{"id":6718,"date":"2017-07-28T15:34:15","date_gmt":"2017-07-28T19:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6718"},"modified":"2017-10-02T11:58:05","modified_gmt":"2017-10-02T15:58:05","slug":"travel-series-europe-and-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6718","title":{"rendered":"Travel Series: Europe and Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post was written by Tiffany Kajer Wright, research services assistant.<\/em><\/p>\n

In the third installation of our blog series in conjunction with the Around the World in (Almost) 80 Days exhibit, we\u2019re taking a look at travel in Asia and Europe. At the Special Collections Research Center, our collection of Rare Books and archival materials can take you to the far reaches of the globe, real or imagined. From France and Hungary to Tibet, India, China or Japan, travelers throughout history have collected stories told by others or written about their own journeys. The items below include images, a collection of fairy tales, and primary sources written by travelers or compiled afterward.<\/p>\n

Imagine your country building a defensive wall so strong that experts said nothing could get through. Now, imagine depending on it to stop an invasion\u2026 but the enemy simply goes around it. The Maginot Line<\/a> was the primary French defense against Germany during World War II. It was built in the 1930s for the express purpose of stopping a German invasion. The Maginot Line did exactly that \u2013 until the Germans figured out that they could simply go around through Belgium. The haunting image shows the forts a few years after the war ended.<\/p>\n

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France-Maginot Forts, 1948. Christine Drennon European Lantern Slides<\/a>, Collection C0068, Box 2, Folder 13, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Csoda Album<\/em> is an utterly fascinating work. Each illustration is more beautiful than the last, with gilding and brilliant colors like gemstones spilled across the page. Some of the artwork in this Hungarian book of fairy tales was first printed in the Andersen Kalender<\/em>. Further, the illustrators, Heinrich Lefler and Joseph Urban<\/a>, were lauded Austrian artists and designers. In fact, Urban went on to design many exemplary Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings, such as Mar-a-Lago and the Ziegfeld Theater among others.<\/p>\n

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Inside cover of Csoda Album. Szini, Gyula, Csoda Album<\/a>, GR154.5 .S95, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University.<\/p><\/div>\n

One of the most contentious figures in history purportedly traveled to China in the 1200s. His writings opened European eyes to the culture of Asia, particularly the areas along the Silk Road. Whether you believe Marco Polo<\/a> actually visited the Far East or simply wrote what he heard from travelers, his tales of exotic lands and foreign peoples still make for fascinating stories. Centuries later, we\u2019re still talking about his work and the influence it has had on what Europeans believed about Eastern cultures throughout history.<\/p>\n

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Reproduced map of Eastern Asia from 1300s. Yule, Henry, Polo, Marco, The Book of Ser Marco Polo<\/a>, G370.P735 1875 v.1, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University.<\/p><\/div>\n

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to wander the deserts, mountains, and steppes in Central Asia? You can read about how one French man did exactly that in the 1840s with no GPS or accurate maps \u2013 just locals who traveled with him as guides. The regions discussed by Evariste Regis Huc include modern-day China, Mongolia, and Tibet. His\u00a0Recollections of a Journey through Tartary, Tibet, and China<\/em><\/a>\u00a0discuss his experiences living in a tent, herding camels, the climates he experiences, and of course, the food.<\/p>\n

H.I. Harding traveled through the Himalayas from Srinagar, India to Kashgar, China in the early 1900s. He did this with the aid of guides recommended to him by another traveler in the area. The areas he passed through were \u2013 and continue to be \u2013 contested territory. Although Harding had a solid streak of romanticism and poetry in his writing, the regional political realities he discusses provide historical context for some of today\u2019s conflicts.<\/p>\n

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Kashgar cloth cover (according to the author) or Fold-out map at the back. Harding, H.I., Diary of a Jouney from Sringar to Kashgar via Gilgit<\/a>, DS 485.K2 H27x, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University.<\/p><\/div>\n

It is perhaps the most recognizable mountain around the world, due to its unchanging beauty throughout the four seasons. Mount Fuji<\/a> rises more than 12,000 feet and can easily be seen from Tokyo on clear days. Considered an active volcano, it draws more than 200,000 hikers to its peak every year. For some, viewing the sunrise from the summit is a spiritual practice in accordance with Shinto beliefs. For others, climbing this picturesque peak is simply a breathtaking experience. Images can be found within our Kjell Sandved collection<\/a>, which includes many other breathtaking images from around the world.<\/p>\n

