On the 30th December, 2005, it will be forty years since the death of Henry George Farmer. A bandsman, musical director, scholar, orientalist, writer and librarian, Farmer spent most of his working life in Glasgow but his connections and influences were truly international. This month we therefore celebrate his amazingly varied life, as illustrated by his books and papers now gathered together as the 'Farmer collection' in Special Collections.

The Farmer Collection includes many photographs and programmes from his period at the Glasgow Empire, including an album of signed photographs from the stars of the day.

Shown to the right is Gracie Fields. Born in 1898 above a chip shop in Rochdale, she became a star of the music hall and a major recording artist - the first to sell four million records. This picture was given with her best wishes to Dr Farmer in 1937.