Post by Deleted on May 7, 2013 12:13:00 GMT -5
Swiss Scholar to Discuss Rugby’s First Librarian
German native Eduard Bertz arrived in the newly founded Rugby, Tenn., colony from England in 1881 but stayed only two years before returning to Europe in 1883. However, in that brief period he helped establish one of the remaining icons of Historic Rugby, the 1882 Thomas Hughes Public Library, by serving as its first librarian.
On Sunday, May 12, 2013, at 4 p.m. Eastern time, Swiss researcher Wulfhard Stahl will talk about the life and work of Bertz. This free presentation in Historic Rugby’s Rebecca Johnson Theatre is open to the public.
Bertz (1853-1931) went on to write nine books, including an 1896 novel based on his Rugby experiences and a 1900 book about bicycling that has been reissued twice, most recently last year.
Stahl, who is librarian for the World Trade Institute in Bern, Switzerland, has been researching the life and works of Bertz for nearly 30 years. He last visited Rugby in 1994. Stahl has published collections of Bertz’s letters in editions of the Gissing Journal and spoken about him at conferences.
Bertz was a close friend of the English novelist George Gissing, who shared with him an interest in social reform as nations became industrialized. Their correspondence between 1887 and 1903 was compiled in book form in 1961 by Rutgers University’s Arthur C. Young.
Bertz was also an admirer of American poet Walt Whitman. A controversial article Bertz wrote in 1905 about Whitman is still debated today in scholarly circles.
“We hope you’ll join us for a glimpse into the life of this little-known Rugby leader,” said Zach Langley, executive director of Historic Rugby. “Rugby’s Harrow Road Café will be open until 3 p.m. that Sunday for visitors.”
Historic Rugby is on state Highway 52 in Morgan and Scott counties at the southern boundary of the Big South Fork national park. For further information or lodging reservations, call 1-888-628-2441 or visit www.historicrugby.org .
German native Eduard Bertz arrived in the newly founded Rugby, Tenn., colony from England in 1881 but stayed only two years before returning to Europe in 1883. However, in that brief period he helped establish one of the remaining icons of Historic Rugby, the 1882 Thomas Hughes Public Library, by serving as its first librarian.
On Sunday, May 12, 2013, at 4 p.m. Eastern time, Swiss researcher Wulfhard Stahl will talk about the life and work of Bertz. This free presentation in Historic Rugby’s Rebecca Johnson Theatre is open to the public.
Bertz (1853-1931) went on to write nine books, including an 1896 novel based on his Rugby experiences and a 1900 book about bicycling that has been reissued twice, most recently last year.
Stahl, who is librarian for the World Trade Institute in Bern, Switzerland, has been researching the life and works of Bertz for nearly 30 years. He last visited Rugby in 1994. Stahl has published collections of Bertz’s letters in editions of the Gissing Journal and spoken about him at conferences.
Bertz was a close friend of the English novelist George Gissing, who shared with him an interest in social reform as nations became industrialized. Their correspondence between 1887 and 1903 was compiled in book form in 1961 by Rutgers University’s Arthur C. Young.
Bertz was also an admirer of American poet Walt Whitman. A controversial article Bertz wrote in 1905 about Whitman is still debated today in scholarly circles.
“We hope you’ll join us for a glimpse into the life of this little-known Rugby leader,” said Zach Langley, executive director of Historic Rugby. “Rugby’s Harrow Road Café will be open until 3 p.m. that Sunday for visitors.”
Historic Rugby is on state Highway 52 in Morgan and Scott counties at the southern boundary of the Big South Fork national park. For further information or lodging reservations, call 1-888-628-2441 or visit www.historicrugby.org .