There are over 600 titles of more than 3,500 items in the Eugene Istomin Book Collection cataloged for the Rare Books collection at the University of Maryland. These items are accessible to researchers and visitors to the Special Collections and University Archives reading room in Hornbake Library. Eugene Istomin's books document his friendships with important authors and artists including Samuel Beckett, T.S. Eliot, James Joyce, Pablo Picasso and Avigdor Arikha. Many of these individuals personally inscribed the copies in the collection. The work of Ezra Pound was a major interest, and the Istomin Book Collection is unsurpassed in its coverage of that author.
Eugene Istomin appreciated the art of the book where the text is part of a complete work featuring fine illustration, high-quality production, and choice materials. This interest manifested itself in fine and rare examples of important works such as Edward Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1776-1788) and in the editions of Beckett produced by Avigdor Arikha and Anne Atik. Eugene Istomin’s love of books also led to his participation in planning and producing collectible publications, most notably the Wessex Edition of Thomas Hardy.
A few samples from the Rare and Special Collections are arranged into the following categories:
Use the University of Maryland classic catalog to search for titles in the Istomin Collection in the Rare Books collection. Select Advanced Search and select Marylandia and Rare Books to search for works housed in Special Collections and University Archives. Type Eugene Isotmin in the search field and a list of all titles housed in Special Collections will be displayed.
Contact us with any questions about locating books in Special Collections and University Archives at the University of Maryland.
All rare books can be requested online and viewed in the Maryland Room, located in Hornbake Library at the University of Maryland College Park.
