Exhibits in the Greenfield Library

Book-Collecting Contest honorees 2026

On exhibit through May 5, 2026, selected titles from the collections of our 2026 contest honorees.

1. Davin Faris: Time and Time Again
2. Robert LeBeau III: The Weird - To the Edge of Normal and Back
3. Mary Bednar: Theory and Practice

We invite you to visit during the library’s regular opening hours to read our honorees' essays, and to take a look at selected titles from their collections, along with their annotations. 

Bibliophile: Inscribed Books from the E. Barrett Prettyman, Jr. Collection

E. Barrett Prettyman, Jr., a distinguished lawyer in the District of Columbia, generously donated his remarkable and unique collection of over 1,000 inscribed books to the Greenfield Library in several installments, beginning in 1997. A true bibliophile, Prettyman believed the value of a book is raised significantly if it is signed by its original author. He believed books are even more valuable if they are inscribed with elaborate personal inscriptions.

As a lover of books, Prettyman decided that it would be ideal for his collection to be housed at a College that is filled with book lovers. The Prettyman collection is an eclectic mix of books which spans from the early nineteenth century to the late twentieth century. The collection includes, but is not limited to, books signed by important political figures, artists, American, British, French and German literary authors, Nobel Prize winners, and contemporary authors. A selection of titles from the collection are on display in the Nutt Room.