At the heart of the center's vast collections are 36 million manuscripts and five million rare books, including peerless collections of James Joyce, William Faulkner and Virginia Woolf. An editor from London's Times Literary Supplement called it the second-best collection of English literature in the world, after only the British Library. Much of the credit goes to founder Harry Ransom himself, a UT president and chancellor whose relish for acquisitions during the '60s is part of Austin legend.
What's surprising is that much of the collection is available to the public
in a monitored reading room. But don't ask to put on Leatherface's mask -- it
probably smells a little funky by now. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays,
and 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays. 21st Street and Guadalupe in Austin. For information,
call 512-471-8944 or visit www.hrc.utexas.edu.
-- Bob Ruggiero
SAT 5/17
Mouse Abuse
Owning a reptile can get hairy
Those who think they might enjoy watching mice quiver in fear while a python
eyes its next meal won't want to miss the Bayou City Reptile Breeders' Expo.
But as herpetologists know, it takes more than a strong stomach to raise a reptile.
The slippery critters require specialized care and meticulously controlled environments;
for example, owners of anole lizards, which feed on live crickets, must be schooled
in how to avert cricket uprisings (it happens, and it's a horrific sight). So
think about it before you buy one of the hard-to-care-for, captivity-bred reptiles
up for sale at the expo. But if you do decide to acquire a scaly new friend,
you won't have to look far for supplies galore (aquariums, heat lamps and, of
course, shit-scared mice). 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 17 and
18. Clarion Inn, 500 North Sam Houston Parkway East. For information, call 281-931-0101
or visit www.houstonherp.com. $4 to
$6. -- Troy Schulze
A Despot's Discard
Depression-era Uruguayan dictator
Gabriel Terra couldn't have imagined that his 1931 Cord L-29 convertible sedan
would one day go up for auction at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center Mansion
Arena in Katy, Texas. Yet that's where it will be -- along with New York Yankee
Roger Clemens's 1934 Ford Cabriolet street rod and other exotic rides -- for
the RM Classic Car Productions Houston Classic. The person who buys the car
will almost certainly be a rich old fart, but at least he won't be a despot.
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, May 16; 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 17; and 9 a.m.
to 6 p.m. Sunday, May 18. 2501 South Mason Road. For information, call 1-800-211-4371
or visit www.rmauctions.com. $5. --
Cathy Matusow
Instrumental Instruments
It's a good bet that all the musicians at the Ima Hogg National Young Artist
Competition will perform exquisitely. Still, the contest, named after the daughter
of a 19th-century Texas governor and sponsored by the Houston Symphony League,
will award $5,000 to only one winner. How to distinguish among the perfect players?
Perhaps it's a bit like a dog show, where the judges seem to champion a different
breed each year. Will it be the classy violin, the playful clarinet or, perhaps,
the muscular marimba? Semifinals: 9 a.m. Friday, May 16. Finals: noon, Saturday,
May 17. Lillian Duncan Recital Hall, Shepherd School of Music, Rice University
(entrance no. 8 off University and Stockton). For information, call 713-238-1447.
Free. -- Troy Schulze
WED 5/21
First Wives' Club
After the love is gone, the squabbling starts. Divorce can be a nightmare,
especially for women who've let their husbands control the family finances.
"There are women whose spouses told them the minimum, and they haven't quite
gotten the whole picture," says Leslie Brock, a financial adviser with Waddell
& Reed. "You find women who don't know how to find out what types of retirement
plans their spouses have, and where the marital assets are." Brock helps women
sniff out the money to make sure they get a fair deal when everything's divided
up. Too bad she doesn't have the 411 on why half the time love just ain't forever.
She speaks at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 21. Wells Fargo Bank Building, 1160 Dairy
Ashford, suite 240. For information, call 713-920-4777. Free. -- Cathy
Matusow