Monday, 3 August 2026
Guy Tudor - Bird Illustrator
Another Passing Worth Noting
"Guy Tudor, Whose Art Brought Obscure Birds to Life, Dies at 91," Guy Trebay, New York Times, July 25, 2026.
I wondered if the Western Libraries had any of his books and took a look. Here are some works where you can find Tudor's illustrations:
Wednesday, 17 December 2025
Libraries and Christmas Shopping
Doing this post will give me an excuse to avoid shopping. Reading it will have the added benefit of allowing you to avoid shopping. As a bonus, I will provide you with some gift suggestions, which could be useful if you ever get around to going out.
Oxford Libraries
I have documented the decline in the number of libraries on the campus close by, along with the reduction in the quality of collections held within them. While Oxford clearly had a head start when it comes to libraries, it is unfortunate that Western stopped paying much attention to them. At least we can still read about libraries. Here is a link to, Oxford Libraries Architecture.
To assist you in making the purchasing decision, see this review: "Timeless Temples of the Written Word: Oxford Might Best Be Described as a City of Books," William Aslet, The Critic, Sept.6, 2025.
Evidence of entrepreneurship is also found among the books at Oxford. The librarians partnered with Sky Wave Distilling, winner of the World's Best Gin, to host a special tour in "the stunning Divinity School, including a romp through the history of gin and tasting notes to match the gin you will be tasting." Unfortunately that tour is over, but one can still shop at Oxford. Although one can find items cheaper than the book, they also will not arrive before Christmas. Some more examples:
The librarians at Oxford are not Luddites. If you cannot afford the book or even the biscuits, and don't want to go out shopping, you can spend this year and even the next one reading the books and manuscripts found by clicking on the link above. You will even find photographs. Here is one of Tom Stoppard, who recently passed.
"More Books For Christmas"
"Books For Christmas" (more links are found in this one.)
Thursday, 11 December 2025
Citation Justice
Or Knowledge Justice Or Epistemic Justice
I was searching for a book and encountered this screen, where a reasonable question is asked. It is also a good thing to do some re-thinking from time-to-time. I had a quick look at the Open Resource, which led me to a brief consideration of "Citation Justice" and to reading a bit about it.
The basic notion seems to be that we need to pay much more attention to the identity of the person behind the citation, than the quality of it. The evaluation of citations should be identity-based, rather than evidence-based. That summary, coming from a guy who has read a bit, should not satisfy you. I will not consider citation politics further, but there is no reason why you shouldn't re-think your research methods. Here are some suggestions.
The Proselytizers
Start with, "Whose Knowledge Counts?... from the Western Libraries.
Other Canadian libraries are clearly on-board. A quick search indicated that "Citation Justice" is "hot topic" among librarians.
UBC - Citation Justice
"Citation justice is the process of being intentional about who you cite in your own work to uplift and center gender-diverse, Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, S2LGBTQIA+ folxs."
UVIC - A Critical Look at Citation Practices
"Critical citation or "Citation Justice is the act of citing authors based on identity to uplift marginalized voices with the knowledge that citation is used as a form of power in a patriarchal society based on white supremacy."
McGill - Citation Justice in STEMM
"Citation justice involves intentionally acknowledging and citing the work of researchers from underrepresented groups. Research indicates that women, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPoC) scholars are cited less frequently than their white, male counterparts (Dworkin et al., 2020; Kozlowski et al, 2022). In science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine, practising citation justice means striving to equalize citation rates between white cis-male authors and those from diverse backgrounds and identities."
University of Toronto - Thinking Critically About Citations
[This guide from the flagship is the most thorough. If you are only concerned about the justice part see the section - "Considering Your Positionality."]
It take not take long to determine that some are questioning the emphasis on author identity.
It seems to me that there are clearly occasions when the identity of an author matters, but that it is only one variable to be considered. Discernment should be fostered rather than diversity preached.
I used to work in libraries before they were makerspaces and often noticed the eagerness with which new ideas, resources, etc. were embraced. Also in libraries was the OED, which now may just be provided electronically. In it one will find two words that are useful:
"Neophiliacs"
According to AI, this is what that sentence means:
[ I suppose determining the identity behind AI will be difficult. In any case "grok" the librarian links and the critical articles, and be sure to vet your citations.]
