- Books from Special Collections
We digitized 12 books from the Carleton Archives. All of these books were originally in physical form but are now stored in a Google Drive folder as JPEGs and PNGs. We used a high-resolution scanner at the archives for digitization. The books are owned by the author or publisher but, since we are only using the cover and inside page for educational purposes, we are allowed to use them. We will check in with Austin throughout the project to ensure that we are using them appropriately. Our major privacy concern has to do with student data that is revealed by the signatures on the inside page. We plan to display the inside cover but not transcribe any of the names or reference anyone specific.
- Fielding, Henry, “The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling,” Item 1, Collection 261: Marathon reading books, 1992-2022, Carleton College Archives.
- Pynchon, Thomas, “Gravity’s Rainbow,” Item 2, Collection 261: Marathon reading books, 1992-2022, Carleton College Archives.
- Melville, Herman, “Moby Dick,” Item 3, Collection 261: Marathon reading books, 1992-2022, Carleton College Archives.
- Sterne, Lawrence, “The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman,” Item 4, Collection 261: Marathon reading books, 1992-2022, Carleton College Archives.
- Sterne, Lawrence, “The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (2 vols.),” Item 5, Collection 261: Marathon reading books, 1992-2022, Carleton College Archives.
- “Beowulf,” Item 6, Collection 261: Marathon reading books, 1992-2022, Carleton College Archives.
- Milton, John, “Paradise Lost,” Item 7, Collection 261: Marathon reading books, 1992-2022, Carleton College Archives.
- Staines, David, “The Complete Romances of Chrétien de Troyes,” Item 8, Collection 261: Marathon reading books, 1992-2022, Carleton College Archives.
- “Njal’s Saga,” Item 9, Collection 261: Marathon reading books, 1992-2022, Carleton College Archives.
- “Beowulf / translated by Maria Dahvana Headley,” Item 10, Collection 261: Marathon reading books, 1992-2022, Carleton College Archives.
- De Cervante, Miguel, “Don Quixote,” Item 11, Collection 261: Marathon reading books, 1992-2022, Carleton College Archives.
- Tolkien, J. R. R., “The Hobbit,” Item 12, Collection 261: Marathon reading books, 1992-2022, Carleton College Archives.
Here is a link to this collection on Carleton College’s Archives’ website.
2. This is a rough timeline of when these marathon readings took place:
Tom Jones – January 23-24, 1992
Gravity’s Rainbow – Jan 28-29, 1993
Moby Dick – Feb 23-24, 1994
Tristam Shandy – Jan 26, 1995
Tristam Shandy – Jan 29-30, 2014
Beowulf – Jan 27, 2016
Paradise Lost – Feb 11, 2018
Chretien de Troyes – Feb 15, 2019
Njal’s Saga – 2020
Beowulf – Sept 30, 2022
Don Quixote – Oct 21-22, 2022
Hobbit – Oct 31-Nov 1, 2025
The Old Curiosity Shop – Feb 19-20, 2026
3. Archival materials related to marathon readings (including photos, promotional)
“Gould Library Archive, Carleton College.” 2026. Carleton.edu. 2026. https://archive.carleton.edu/Search/collections_all_res/search/Marathon%20Reading.
“Gould Library Archive, Carleton College.” 2026. Carleton.edu. 2026. https://archive.carleton.edu/Detail/collections/664.
English. 2019. “Marathon Reading of ‘David Copperfield’ – Fall 2012 – Carleton College.” Carleton.edu. English. June 12, 2019. https://www.carleton.edu/english/events/photo-albums/2012-13/marathon2012/.
Marathon T-shirts from Carleton’s Archives
- Moby Dick- February 23-24, 1994
- Tristam Shandy- January 26, 1995
- Rights- Carleton’s Archives
Promotional posters from Carleton’s Archives
- Rights: public domain – posters gathered from around campus
- Copperfield Promotional Poster
- Tristram Shandy Poster x2 (Winter, 2013)
- Middlemarch Promotional Poster (Fall 2014)
- The Old Curiosity Shop Poster (Winter 2026)
- History of Tom Jones Poster (Winter 1992)
- The Hobbit Poster
Privacy concerns – a few named professors and student signatures
Presentation slide used during the event
- The Old Curiosity Shop- February 19-20, 2026
- Rights: English Department
- Privacy concerns: There aren’t any sensitive information contained in the slide
4. Newspaper articles
We found three newspaper articles related to Carleton’s marathon readings. Since these are public articles, we are able to use them to gather information for our project. We will not be directly quoting them or isolating any student or faculty names mentioned.
Arabia, Emilia. 2026. “English Department Hosts Marathon Reading.” The Carletonian. 2026. https://thecarletonian.com/20636/news/english-department-hosts-marathon-reading/.
Criseta Boarini, cboarini@faribault.com. 2014. “Carleton College in Northfield Hosts 24-Hour Marathon Reading of ‘Tristram Shandy.’” Southernminn.com. January 28, 2014. https://www.southernminn.com/scene/events/carleton-college-in-northfield-hosts-24-hour-marathon-reading-of-tristram-shandy/article_480b3b7a-014a-5517-84f2-645fe7f39fef.html.
Strauss, Ben. 2026. “Carleton Celebrates Charles Dickens.” The Carletonian. 2026. https://thecarletonian.com/3158/news/carleton-celebrates-charles-dickens/.
I’m not sure how long it takes to digitalize a book with a high resolution scanner, but it seems impressive that you scanned 12 books so quickly. I remember seeing the most recent marathon just very recently (The Old Curiosity Shop) and it’s interesting to see that there were a multitude of those. I’m curious to see what you uncover about the history and such about these marathons.
You all seemed to be very concious of the property and privacy that comes into consideration when doing a project liek this which is very realistic. I appreciate how you distinguish between ownership, educational use, and public materials, especially with works like The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, Gravity’s Rainbow, and Moby-Dick. Your honesty about student signatures and selective transcription reflects ethical handling. The inclusion of a chronological marathon reading timeline adds historical organization that otherwise wouldn’t be easy to navigate.