The 1995 International Humour Conference is being held at the University of Aston, Birmingham from July 31st to August 4th. Our President, Eric Linfield, has been invited to present a paper on the LINFIELD LIBRARY OF HUMOUR, his collection of books now on loan to the University of Kent Centre for the Study of Cartoon and Caricature. It has been assembled over the last forty or more years as the result of two major influences – his parents’ love of laughter and their sense of humour and his decision to focus his dilettante book collecting passion on one major topic; whilst an undergraduate at Cambridge, 1948-51, he decided to concentrate on humour in all its manifestations. There are some similar collections at San Francisco Public Library, California and at the University of Cork, Eire.

The Centre for the Study of Cartoons and Caricature:

• the national research archive of 20th century British cartoons and caricatures;
• a picture library of over 85000 images, representing the largest resource of its kind in Western Europe;
• an exhibition source for museums, galleries, libraries, and institutions worldwide;
• a partner in CartooNet, the European Cartoon Arts Network on the Internet (http://www.pavilion.co.uk/cartoonet/);
• a representation of original works from more than sixty artists, including WK Haselden, Sidney ‘George’ Strube, EH Shepard, Will Dyson, David Low, Victor Weisz (‘Vicky’), Michael Cummings, Wally Fawkes (‘Trog’), John Musgrave-Wood (‘Emmwood’), Nicholas Garland, John Jensen, Steve Bell, Kevin Kallaughter (‘KAL’), Stan McMurtry, (‘Mac’), Reg Smythe (‘Andy Capp’), and Ralph Steadman;
• a state-of-the-art computer database;
• a comprehensive reference library of 5000 books, pamphlets, periodicals, exhibition, catalogues, cuttings, and audio-visual materials.

The Centre is open to researchers by appointment, on weekdays from 10.00am to 5.00pm. For inquiries, call/fax 01227-823127, or Email either RMEdwards@ukc.ac.uk. or JMNewton@ukc.ac.uk.

If anyone would like further details of the University of Kent Centre for the Study of Cartoon and Caricature, please send a large SAE to Eric.