"Bandwagon"
Thursday, 20 March 2025
American Mountain Series
For readers interested in mountains, this series will be attractive. It was identified in the very useful bibliography produced by Carol Fitzgerald and published by Oak Knoll: Series Americana: Post Depression-era Regional Literature, 1938-1980: a Descriptive Bibliography Including Biographies of the Authors, Illustrators, and Editors, ed. by Jean Fitzgerald. 2v. Oak Knoll/Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, 2009.
None of the books listed are in the public domain, but they can all be found on AbeBooks and elsewhere. The Western University catalogue was searched and five of the books found - the two bolded titles are in the Western Libraries (a search of the Western catalogue now includes the holding of some other Ontario university libraries and they are provided below.)The search was done in early 2025.
In some cases, the contents are listed and a few reviews and other sources are noted.
"American Mountain Series" (Vanguard Publishing) ‒ Roderick Peattie,
Editor,1942-1952.
"The Mountain series, edited by geologist Roderick Peattie and written by scientists and local experts of the day, includes nine volumes published between 1942 and 1952 . The books provide detailed, scholarly portraits of the major mountain ranges in the United States."
For more information about the editor, Roderick Peattie, see: “Roderick Peattie, Geographer and Romanticist, 1891-1955,’ by Guy-Harold Smith, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 1957-03, Vol.47, (1), pg.97.
Roderick Peattie's brother has already been profiled in Mulcahy's Miscellany: See:
Donald Culross Peattie (1898 -1964). Some samples of his writing are found in No.7, The Pacific Coast Ranges.
1.The Berkshires: The Purple Hills, W.P. Eaton, et al, - Guelph, Ottawa.
Contents, [iii-v]; CONTENTS: What are the Berkshire hills? By W.P. Eaton.-With what the hills are clothed, by A.K. Simpson.-Four seasons of Berkshire bird lore, by G.J. Wallace.-Byways to pleasure, by Bartlett Hendricks.-Streams and casting, by Theodore Giddings.-Man changes the landscape through gardening, by A.K. Simpson.-Winter sports among the hills, by Bartlett Hendricks.-Indian legends, by Haydn Mason.-Two hundred and fifty years of history, by W.P. Eaton.-Berkshire folks and folkways, by W.S. Annin.-The invaders and what they have meant, by Margaret Cresson.-The Berkshire Festival, by Margaret Cresson.- Illustrations, p. [vii-ix]; Index, p. 401-414. - [Map] "Berkshire County", on front and back lining papers."
2. The Black Hills, Roderick Peattie, - Western - storage - F657.B6P4.
Contents, [iii-iv]; CONTENTS: [1.] The Black Hills / by Badger Clark - [2.] Where B.C. means Before Custer / by Leland D. Case - [3.] History catches up / by Leland D. Case - [4.] Crazy Horse -the greatest among them / by Elmo Scott Watson - [5.] Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane / by Clarence S. Paine - [6.] "Don't fence me in!" / by Paul Friggens - [7.] The tourists come / by Badger Clark - [8.] The mountain that had its face lifted / by Badger Clark - [9.] The Black Hills -a storehouse of mineral treasure / by R.V. Hunkins - [10.] America's greatest gold mine -the Homestake / by R.V. Hunkins.Illustrations, p. [v-vi]; Index, p. 311-320]"
