The Sweet Smell of Provenance.

The article reports that a characteristic item found in libraries' special collections is the so-called association copy, a book whose significance derives from its connection with a well-known writer, artist, or historical figure. The Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin is legendary for owning no fewer than 34 of the 1,000 copies of the first edition of James Joyce's "Ulysses," many of which are association copies. One copy, which used to belong to British adventurer and writer T. E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, stands out for its full range of appeals to the senses.