A.J.T. Taylor Collection University of British Columbia, Special Collections and University Archives Division Subjects Arctic regions--Discovery and exploration; Northwest Passage History Mr. A. J .T. Taylor, a prominent Vancouver businessman, built up his Arctic collection with the help of the Arctic explorer,Vilhjalmur Stefansson, during the 1930s. Taylor died in 1945, and the books were presented to the University of British Columbia in that year. Description The collection contains material on the discovery and exploration of the Arctic regions and the exploration of the Northwest Passage. Many first editions of the major voyages to the Arctic and the searches for a Northwest Passage are present, very often in striking association copies. Most also have annotations by Stefansson. Maps of the Arctic region are included. The chronological emphasis is on eighteenth and nineteenth century voyages. The library purchases anything currently published on early Arctic discovery and exploration. Excluded from present acquisitions is material on current scientific and technical writing. Language English, and selected material in French, German, and Russian. Holdings Taylor's library consisted of about 500 volumes: the collection has been supplemented by subsequent asquisitions of another ca. 500 volumes as well as archival materials and maps. Bibliographic Access The collection is catalogued on cards and online. LC subject headings and classifications are used. The holdings are recorded in the National Library Union Catalogue and the National Union Catalog. Physical Access The collection is in Rare Books and Special Collections which is open to the public. For more information visit: http://www.library.ubc.ca/spcoll/. Interlibrary Loan: No. Material may be lent to institutions for exhibitions only. Reprography: Photocopying is done by the staff as the condition of the material warrants. Reference Assistance: Yes. Publications Describing Collection The collection has been described in Norman Amor's Beyond the Artic Circle: materials on Artic explorations and travels since 1750 in the Special Collections and University Archives Division of the University of British Columbia Library. -- UBC Library, 1992.