To celebrate the bicentennial anniversary of Jane Austen’s beloved novel Emma, the Goucher College Library will host Emma in America: Jane Austen’s Novel through Two Centuries. The exhibit will spotlight one of the treasures of its world-class Jane Austen Collection: the very rare first American edition of Emma, published in Philadelphia in 1816.
The exhibit will run from August 25, 2015, through June 20, 2016, on the 4th floor of Goucher’s Sanford J. Ungar Athenaeum. It tells the fascinating story of how and why this novel came to be printed in America—without Austen’s knowledge—only months after the first English edition was released.
The exhibit also traces the eventful history of Goucher’s particular copy—one of only six known to exist—and introduces viewers to its distinguished owners, who include the Countess of Dalhousie and the English poet Siegfried Sassoon, as well as Goucher alumna and collector Alberta Hirshheimer Burke. A gallery of illustrations and cover art from historical and modern editions of Emma from over a dozen countries completes the exhibit.
The exhibit is part of the Goucher College Library’s Emma in America campaign, which will feature events, lectures, and an interactive website in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the publication of Austen’s beloved novel Emma. For more information, go to www.goucher.edu/emmainamerica.
Book Release Party
September 29, 2015
3 – 5 p.m.
Athenaeum Forum Driveway
Come celebrate the release of Emma: 200th-Anniversary Annotated Edition, Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition, edited by Juliette Wells, associate professor and chair of the English Department at Goucher College. Attendance is free, and light refreshments will be served. Featuring a visit by the Penguin Book Truck, which will be open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Exhibit Opening Reception
October 17, 2015
3-5 p.m.
Sanford J. Ungar Athenaeum, 4th Floor & Hyman Forum
The Emma in America exhibit opening reception, to begin with a brief introduction by Austen scholar Juliette Wells, and a dance performance by Choregraphie Antique. This event is free, sponsored by the Friends of the Goucher College Library, and hors d’oeuvres and wine will be served. Tickets are required and will be available at www.goucher.edu/tickets.
Established in 1988, by Goucher Professor Emerita of Dance Chrystelle Bond, Choregraphie Antique performs historical dance reconstructions. The troupe has performed at many historical and cultural sites throughout the Mid-Atlantic, including President Obama’s Inaugural Ball in 2009.
Lecture by Alexander McCall Smith, author of Emma: A Modern Retelling
November 3, 2015
7:30 p.m.
Kraushaar Auditorium
The Isabelle Kellogg Thomas Memorial Lecture Fund presents Alexander McCall Smith, the internationally bestselling author of more than 100 books, including The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, and Emma: A Modern Retelling. Following the free lecture, the author will be available to sign his books. Tickets are required and will be available at www.goucher.edu/tickets.
Lecture by Kathleen Anderson, Jane Austen Scholar-in-Residence
February 2016
Date, Time, and Location To Be Determined
Dr. Kathleen Anderson, Goucher’s 2015-16 Jane Austen Scholar-in-Residence, and co-author of Jane Austen’s Guide to Thrift and numerous essays in scholarly and popular publications, will present a lecture on Jane Austen’s Emma.
The Scholar-in-Residence program offers the selected scholar a week to research in Goucher’s world-class Jane Austen collection, work with related undergraduate classes, and present a public lecture on an Austen-related topic.