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[Identification of item], in the Bill Burk collection of letters and photographs from Sherwin Carlquist, 1997-2009, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
Gift, 2010
Processed by: Alice Poffinberger, July 2010
Encoded by: Noah Huffman, July 2010
Accession(s) described in this finding aid:
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory:
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
William R. "Bill" Burk was the former botany librarian at the John N. Couch Biology Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Collection comprises 25 letters written to Burk by botanist Sherwin Carlquist. The majority of the letters are accompanied by examples of Carlquist's black-and-white 8"x10" landscape photographs, including seven photographic prints on enlarging paper, as well as scanned copies printed on a laser printer. There are also advertisements for Carlquist's books of landscape photographs featuring male nudes. The letters are most often general holiday greetings Carlquist mailed to all his friends, usually annotated with specific notes to Burk; others are personal letters to Burk. Carlquist's letters mainly provide information regarding the accompanying photographs and his artistic approach to photography, especially the male nudes; there is additional commentary on the history of botany; his writing, publication, and research projects; the work of other scientists; and his personal life. Other topics include gay fiction and culture, the challenges of being gay in academe, and circumcision. Books mentioned include: HAWAII, OUTSIDERS, COMPARATIVE WOOD ANATOMY, TARWEEDS AND SILVERSWORDS, THE NATURAL MALE, MAN/NATURE, NATURAL MANSCAPES, MEN IN NATURE, UNCUT, and NATURAL OBJECTS.
Arranged chronologically.
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