![rooster [public domain]](../graphics/rooster.gif)
The scarcity of fresh eggs during World War II created a set of circumstances
that led to the creation of one of the most outstanding private collections
of books on poultry in the United States and perhaps the world. This fine collection
was developed by Leonora (Mrs. P. T.) Hering of Saratoga, California. Numbering
nearly one thousand volumes, this remarkable trove was bequeathed to Kansas
State University upon the death of Mrs. Hering and was received in May 1983.
The genesis of the Hering Poultry Collection is told best in the words of Mrs. Hering herself:
During the war, I asked a neighbor, who had a small flock of chickens if she'd sell me some eggs. She refused but presented me with two hens and a rooster. I knew nothing about poultry, but I did need eggs. I bought a book on the subject and subscribed to several poultry publications. Soon, I was reading everything on poultry I could lay my hands on. Many a librarian hearing me ask for "poultry books," then seeing a business-suited city-type, thought they had misunderstood. "Poetry books?" "No, poultry books!"
The collection contains many rare volumes such as an original Latin edition
of Aldrovandi's classic treatise published 1599-1603. Also included are copies
of the first English poultry book (John Lawrence's A Treatise
on Domestic Poultry, 1815) and the first poutry book printed in America
that was not a reprint of one from England (Micajah R. Cock's The
American Poultry Book, 1843).
Poultry Resources on the Net
- KSU Poultry
- American Poultry Association
- Breeds of Chicken
- Feather Site
- World Bantam & Poultry Society
Please do not contact Rare Books for book values or appraisals. Visit the RBMS Guide: Your Old Books.
Information presented for research or promotional purposes and may be reproduced without permission provided proper credit is given.
All illustrative images, unless otherwise stated, are the property of Morse Dept. of Special Collections and may not be used without prior written permission from the Rare Books Librarian.
Rare Books, Richard L. D. & Marjorie J. Morse Dept. of Special Collections, K-State Libraries
