Treasures of LSU – Book Review

LSU is commemorating 150 years with a series of celebrations and projects. One of these is Treasures of LSU, a book that corresponds to the treasure hunt of an art exhibit scattered across not just LSU’s campus, but all of Baton Rouge—downtown at the LSU Museum of Art, along Highland Road at the Hilltop Arboretum and across town at the Rural Life Museum—and even venturing to Colorado with the Geology Field Camp.

The treasures range from a sabertooth cat’s single tooth to entire research collections and buildings. The Union is one, as is Acadian Hall. There are landscape features like the campus’ glorious live oaks and the storied Indian Mounds, several of Audubon’s folios at Hill Memorial Library and garments from the Textile & Costume Museum. These examples barely scratch the surface of the 101 treasures arduously selected, researched and presented by editor Laura F. Lindsay and the more than 50 contributors who wrote about the entries.

Reading the book was like delving into a time capsule of personal LSU memories, learning new details of beloved fixtures and discovering entire collections that were unknown to me, under my nose for so many years. I know my intensely personal interaction with this book will not be unique, though the particulars of my experience might be. Anyone unfamiliar with LSU will be astounded by all it offers and would do well to use this book as a travel guide.

Treasures of LSU contains a forward by Chancellor Emeritus Paul W. Murrill and a comprehensive introduction by Lindsay. It is available now from LSU Press in conjunction with an exhibition at the Union Art Gallery opening Oct. 15.