All of these materials are open to patrons.<\/em>\u00a0Follow SCRC on Social Media and\u00a0look out for future posts in our Travel Series\u00a0on our\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>, and\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0accounts. \u00a0To search the collections\u00a0held at Special Collections Research Center, go to our\u00a0website<\/a>\u00a0and browse the finding aids by subject or title. You may also e-mail\u00a0us at\u00a0speccoll@gmu.edu<\/a>\u00a0or call 703-993-2220 if you would like to\u00a0schedule an appointment, request materials, or if you have questions. Appointments are not necessary to request and view collections.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This post was written by Tiffany Kajer Wright, research services assistant. In the third installation of our blog series in conjunction with the Around the World in (Almost) 80 Days exhibit, we\u2019re taking a look at travel in Asia and Europe. At the Special Collections Research Center, our collection of Rare Books and archival materials […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,198,326,506],"tags":[391,390,312,22,485,496],"class_list":["post-6718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exhibits","category-photography-collections","category-rare-books-2","category-travel-series","tag-asia","tag-europe","tag-exhibition","tag-exhibits","tag-travel","tag-world"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/csoda-inside-cover.png?fit=2695%2C3366&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Ep5i-1Km","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6547,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6547","url_meta":{"origin":6718,"position":0},"title":"Around the World in (Almost) Eighty Days","author":"admin","date":"May 25, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Summer is approaching and travel plans have been made! Special Collections Research Center holds many images and books that represent great travel destinations in the United States and around the world. That is why we have planned a new exhibit - \"Around the World in (Almost) Eighty Days: Traveling the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/TravelExhibit2017.px645.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/TravelExhibit2017.px645.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/TravelExhibit2017.px645.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6750,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6750","url_meta":{"origin":6718,"position":1},"title":"Travel Series: Africa","author":"admin","date":"August 9, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This post was written by Tiffany Kajer Wright, research services assistant. In the fourth installation of our blog series in conjunction with the Around the World in (Almost) 80 Days exhibit, we\u2019re examining historical travel in Africa. At Special Collections Research Center, our Archives and Rare Books can bring the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Pic-2-Mysterious-Sahara.jpg?fit=1200%2C866&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Pic-2-Mysterious-Sahara.jpg?fit=1200%2C866&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Pic-2-Mysterious-Sahara.jpg?fit=1200%2C866&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Pic-2-Mysterious-Sahara.jpg?fit=1200%2C866&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Pic-2-Mysterious-Sahara.jpg?fit=1200%2C866&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6783,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6783","url_meta":{"origin":6718,"position":2},"title":"Travel Series: Hi’iaka","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"August 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello all! Amanda here. I was one of the curators of Special Collection Research Center\u2019s summer exhibition \u201cAround the World in (Almost) 80 Days,\u201d which although now closed, lingers on in this last Travel Series post. During the curation and building of this exhibit, my co-curator Brittney Falter and I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_0007-e1503501278748.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_0007-e1503501278748.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_0007-e1503501278748.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_0007-e1503501278748.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5377,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=5377","url_meta":{"origin":6718,"position":3},"title":"Two New Exhibitions in SC&A Feature Items from Collection of Rare Books by Jan Morris and Oliver Atkins Photographs","author":"Bob Vay","date":"October 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"SC&A has completed two new exhibits of materials from its holdings. \u00a0On exhibit displays a group of books by historian and travel writer, Jan Morris, while the other features photographs from photographer, Oliver Atkins. Both exhibitions run through December 2015. \"Excerpts from a Life Well Traveled: The University Libraries' Jan\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"Jan Morris, as photographed in 1974. ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/janmorris_headshot_f423aeb0ce-238x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6632,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6632","url_meta":{"origin":6718,"position":4},"title":"Travel Series: The Americas","author":"admin","date":"June 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This post was written by Tiffany Kajer Wright. \"I am a grad student in the English department\u2019s Professional Writing and Rhetoric program. If I\u2019m not cooking, I\u2019m probably watching a historical documentary on Netflix. I also love traveling with my husband \u2013 I\u2019ve been to 19 countries and counting. 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Come visit Fenwick Library and check out our civil rights exhibit on the second floor! This exhibit highlights three different civil rights movements that took place in the United States. 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