests of the recipients and to honour their accomplishments. An elegant example is Susan Allix’s Colours of Persia (2007), presented in honour of His Highness the Aga Khan during the spring convocation in 2009. This artists' book is a compilation of travel writings, descriptions, and comments enhanced with hand-coloured etchings, prints, and linocuts paying homage to Persia’s great beauty. View Peel's online exhibition of Honorary Degree Books here.

Collection Formats: 17th Century, 18th Century, 19th Century, 20th Century, 21st Century, Artists Books, Books, Ephemera, Fine Press Books, Limited Edition Books, Specialty Bindings -- click to see other collections with this format