Congratulations to Oscar Altman and Mia Steiner, winners of the 2025 Book Collecting Contest!
Collins Choice Award & First Place Collection
Oscar Altman
“Ancient Texts and Modern Commentaries”
The Collins Choice Award recognizes a student whose collection illustrates the hallmarks of a liberal arts education. Oscar Altman’s collection of ancient Greek and Roman primary source texts and scholarship that studies the ancient world, along with his essay that explains both the meaning of his collection to him and the path he took to develop it, demonstrate the values of the liberal arts. In his essay, he discusses the relationship he developed with a professor whose academic work he so admired that it has influenced the direction of his studies at the University. His discussion of the items in his collection illustrate the dual and sometimes dueling intensities of work and pleasure in academic reading, as he expanded on when he wrote about the “challenge” of “wrestling” with “the incredibly dense” Pantheon by Rupke and his discovery that the Oresteia contains many themes found in current storytelling and is “a story about the inner turmoil that accompanies all attachment.” Oscar also does a superb job of connecting the texts in his collection, illustrating an understanding of a collection of works as “greater than the sum of its parts,” arguing for the strength that comes from placing different types of sources together to inform one another, and illustrating the value of studying a subject over thousands of years.
Best Essay
Mia Steiner
“Writing & Reading Mental Health: My Matt Haig Collection”
The Best Essay award recognizes a student who shows passion and enthusiasm for their collection while describing how the items of the collection fit together. Mia Steiner’s essay speaks to the profound impact Matt Haig’s books have had on her life, how they have enriched her relationships, and enhanced her understanding of herself and others. She writes that his books “gave me hope in my darkest hours,” comparing his books to “a warm hug.” Falling in love with a great author is one of the best entry points to a lifelong love of reading. Mia illustrates with her collection that books can be a guiding light throughout our lives.