3.The Cascades: Mountains of the Pacific Northwest. N/A
4. The Friendly Mountains: Green, White, and Adirondacks, Roderick Peattie,- Guelph, Ottawa.
5. The Great Smokies and the Blue Ridge: The Story of the Southern Appalachians, Roderick Peattie, Western - storage - F443.G7P4
6. The Inverted Mountains: Canyons of the West, N/A
Contents, p. v-viii; CONTENTS: Canyon review - by Weldon F. Heald; Features of the canyon country - by Edwin D. McKee; Fossil life of the canyon country - Edwin D. McKee; Three hundred years of Spain - By Weldon F. Heald; Indian life - past and present - by Harold S. Colton; The Americans come - by Weldon F. Heald; The Colorado River - by Weldon F. Heald; Riding Grand Canyon rapids - by Weldon F. Heald; The canyon wilderness - by Weldon F. Heald; On foot and in the saddle - by Edwin D. McKee; The canyon trails - by Edwin D. McKee; Environment controls life - by Edwin d. McKee; Illustrations, p. ix-x; Index, p. 379-390]"
7. The Pacific Coast Ranges, Roderick Peattie, - McMaster, York.
Contents, p. v-ix; CONTENTS: "Father Serra's rosary" / by Donald Culross Peattie -The first inhabitants of the coast ranges / by John Walton Caughey - Footsteps of spring -a wild flower trail / by Donald Culross Peattie - Glimpses of wild life / by Aubrey Drury - Foothills / by Judy Van der Veer - Farm, rock, and vine folk / by Idwal Jones - Headlands in California writing / by John Walton Caughey - The wilderness mountains / by Lois Crisler - Timber / by Thomas Emerson Ripley - People of the Oregon Coast Range / by Archie Binns - People of the Washington Coast Range / by Archie Binns - The geologic story / by Daniel E. Willard - Climatic transitions and contrasts / by Richard Joel Russell.Illustrations, p. xi-xii; Maps of the Pacific coast ranges [by Guy-Harold Smith], p. [384-386]; Index, p. 387-402
8. The Rocky Mountains, Wallace W. Atwood. N/A
9. The Sierra Nevada: The Range of Light, N/A.
For a positive review see: Ruth E. Baugh, Pacific Historical Review, Vol.- 17, No.2, p.223.
Sunday, 30 April 2023
A Few Bits About Books
My output has been sparse so I will attempt to come up with something quickly to boost my April production. It is also the case that the weather remains dreary and I am not that interested in hockey.
National Library Week
"National Library Week begins on Sunday, and the timing couldn’t be better. This annual celebration used to feel quaint; now it sounds like an existential rallying cry."(Ron Charles)
I noticed that it was a week to celebrate libraries in the U.S. In Canada the month of October is dedicated to them and there are library days, weeks and months throughout this country. As you will know, I am a fan of libraries and books and I suggest we should all be paying more attention to both of them.
Banned Books and Censorship
One reason to do so is that libraries are under attack and librarians are being threatened. President Biden even mentioned the problem in his recent announcement about running again. Canadians should not be complacent as this headline indicates: "Libraries Are In the Political Crosshairs as They Fight Back Against U.S. Book Bans: Canadians Should Keep an Eye on Efforts to Remove Books From Libraries South of the Border," Nick Logan, CBC News, April 21, 2023. Another headline indicates the situation is the same in the U.K.: "Third of U.K. Librarians Asked to Censor or Remove Books, Research Reveals,"
Library Appreciation
The importance of libraries to some patrons is noted by Ron Charles of the Washington Post, who wrote in this week's newsletter that a fundraiser has been established to dedicate a chair in the New York Public Library to Alfred Kazin who died 25 years ago. Kazin spent a lot of time in the room pictured above.
"In his 1978 memoir “New York Jew,” Alfred Kazin recalled his early enthusiasm for the New York Public Library:
“Whenever I was free to read, the great Library seemed free to receive me,” he wrote. “There was something about the vibrating empty rooms early in the morning — light falling through the great tall windows, the sun burning the smooth tops of the golden tables as if they had been freshly painted — that made me restless with the need to grab up every book, press into every single mind right there on the open shelves.”
The library was Kazin’s sanctuary and his laboratory. He started publishing book reviews when he was 19. Before he was 30, he’d written “On Native Grounds,” an instant classic of literary criticism."
Books: Real or Fake?
That is Lord Black of Crossharbour who is once again a Canadian citizen and the picture was in Canadian papers today. It is here because he appears surrounded by books. Even if you do not like Conrad Black, you would likely agree that he has read a few and perhaps that may be one reason you do not like him.
