Winter may be on its way out, but George R.R. Martin is coming to Texas A&M Friday morning.
Martin, author of the “Song of Ice and Fire” book series that inspired the hit show “Game of Thrones,” will present the five-millionth volume to the University Libraries.
Martin, as a gift to the University Libraries’ Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Collection, funded the volume, a rare first-edition of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit.”
Texas A&M serves as Martin’s official repository. Kevin O’Sullivan, instructional assistant professor and outreach and public services curator for the Cushing Memorial Library, said Martin chose A&M as his repository site after attending AggieCon, the longest-running student science fiction convention. “Mr. Martin had visited campus for AggieCon and other events and was approached by librarians here about possibly depositing his collections here to be a part of this science fiction collection and that sort of planted a seed,” O’Sullivan said. “It was several years later before he actually did begin depositing his collections here, but that’s a sense of the history of it. It has been an active, ongoing and fruitful relationship.”
O’Sullivan said the hope is this will not just be a celebration in the libraries but in the Texas A&M community.
“The ceremony will be a celebration of where we’ve come from but also to look forward to our vision of where we want to go as an organization,” O’Sullivan said.
Patrick Zinn, University Libraries marketing manager, said whenever the libraries reach a milestone like this one, it likes to celebrate.
No tickets are required. Seating will be first come, first serve. Doors will open at 10:30 a.m.