MSU Libraries Publications

How to order

Books published by the MSU Libraries are available through Amazon.com. Some books can be read for free online. Links are provided to copies digitized by the MSU Libraries and other organizations such as the Hathi Trust.

MSU Student Comic Art Anthology

Preview the next generation of cartoonists and comic artists! The MSU Student Comic Art Anthology presents never-seen work from students and recent graduates of Michigan State University. You'll find laugh-out-loud weirdness, surreal adventures, slice-of-life strips from the student perspective, and a fairy-tale remix or two.

Features the work of Leslie J. Anderson, Fiona Avocado, Diana Busby, Gabriel P. Cooper, Matt Dye, Ryan Esch, Bridget Flanagan, Marie Lazar, Alisa Maiville, Spencer Thulin, and Stephanie Zang.

Paperback, 80 pages.
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Cover image of MSU Student Comic Art Anthology

Tim Tyler's Luck: Daily Strips, July 1937 - December 1939, by Lyman Young

The first volumes in the library's Comic Art Preservation Project, an effort to make classic comics more widely available to libraries, collectors, and fans. This Golden Age strip follows young adventurer Tim Tyler as he faces wild animals, dangerous criminals, and constant excitement as a member of the "Ivory Patrol" in Africa.

Scanned from original proof sheets in the collections of the Michigan State University Libraries and reprinted with permission from King Features Syndicate.

Paperback, 196 pages.
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Tim Tyler's Luck - cover

Cookery is one of the signature collecting areas at the Michigan State University Libraries. Our Michigan Cookbook Collection stands at more than 2000 volumes, and the Cookery collection overall exceeds 20,000 volumes. Seventy-five titles from our collection of historic American cookbooks were digitized in 2001-2003, with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

African American cookbook authors

The Ideal Bartender, by Tom Bullock

The cocktail is a uniquely American beverage, and one of the most talented mixologists America ever produced was Tom Bullock. He tended bar at exclusive clubs in Chicago, Louisville, Cincinnati, and St. Louis, and continues to be a legendary figure among bartenders. From the amusing (Bizzy Izzy Highball) to the venerable (Mint Julep Kentucky Style), Bullock's creations are sure to please!

Paperback, 53 pages.
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Ideal Bartender - book cover

Good Things to Eat, by Rufus Estes

The earliest cookbook written by an African American railroad chef, Rufus Estes, whose goal was “to prepare an ensemble that might, with equal grace, adorn the home table or the banquet board.” Originally published in 1911.

Paperback, 142 pages.
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Good Things to Eat - book cover

What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking, by Abby Fisher

With recipes for beat biscuits, plantation cornbread, creole chow chow, oyster gumbo soup and more, Mrs. Fisher is rightfully considered to be the earliest author of a soul food cookbook. First published in 1891.

Paperback, 72 pages.
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What Mrs Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking - book cover

Michigan Community Cookbook series

The Charlevoix Cook Book (Charlevoix)

Pies and puddings, cakes and cookies – desserts were a specialty for the ladies contributing their recipes to the Charlevoix Cookbook! Try lemon biscuits, amber pie, apple tapioca pudding, angel parfait, grapefruit sherbet, peach whip, gold cake, Russian rocks, and nut cream fudge. There are a few recipes here for the main part of the meal, but the emphasis is definitely on sweets!

Paperback, 121 pages.
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The Charlevoix Cookbook - cover

The Cheboygan Cookbook, compiled by the Ladies' League of the Congregational Church (Cheboygan)

Filled with mouth-watering favorites from days gone by! Includes recipes for creamed finnan haddie, Lady Baltimore Cake, Imperial salad, butterscotch pie, and fluffy ruffles candy!

Paperback, 67 pages.
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Cover image of the Cheboygan Cook Book

The Junior Dorcas Cookbook, compiled by members of the Junior Dorcas Society (Jackson)

What was on the dinner table in Jackson, Michigan in 1921? Members of the Junior Dorcas Society answer this question with their favorite recipes! Try breaded mutton chops, baked corn, lemon raisin pie, and much more.

