Congratulations to Peter de Guzman (’26), who recently won second place in the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest!
In recognition of his achievement, Peter will receive a $1,000 cash prize and a trip to Washington, D.C., to represent Duke at a special awards ceremony on September 19 at 4:00 p.m. at the Library of Congress. Duke University Libraries will also receive $500.
About the Contest
The National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest is often described as the “Final Four” of book collecting competitions. It brings together the winners of more than three dozen local competitions at colleges and universities across the United States, including Duke. The contest is sponsored by the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA), the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies (FABS), the Center for the Book, and the Rare Books and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress.
Building a Filipino American Library
Peter’s collection was inspired by a quote from Filipino writer Nick Joaquin:
“The identity of the Filipino today is of a person asking what is his identity.”
Since beginning his collection in 2018, Peter has explored this question through books that reflect Filipino and Filipino American identity. He and his fiancée hope to continue building their collection and eventually donate it to a public library to promote youth education and Filipino American Studies.
From Duke to the National Stage
Earlier this year, Peter won first place in the graduate category of the Andrew T. Nadell Book Collectors Contest, sponsored by Duke University Libraries, for his collection “What is his identity?: Building a Filipino American Library.” That award included a $1,500 cash prize and the opportunity to compete nationally.
A Strong Duke Tradition
Duke has been well represented in the National Collegiate Book Collecting Competition. Past winners include:
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2023, 2nd Prize: Joshua Shelly, Alte Bücher in Haifa: (Re)building a German Jewish Library in the 21st Century
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2021, Essay Prize: Joseph E. Hiller, Como un detective salvaje: Gathering Small Press, Experimental, and Untranslated Latin American Literature
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2015, Essay Prize: Anne Steptoe, Look Homeward: Journeying Home through 20th Century Southern Literature
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2013, 2nd Prize: Ashley Young, New Orleans’ Nourishing Networks: Foodways and Municipal Markets in the Nineteenth Century Global South
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2011, 1st Prize: Mitch Fraas, Anglo-American Legal Printing 1702 to the Present