Far East Asia Collection

SJSU Library Special Collections & Archives
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
San José State University
One Washington Square
San José, CA 95192-0028
Phone: (408) 808-2062
Fax: (408) 808-2063
Email: special.collections@sjsu.edu
URL: http://library.sjsu.edu/sjsu-special-collections/sjsu-special-collections-and-archives
© 2010
Trustees of the California State University. All rights reserved.

Far East Asia Collection

Collection number: MSS-2010-07-02



SJSU Special Collections & Archives
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library

San José State University

One Washington Square

San José, CA 95192-0028

Phone: (408) 808-2062

Fax: (408) 808-2063

Email: special.collections@sjsu.edu

URL: http://library.sjsu.edu/sjsu-special-collections/sjsu-special-collections-and-archives


Finding aid funded by the generous support of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Date Completed:
July 2010
Encoded by:
Silke Higgins
© 2010 Trustees of the California State University. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Far East Asia Collection
Dates: 1957-1959, undated
Collection number: MSS-2010-07-02
Collector: Ethel C. Swiger
Collector: Esther Shephard
Collection Size: 3 boxes, 7.5 linear feet
Repository: San José State University. Library.
San José, California 95192-0028
Abstract: The Far East Asia Collection consists of a collection of books, scrolls, and other artifacts believed to have been donated by Miss Ethel Swiger. Miss Swiger graduated from San Jose State College in 1934 and received her credential in librarianship in 1942. She went on to help establish the program of library education at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, from 1956 to 1960. Also included are several books in Chinese from the personal collection of writer, poet, and San Jose State University English professor Esther Shephard. This collection is arranged into three series: Series I. Bound and Unbound Books; Series II. Scrolls; and Series III. Ephemera.
Languages: Languages represented in the collection: Chinese, Korean, Pali, Sanskrit

Access

The collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

Copyright is assigned to the San José State University Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Special Collections & Archives. Copyright restrictions may apply to digital reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.

Preferred Citation

Far East Asia Collection , MSS-2010-07-02 , San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives.

Processing Information

Collection processed by Daniel Jarvis and Silke Higgins. Finding aid EAD encoded by Silke Higgins. Reviewed by Danelle Moon.

Project Information

This finding aid was created as part of the Survey and Cataloging Project, a two-year San José State University Library grant project funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The project began in 2008.The Project Director is Danelle Moon. The Project Archivist is Erin Louthen.

Related Material

Esther Shephard Papers, MSS-2009-11-01, San José State University Special Collections & Archives.

Scope and Content of Collection

The Far East Asia Collection consists of a collection of books, scrolls, and other artifacts believed to have been donated by Miss Ethel Swiger. Miss Swiger graduated from San Jose State College in 1934 and received her credential in librarianship in 1942. She went on to help establish the program of library education at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, from 1956 to 1960. Also included are several books in Chinese from the personal collection of writer, poet, and San Jose State University English professor Esther Shephard.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into three series: Series I. Bound and Unbound Books; Series II. Scrolls; and Series III. Ephemera.

Subject Headings

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Shephard, Esther, 1891-1975
Swiger, Ethel
San José State College -- History
San José State University -- History
China--History--Tang dynasty, 618-907
China--History--Qing dynasty, 1644-1912
Qianlong, Emperor of China, 1711-1799
Confucius. Lun yu. English & Chinese
Drama
Literature
Poetry
Travel


 

Series I:  Bound and Unbound Books 1957-1959, undated

Series Scope and Content Summary

The bound books in this series include the Literary Criticism of Five Character Poems in three volumes (Chinese); The Cowherd and the Sky Maiden in picture book format (Chinese); a student dictionary for children, published by Shanghai Zhonghua Publishing House (Chinese); an unidentified volume in Chinese; a collection of famous Chinese poems from the Tang to Qing dynasties, and a presentation book from 1959, hand-bound in silk and brocade (Korean). Also included is a fragile book of hand-bound lined sheaves of paper (Pali or possibly Sanskrit). The unbound books in this series include two single-leaf books from 1957 telling the stories of Wo-Sung Who Fought the Tiger (one of the four Water Margin classics of Chinese literature) and The Romance of the Western Chamber. Also included is a very fragile collection of sheaves of palm leaves loosely held together by pieces of string.

Arrangement

This series is loosely arranged by format.
Box 1

Bound and Unbound Books 1957-1959, undated

 

Series II:  Scrolls, undated

Series Scope and Content Summary

This series contains three hand scrolls. Two scrolls show painted images of different types of arrows, complete with a diagrammatic breakdown of the various parts of the arrow. The third hand scroll is a print of the painting A City of Cathay (color and ink on silk; 35.6 com x 1152.8 cm), originally created by five court painters during the first year of Emperor Qianlong, Emperor of China (1711-1799) in the Qing dynasty.

Arrangement

This series is loosely arranged by format.
Box 2

Hand Scrolls, undated

 

Series III:  Ephemera, undated

Series Scope and Content Summary

The ephemera in this series include a medium sized printing block, an Asian folding fan with floral pattern, and a commemorative plaque presented by Minister Chu Hwei-Sen, Minister of Education, of the Republic of China. The plaque shows an engraving of a portrait of the Chinese philosopher Confucius created by Tang Dynasty artist Wu Daozi (680-740) along with a quote from the Confucian Analects, book XIV, chapter XXX: "The way of a man of excellence is threefold, but I am not equal to it. Virtuous, he is free from anxieties; wise, he is free from perplexities; courageous, he is free from fear."

Arrangement

This series is loosely arranged by format.
Box 3

Ephemera, undated