Paperback, 165 pages.
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Cover image of Junior Dorcas Cookbook

New Crumbs of Comfort Cook Book, compiled by the ladies of St. Luke’s Church (Kalamazoo)

New Crumbs of Comfort gathers together the favorite recipes of the ladies of St. Luke’s Church in Kalamazoo. Try crabapple jelly, maple mousse, bride’s cake, hot slaw, corn fritters, sour cream cookies, currant jelly pie, and much more!

Paperback, 178 pages.
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New Crumbs of Comfort Cookbook cover

The Pilgrim Cook Book, compiled by ladies of the Pilgrim Congregational Church (Lansing)

Mid-Michigan’s culinary history is preserved in The Pilgrim Cookbook, first produced in 1895. Enjoy champion bread, frothed eggs, pineapple float, sweet potato croquettes, corn salad, orange hash, honeycomb pudding, and much more!

Paperback, 116 pages.
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Pilgrim Cookbook - cover

Biographical Directory of Michigan Railway Officials, 1830-1917, compiled by Graydon M. Meints

Railroads were an important part of Michigan's infrastructure even before the territory became a state, and this biographical directory identifies more than 7000 men (and a few women) who owned and managed Michigan's railroads in the first nine decades of their history. Graydon M. Meints, a longtime scholar of Midwestern railroad history, has gathered data from a broad array of primary historical documents, such as the annual reports of the Michigan Railroad Commission and scores of county histories.

Paperback, 2-volume set.
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Biographical Directory of Michigan Railway Officials - book cover

Michigan Imprints: 1851-1876, compiled by LeRoy Barnett

Michigan Imprints is the completion of the Michigan portion of the WPA American Imprints Inventory, filling in the quarter-century gap between Preliminary Checklist of Michigan Imprints, 1796-1850 and American Book Publishing Record Cumulative, 1876-1949. The material was prepared for publication by LeRoy Barnett, a longtime scholar of Michigan history who worked for many years at the Archives of Michigan.

Paperback, 4-volume set.
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Michigan Imprints, 1851-1876 - book cover

Michigan State Government Documents: A Researcher's Guide to Indexes, Finding Aids, and Reference Tools, by LeRoy Barnett

Since 1905, Michigan's territorial and state government offices have produced a vast number of published and primary source documents. Finding what one seeks in this mass of material has been challenging under even the best circumstances. Now, however, researchers have a convenient, comprehensive resource to identify more than 550 access tools for Michigan state government documents: indexes, bibliographies, literature surveys, finding aids and more. Of special interest are many unpublished indexes, which have been virtually hidden to scholars until now. Compiled by LeRoy Barnett, a longtime scholar of Michigan history who worked for many years at the Archives of Michigan.

Paperback, 76 pages.
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Michigan State Government Documents book cover

College Characters: Essays and Verse, by Eduard Lindemann

A charming account of Eduard Lindemann's student years at Michigan Agricultural College. A 1911 graduate, Lindemann was deeply engaged in campus life: active in athletics, editor of the student newspaper, and class treasurer. He went on to become a faculty member at Columbia University and a pioneer in the field of adult education.

Paperback, 143 pages.
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College Characters book cover

History of the Michigan Agricultural College, and Biographical Sketches of Trustees and Professors, by W.J. Beal

Originally published in 1915, William J. Beal's History of the Michigan Agricultural College explores MSU's early years in great depth, showing the roots of the world-grant university MSU has become today.

Paperback, 519 pages.
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Beal's History of the Michigan Agricultural College - cover

A Memoir, by John Hannah

John A. Hannah was President of Michigan State University from 1941 to his retirement in 1969: years which saw a small land grant college become a university respected throughout the world. It was a period of enormous physical growth, innovative academic programs and winning sports teams. This memoir recalls those years. Originally published by the Michigan State University Press in 1980; reprinted with permission.

