Mary R. and Francis Calvert Rare Books Collection - UMA Library Portal

Mary R. and Francis Calvert Rare Books Collection 

The Katz Library is home to both the Mary R & Francis Calvert Rare Books Collection and the Austin H Wilkins Rare Books Collection. Items in these collections are visible in LibrarySearch and appear at the location, “UMA Spec Coll,” in the catalog. All rare books are on view in the Special Collections corner on the second floor of Katz Library.

Mary Calvert (1904-2000) of Madison, Maine, was a notable writer and photographer. She and her husband, Francis, a French expatriate and WWI veteran, traveled throughout the United States for their work with General Electric and other independent business ventures. During that period, Mary learned photography, becoming particularly interested in nature photography and, later, the history of Maine in pictures. Her interests led to the publication of several volumes of her photographs as well as several titles in historical fiction.

The Maine Women in History Room at Westbrook College was dedicated to Mary Calvert, and many of her books and photographs were donated to the Katz Library at UMA.

For more information about Mary Calvert, read her profile on the Maine State Library’s Maine Writers List or at the Mary Calvert Collection of the Maine Women Writers Collection at the University of New England.