Father's collection of history books at college
Kirsten Murphy
Northern News Services
Iqaluit (May 14/01) - Bob Pilot pauses before reaching for the leather bound copy of Three Years of Arctic Service.
"We never touched the books unless Dad said it was OK," said.
And understandably so, Pilot added, after seeing the books for the first time in 20 years at Nunavut Arctic College last week.
His father, Bob Pilot Sr., spent his adult life gathering what is likely the North's largest private collection of Arctic exploration books. The senior Pilot donated the 400 first editions and other rare books, some dating back to the 1700s, to Arctic College in 1988.
His interest stemmed from his 30 years in Iqaluit (then Frobisher Bay), Craig Harbour and Yellowknife as an RCMP officer and later a government employee.
The college book cases are filled with first-hand accounts of expeditions, journals, diaries and maps. At least two books are wrapped in thick white paper and tied with twine for protection.
After retiring in the late 1980s, Bob Sr. handed the beautifully bound collection to the college.
Now retired in Pembrooke, Ont., Bob Sr. still thinks of his miniature library -- worth, he estimates, a quarter of a million dollars.
"I miss them but they belong there," Bob Sr. said. "They provide a good perception of the Arctic at the time, including the flaws (i.e. "white man" mentality )," he said.
Arctic College head librarian Patricia Doucette said students and visiting researchers use the books in-house. The collection is open to the public, but kept under lock and key. Handlers must wear white cotton gloves. Photocopying is a no-no.
"They are invaluable. It's nice to be able to house the history of the Arctic in one collection," Doucette said.
Bob Jr., who followed in his father's footsteps by joining the RCMP, said the books brought back memories.
"It's good to see them in a place where people can enjoy them," he said.