Real Books and Book Lovers
Thursday, 23 February 2023
W. H. Hudson and the Hail Storm
We have just had a slight ice storm so I have been inside reading Far Away and Long Ago. In it, there is a description of a devastating hail storm. Hundreds of birds were killed, as were many sheep and even large animals, as well as a child.
The passage (provided below) reminded me of a post I did back in May, 2021 (see: Hail Storms.) From it you will learn that it is predicted that we may begin to experience more, and more damaging, hail storms as a result of climate change. The storm below was witnessed by Hudson as a child, while living on the pampas in Argentina.
It was in sultry summer weather, and towards evening all of us boys
and girls went out for a ramble on the plain, and were about a quarter
of a mile from home when a blackness appeared in the south-west, and
began to cover the sky in that quarter so rapidly that, taking alarm,
we started homewards as fast as we could run. But the stupendous
slaty-black darkness, mixed with yellow clouds of dust, gained on us,
and before we got to the gate the terrified screams of wild birds
reached our ears, and glancing back we saw multitudes of gulls and
plover flying madly before the storm, trying to keep ahead of it. Then
a swarm of big dragon-flies came like a cloud over us, and was gone in
an instant, and just as we reached the gate the first big drops
splashed down in the form of liquid mud. We had hardly got indoors
before the tempest broke in its full fury, a blackness as of night, a
blended uproar of thunder and wind, blinding flashes of lightning, and
torrents of rain. Then as the first thick darkness began to pass away,
we saw that the air was white with falling hailstones of an
extraordinary size and appearance. They were big as fowls' eggs, but
not egg-shaped: they were flat, and about half-an-inch thick, and
being white, looked like little blocks or bricklets made of compressed
snow. The hail continued falling until the earth was white with them,
and in spite of their great size they were driven by the furious wind
into drifts two or three feet deep against the walls of the buildings.
It was evening and growing dark when the storm ended, but the light
next morning revealed the damage we had suffered. Pumpkins, gourds,
and water-melons were cut to pieces, and most of the vegetables,
including the Indian corn, were destroyed. The fruit trees, too, had
suffered greatly. Forty or fifty sheep had been killed outright, and
hundreds more were so much hurt that for days they went limping about
or appeared stupefied from blows on the head. Three of our heifers
were dead, and one horse--an old loved riding-horse with a history,
old Zango--the whole house was in grief at his death! ...
To return to the hailstones. The greatest destruction had fallen on
the wild birds. Before the storm immense numbers of golden plover had
appeared and were in large flocks on the plain. One of our native boys
rode in and offered to get a sackful of plover for the table, and
getting the sack he took me up on his horse behind him. A mile or so
from home we came upon scores of dead plover lying together where they
had been in close flocks, but my companion would not pick up a dead
bird. There were others running about with one wing broken, and these
he went after, leaving me to hold his horse, and catching them would
wring their necks and drop them in the sack. When he had collected two
or three dozen he remounted and we rode back.
Later that morning we heard of one human being, a boy of six, in one
of our poor neighbours' houses, who had lost his life in a curious
way. He was standing in the middle of the room, gazing out at the
falling hail, when a hailstone, cutting through the thatched roof, struck him on the head and killed him instantly.
(From: Far Away and Long Ago, (Eland Books), pp.73-76)
W.H. Hudson & The Western Libraries
The copy of Long Ago and Far Away I am reading is borrowed from the collections in the Western Libraries. Listed below are the books by Hudson found in those libraries in early 2023. There are almost fifty of them and there are some multiple copies of different editions held in various locations and the affiliated libraries. Given that the Western Libraries is getting rid of many books, I thought it worth providing a snapshot of what was a rather rich collection of printed books. I doubt if Hudson was taught about in many courses, but it is fitting that a university library has a surplus of them. Soon, these printed volumes are likely to be scarce on campus, but admittedly the students can read them in electronic form. As well, many of the copies were already in storage so it was unlikely that a curious student would ever have discovered them by browsing.
