First U.N.C. Yearbook: THE HELLENIAN, 1894 Issue
[University of North Carolina. Fraternities.]. THE HELLENIAN '94. [Chapel Hill]: Published by the Fraternities at U.N.C., [printed by E.A. Wright, Philadelphia,1894]. 133 pages, plus sixteen full-page group portraits from photographs, one full-page steel-engraved portrait, and six engraved plates depicting fraternity arms, emblems, etc. [1] page errata at front; [2] pp. printer's ads inserted after p. 124. Original blue cloth stamped in dark blue and gold on the front cover; endpapers printed with floral pattern. 23 x 18 cm. Cloth is rather soiled; wear to spine ends; lower corner of front board cracked. Lacking free endpapers (front and back) and the front flyleaf (all blanks). Chip and short tear to errata leaf and one marginal tear, not affecting text. Occasional stains to text and plates, with a slight impact on some text and images, especially near the front of the book. Foxing to engraved plates and to facing pages. Fair only.
Signed by T.H. Scroggins on the errata page. Scroggins was a liquor, wine, and beer distributor and the proprietor of the Palace Bar in Durham, which is advertised on p. 127 of this yearbook.
FIRST EDITION. Very scarce. "The Hellenian" (1890-1900) was the predecessor to the official U.N.C. yearbook, "Yackety Yack." While published by the fraternities of the university and with a name evoking Greek activities, "The Hellenian" attempted to depict campus life as a whole. There are rolls and histories of each of the classes, including the law and medical classes, lists of trustees and faculty, rolls and group portraits of the fraternities, articles on the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies and various other clubs, and a section on athletics, with group portraits of the football and baseball teams. There are also several literary contributions in poetry and prose. At the end are ads (pp. 122-133), including several for local businesses.
While an attractive publication, and a valuable resource on the history of the U.N.C. student life, "The Hellenian" was not popular among contemporaries. In 1901, the yearbook was re-envisioned, with the U.N.C. literary societies joining with the fraternities in its publication, and the name was changed to "Yackety Yack."
Thornton 5915.
