OU Goes Mad

Bizzell Memorial Library at the University of Oklahoma is celebrating an influential satire magazine with a pop-up exhibit. Now through Oct. 10, students, faculty and staff can view the exhibit that was curated by OU Libraries exhibition coordinator James Burnes.

“When Mad announced over the summer that the magazine would move out of monthly production toward a reprint cycle punctuated by year-end annuals, the exhibit became a way to remember Mad and its important cultural legacy,” Burnes said. 

OU Libraries holds roughly 200 early issues of the humor magazine Mad. They are part of the John and Mary Nichols Rare Books Collection, which also holds many works of classic literature as well as a wealth of historical children’s literature. The collection is a showcase that is not normally found in the special collections of a research library.

Burnes hopes the exhibit might spur further study of the magazine.

“The magazine itself has a firm place within film and media studies, but there are also opportunities to look at decades of humor, political and geopolitical satire, history of science and space, and portrayals of the American West,” said Burnes.

Burnes said dozens of people stopped to talk with him about the magazine as he was putting the collection on display.

“From international engineering undergrads to retired faculty and staff, and just about everyone in between, had a story to tell about their relationship with Mad, their first issue, and what it meant to them,” Burnes said. “Now that the collection is a little more visible, we hope students might find it useful for a research project or two.”