Hudson, W. H. A Hind in Richmond Park. AMS Press, 1968. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. A Hind in Richmond Park. J.M. Dent, 1922. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. A Shepherd's Life : Impressions of the South Wiltshire Downs. AMS Press, 1968. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. A Shepherd's Life : Impressions of the South Wiltshire Downs. Methuen, 1926. (Archives)
Hudson, W. H. A Traveller in Little Things. AMS Press, 1968. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. A Traveller in Little Things. J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd., 1921. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. A Traveller in Little Things. J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd., 1923. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. Adventures among Birds. AMS Press, 1968. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. Adventures among Birds. E. P. Dutton, 1920. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. Adventures among Birds. J.M. Dent, 1951. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. Afoot in England. AMS Press, 1968. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. Afoot in England. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1927. (Huron)
Hudson, W. H. Afoot in England. J.M. Dent & Sons, 1939. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. Afoot in England. J.M. Dent & Sons. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. Birds and Man. Alfred A. Knopf, 1920. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. Birds and Man. AMS Press, 1968. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. Birds and Man. Duckworth, 1927. (Archives)
Hudson, W. H. Birds in London. AMS Press, 1968. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. Birds in London. Duckworth, 1928. (Archives)
Hudson, W. H. Birds in Town & Village. AMS Press, 1968.(Storage)
Hudson, W. H. Birds in Town & Village. J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd., 1919. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. Far Away and Long Ago : a Childhood in Argentina. Eland Books, 1982. (Weldon)
Hudson, W. H. Far Away and Long Ago : a History of My Early Life. AMS Press, 1968. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. Far Away and Long Ago : a History of My Early Life. E. P. Dutton & Co., 1923. (Huron)
Hudson, W. H. Far Away and Long Ago. 1941. (King’s)
Hudson, W. H., et al. Far Away and Long Ago : a History of My Early Life. Printed by G. Kraft Ltda., 1943. (Archives)
Hudson, W. H. Green Mansions : a Romance of the Tropical Forest. 1945 (Huron)
Hudson, W. H. Green Mansions : a Romance of the Tropical Forest. AMS Press, 1968. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. Green Mansions : a Romance of the Tropical Forest. Modern Library, 1916. (Brescia)
Hudson, W. H. Idle Days in Patagonia. AMS Press, 1968. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. Idle Days in Patagonia. J. M. Dent & Sons, Ltd., 1923. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. La Tierra purpuréa. Ministerio De Instrucción Pública y Previsión Social, 1965. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. Nature in Downland. Longmans, Green, 1906. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. The Book of a Naturalist. AMS Press, 1968. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. The Book of a Naturalist. J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd., 1924. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. The Land's End : a Naturalist's Impressions in West Cornwall. AMS Press, 1968. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. The Purple Land : Being the Narrative of One Richard Lamb's Adventures
in the Banda Orientál in South America, as Told by Himself. Creative Arts Book Co., 1979. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H. The Purple Land : Being the Narrative of One Richard Lamb's Adventures
in the Banda Orientál in South America, as Told by Himself. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1951. (Huron)
Hudson, W. H., and E. Mcknight Kauffer. Green Mansions : a Romance of the Tropical Forest. Random House, 1944. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H., and E. Mcknight Kauffer. Green Mansions : a Romance of the Tropical Forest. Random House, 1945. (Huron)
Hudson, W. H., Green Mansions : a Romance of the Tropical Forest. 1968 (Storage)
Hudson, W. H., and Edward Grey Grey of Fallodon. Dead Man's Plack, An Old Thorn,
& Miscellanea. AMS Press, 1968. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H., and Frank E. Beddard. British Birds. AMS Press, 1968. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H., and Morley Roberts. A Hind in Richmond Park. E.P. Dutton, 1923. (Storage)
Hudson, W. H., A Hind in Richmond Park.1968 (Storage)
Hudson, W. H., A Hind in Richmond Park. 1922 (Storage)
Hudson, W. H., and Morley Roberts. Men, Books and Birds. J. Cape, 1928. (Archives)
Hudson, W. H., and R. B. Cunninghame Graham. Birds of La Plata. AMS Press, 1968. (Storage)
H Spenser, Edmund, and William Henry Hudson. Spenser's Faery Queene. Book I. Dent. (Storage)

















