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    Typewriter that Joseph Heller used to write Catch-22, ca. 1960.

    On loan from: The Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, University of South Carolina Libraries


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    Joseph Heller. Catch-22, a Novel.
    New York: Simon & Schuster, 1961.
    First edition, first issue.
    Inscribed by Joseph Heller.


    On loan from: Matthew J. Bruccoli Collection of Joseph Heller, University of South Carolina Libraries


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    WWII aviator statue

    On loan from: Quonset Air Museum


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    U.S. Army Air Corps WWII bombardier jacket

    (jacket front)



    On loan from: Quonset Air Museum

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    U.S. Army Air Corps WWII bombardier jacket

    (jacket back)



    On loan from: Quonset Air Museum

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    Model head with flight helmet

    On loan from: Quonset Air Museum


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    Binoculars, 1940s

    On loan from: John Noble, Bristol, Rhode Island


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    Aviator bust on 8th U.S. Army Air Corps plaque

    On loan from: Quonset Air Museum


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    WWII Norden Bombsight

    On loan from: Quonset Air Museum


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    Model WWII airplane, P40 Warhawk

    On loan from: Quonset Air Museum


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    WWII model airplane, B17 Flying Fortress

    On loan from: Quonset Air Museum


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    Model WWII airplane, B51 Mustang, originally U.S. Army Air Corps, converted to U.S. Air Force in 1947

    On loan from: Quonset Air Museum


About Birss Memorial Library Exhibition

The Professor John Howard Birss, Jr. Memorial Lecture and Professor John Howard Birss, Jr. Memorial Library Fund were established by University alums, Robert Blais '70, to honor Professor John Howard Birss, Jr., nationally recognized for his knowledge of first editions.

The Birss Lecture is an annual lecture series benefiting the humanities programs at Roger Williams University's Feinstein College of Arts and Sciences.