Paperback, 143 pages.
Buy on Amazon (the paperback edition is the library's reprint)

John Hannah's Memoir - book cover

Michigan State Manners: Advice Books from the Spartan Women's League

For decades, the Spartan Women's League helped ease college students' entry to the world of adulthood with charmingly written guides to etiquette. Michigan State Manners reproduces the 1939 and 1956 editions from originals held in the University Archives & Historical Collections.

Paperback, 72 pages.
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Michigan State Manners - book cover

MSU Libraries

Catalogue of Rare Veterinary Books and Allied Subjects in Animal Husbandry in the Michigan State University Library, by Henry C. Koch

The MSU Libraries have one of the world's finest collections on the history of veterinary medicine – more than 1400 manuscripts and rare books, from as early as the 15th century. This detailed catalog describes acquisitions through the year 2000. Author Henry C. Koch was chief bibliographer of the MSU Libraries until his retirement in 1986.

Paperback, 309 pages.
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Cover image of Catalogue of Rare Veterinary Books...

MSU Libraries Occasional Papers Series

A Model for Rural Development: An Experiment from Fogo Island, Newfoundland, by Kenneth E. Corey and Mark I. Wilson with Marie J. Corey.

A detailed case study on the rural development efforts, built on the geotourism approach, which are being undertaken at Fogo Island, a community of about 2,400 residents near the northern coast of Newfoundland, Canada. Kenneth E. Corey is professor of geography emeritus, and professor of urban and regional planning emeritus, at Michigan State University. He is also a former dean of MSU’s College of Social Science. Mark I. Wilson is professor of urban and regional planning in the School of Planning, Design, and Construction at Michigan State University. Marie J. Corey is a specialist emerita in the Department of Human Development & Family Studies at Michigan State University.

Paperback, 242 pages, color illustrations.
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A Model for Rural Development cover image: The Lost Bird Project.

The Ivan Aleksandrovich Il'in Papers and the Michigan State University Libraries

In 1965, the Michigan State University Libraries were offered an unexpected opportunity: to provide a temporary home for the papers of Ivan Il’in, the noted Russian philosopher and legal theorist. This short volume describes the circumstances which brought the Il’in archive to Michigan, its preservation by the library, and its return to Russia after the end of the Soviet era. Bilingual text in Russian and English.

Paperback, 51 pages, color illustrations.
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Cover image of the Il'in papers book

Exceptions: The Art and Literary Journal for Students with Visual Disabilities

Exceptions showcases the perspectives of individuals who are visually impaired and blind through creative work. Through its print journal, audiobook, and accessible multimedia website, it makes the worldviews, personal experiences, and artistic ideas of students with visual disabilities available to a diverse audience. By highlighting fictional, nonfictional, and artistic depictions of navigating the world with limited sight, Exceptions opens all of our eyes and minds to new ways to see.

  • Joy Mistovich: The Lay of the Black Knight
  • Anonymous: A Reflective Narrative
  • Maribel Steel: Inside a Kaleidoscope of Sound
  • Casey Gomme: One
  • Ayanna Dickerson: Tears of Joy and Pain
  • Jeff Moyer: Visual Disability and the Muse
  • Charli Saltzman: Life Is a Journey
  • Kristen Witucki: Test Run
  • Contest Winners: Ways of Seeing
  • Sarah Stanners: Seeing
  • Kayla Weathers: What Color Means to Me
  • Cammie Finch: Contested Colors
  • Event: See the World Differently

Paperback, 100 pages.
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Cover of Exceptions featuring an eye in the style of a vision test

Speak Out! The MSU Student Anthology on Civil and Human Rights

As part of Project 60/50, MSU's year-long community conversation on civil and human rights, we present Speak Out! The MSU Student Anthology on Civil and Human Rights. Five student authors reflect on difficult questions and moments in history that have moved, angered, or challenged them:

