In July of 1987, The Ward M. Canaday received the Hess Collection, a bequest of Dr. Nicholas Gimbel. Originally, these books were collected by Gimbel's father who was a partner in the New York brokerage firm Birdsall & Hess.

The Hess Collection is indeed impressive, consisting of books on the history of a variety of financial markets (stock, commodity, bond, etc.), fiction, biography, humor, and even works denouncing the stock market altogether. Perhaps the strongest area of concentration in this collection is made up of books treating what is know in the field as "technical analysis." In short, technical analysis involves the use of charts and graphs to help investors predict future moves in the price of a security or market. There are indeed other methods of choosing investments, and these too are represented in the collection; they include the use of just about everything from astrological cycles to balance sheets. Above all else, this collection has an educational focus, enabling students of finance and history to learn from the people, events and markets of the past. For, as the materials in this collection clarify, in the markets, as in just about every other field, there is nothing new under the sun.

After much effort, this impressive collection has been processed and is now ready for the enjoyment and education of visitors to the Canaday Center. And, whether as commencement or coda, a collection exhibit seemed like the best way to celebrate the completed processing of this important collection.

An exhibit like this one represents the combined efforts of many people, both on the front lines and behind the scenes. Generous thanks goes out especially to Robert Shaddy, the former Canaday Center Director and Nancy Burnard, Rare Books Assistant, who processed the collection. Thanks also to Terry Fell, Jan Vezner, Sue Van Fleet and Marina Stanic for their help in designing and producing this exhibit catalog. As always, the Canaday Center is extremely grateful to the Friends of The University of Toledo Libraries for its financial support of this endeavor.

Todd Doyle
Rare Books Graduate Assistant