Descriptive Catalogue of Rare Books in the Library of Notre Dame College, Wilcox, Saskatchewan

The main objective of this thesis was to provide a catalogue of Athol Murray's rare book collection which is located at Notre Dame College in Wilcox. Identification of the books was completed using a variety of sources: internet library catalogues, published catalogues, and several dictionaries. The manuscripts listed in the appendix were identified in a collaboration effort by Professor Peter Bietenholz and colleagues. The second objective was to label the books with an accession number for the use of the museum in Wilcox. An electronic database was also turned over to them for local use. The third objective was an analysis of the books to determine the source or sources from which Athol Murray received the books. The results of the analysis show that there are several sources to the collection and that some of the sources cannot be determined. The diversity of the books in this collection reflects the eclectic interests of the man who collected them. The condition in which the books are found now may be a result of Athol Murray's teaching style. However, there is no written evidence to corroborate the condition of the books before he received them. Notre Dame College has gone to great lengths to maintain the books in their current condition. It is the hope of this author that this catalogue of the collection will bring greater awareness of these treasures to the academic community and the public in general