  • Elizabeth Gil • Painting a Fuller Portrait: An Open Letter
  • Kyle Goldstein • When is Censorship Justified?
  • Sam Mather • Torture and Human Rights
  • Kenneth J. Williams Jr. • Racial Equality is a Myth!
  • Connor Yeck • Eight Moments at Shima Hospital

Paperback, 52 pages.
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Cover image for Speak Out! The MSU Student Anthology on Civil and Human Rights

Ruled notebook, 8 x 10 inches

This handy blank notebook has a cover illustration of the MSU Main Library by student Adriana Abundis, class of 2012.

Paperback, 60 pages.
Pick up at Main Library

Blank notebook - cover

MSU Libraries purchased four Short Édition story machines in 2019 from Short Édition, an international publisher that offers free on-demand printing of thousands of short stories and poems. The program was launched in Grenoble, France in 2015. As part of the program, MSU Libraries launched several themed calls for submissions.  Accepted submissions were collected into the following issues and are available through the Short Edition program, the MSU Libraries Digital Repository, or may be purchased through Amazon.

The American Road

This issue on the theme of the American Road collects works by Craig Cotter, Dolores Hayden, Paul Hostovsky, Cindy Hunter Morgan, Matt Matthews, Greggory Moore, Michael Rodriguez, Marjorie Saiser, Anita Skeen, and Jaimee Wriston Colbert.

Paperback, 27 pages.
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The American Road cover

Home

This issue on the theme of Home collects works by Christine Benvenuto, Mark Brazaitis, Nan Byrne, Eileen Cleary, Jim Daniels, Robert Fanning, Linda Nemec Foster, Brian Gilmore, Ruth Gooley, Karen Greenbaum-Maya, John Grey, Paul Hostovsky, Christine Jones, Zilka Joseph, Elizabeth Kerlikowske, Victoria Korth, Jon D. Lee, Kathleen McGookey, Sonnet Mondal, Cindy Hunter Morgan, James Miller Robinson, Jane Schapiro, Mara Adamitz Scrupe, Marc Sheehan, Leslie Simon, Anita Skeen, Wally Swist, Keith Taylor, Russell Thorburn, Rodney Torreson, James Vescovi, Cheryl Walsh, and Claire Wilson.

Paperback, 101 pages.
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Home cover

Recovery

This issue on the theme of Recovery collects works by Martha Clarkson, Allyson Davidson, Linda Nemec Foster, Maggie Nerz Iribarne, Michael Hammerle, Mary Christine Kane, Elizabeth Kerlikowske, Craig Loomis, Amy Marques, Lacy Arnett Mayberry, Joan Mazza, Kathleen McGookey, Marianne Peel, Nathan Curtis Roberts, Anita Skeen, Scott T. Starbuck, Jennifer A. Swallow, Russell Thorburn, Rodney Torreson, Sivakami Velliangiri, Ann E. Wallace, and Riley Winchester.

Paperback, 66 pages.
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Recovery cover

Water

This issue on the theme of water collects works by Liz Abeling, Philip Rösel Baker, Tim Bascom, Mary Elizabeth Birnbaum, Roger Camp, Craig Cotter, Shutta Crum, Matt Dennison, Jane C. Elkin, Diane Glancy, JoeAnn Hart, Richard Holinger, Eric Machan Howd, Elizabeth Hykes, Lorraine Jeffery, Karen Kilcup, Mary Kuykendall, Rachel Loughlin, Katharyn Howd Machan, Joan Mazza, Jessica Lee McMillan, Joseph Milosch, Nancy Nelson, Carol Nolde, Victor Pearn, James Miller Robinson, Hannah Rodabaugh, Anita Skeen, Scott T. Starbuck, Megan Stolz, Wally Swist, Patricia Waugh, Kelleen Zubick.

Paperback, 92 pages.
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Water cover