Giant comic collection donated to U of Minnesota

Phil sez, "MinnPost has a neat article written by the wife of John Borger who has just donated his collection of more than 40,000 comic books (including the entire runs of Watchmen and The Sandman) to the University of Minnesota. She writes about how comics and superheroes are a part of their family culture and about how emotional discussions got about how the comics might fit into their wills. The article includes a short video interview with the couple and a gallery of some of his comics and memorabilia."

There's no debating the logic of donating the comics. They'll be far safer in the high-security, fireproof library. And besides, I keep telling John, books are meant to be read, not sit in our basement. People will be able to study John's books in the Andersen reading room, as long as they leave their packs outside, use only a pencil or a computer to take notes, and wear white cotton gloves while handling them. That's a far cry from the days when my son read his copies in the bathtub.

After John had made all the arrangements to donate the books, I visited their final resting place. A delightful young woman took me to the lowest cavern, which is two stories high and the length of two football fields. This is where the books are kept at the optimum 62 degrees Fahrenheit and approximately 50 percent relative humidity, in acid free boxes on shelves lit by lights on timers like the knob you turn in a hotel bathroom for a sunlamp. Collections appraised at more than $100,000 carry the donor's name.

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