1benjclark
I thought William Gladstone would be a good subject to include as a Legacy Library when I saw this copy of one his books for sale here: http://www.colophonbooks.com/
74. SHAKESPEARE, William. Songs and Sonnets. Edited by Francis Turner Palgrave. London : Macmillan, 1865, duodecimo, pebbled green morocco over flexible boards. A.e.g. 255 pp. Gem Edition. With the editor, Francis Turner Palgrave’s, presentation inscription on the preliminary page, “W. E. Gladstone with F. T. Palgrave’s sincerest respects Jan: 1866.” In 1846 Palgrave interrupted his university career to serve as assistant private secretary to William Gladstone, but returned, to Oxford the next year, and took a first class in Literae Humaniores. He became an accomplished critic and edited several poetic anthologies which influenced literary taste of the time. With Gladstone’s heraldic bookplate on the front pastedown. Fine. (17602) $350.00
According to WikiPedia:
"Gladstone, over eighty years old, transferred 32,000 of his books, undertaking the sheer hard manual labour himself, helped only by his valet and one of his daughters. Most of the books were moved by wheelbarrow - from Gladstone's study to the library was well over a quarter of a mile. "What man", he wrote, "who really loves his books delegates to any other human being, as long as there is breath in his body, the office of introducing them into their homes?"
This temporary building was only the beginning of realising his ambition to create a residential library. Gladstone discussed his hopes with his family and with the Trustees appointed to care for the collection. He endowed the library with £40,000, which indicates that this was more than a hobby, a sideline: this was his major bequest."
Wow. 32,000 books. I couldn't figure out a way to recall them via their website:
http://www.st-deiniols.com/. I guess it's now 32,001 as the one for sale is not at the library.
74. SHAKESPEARE, William. Songs and Sonnets. Edited by Francis Turner Palgrave. London : Macmillan, 1865, duodecimo, pebbled green morocco over flexible boards. A.e.g. 255 pp. Gem Edition. With the editor, Francis Turner Palgrave’s, presentation inscription on the preliminary page, “W. E. Gladstone with F. T. Palgrave’s sincerest respects Jan: 1866.” In 1846 Palgrave interrupted his university career to serve as assistant private secretary to William Gladstone, but returned, to Oxford the next year, and took a first class in Literae Humaniores. He became an accomplished critic and edited several poetic anthologies which influenced literary taste of the time. With Gladstone’s heraldic bookplate on the front pastedown. Fine. (17602) $350.00
According to WikiPedia:
"Gladstone, over eighty years old, transferred 32,000 of his books, undertaking the sheer hard manual labour himself, helped only by his valet and one of his daughters. Most of the books were moved by wheelbarrow - from Gladstone's study to the library was well over a quarter of a mile. "What man", he wrote, "who really loves his books delegates to any other human being, as long as there is breath in his body, the office of introducing them into their homes?"
This temporary building was only the beginning of realising his ambition to create a residential library. Gladstone discussed his hopes with his family and with the Trustees appointed to care for the collection. He endowed the library with £40,000, which indicates that this was more than a hobby, a sideline: this was his major bequest."
Wow. 32,000 books. I couldn't figure out a way to recall them via their website:
http://www.st-deiniols.com/. I guess it's now 32,001 as the one for sale is not at the library.
2thorold
Maybe Abby can issue you with an official LibraryThing wheelbarrow?
Makes you think, though - 32000 books, and he used to cut down trees for recreation. Environmentalists would have a field day if he were still around :-)
Makes you think, though - 32000 books, and he used to cut down trees for recreation. Environmentalists would have a field day if he were still around :-)
3jbd1
Another Colophon fan, eh benjclark :-) Love that place, spend way too much money there.
Gladstone's library sounds like a daunting task ...
Gladstone's library sounds like a daunting task ...
4benjclark
Oh, yes. I've been known to blow a couple months' worth of allowance in one email to Colophon... too much great stuff...
I don't want to do Gladstone myself, but thought I'd put the info out there so it can be picked up later. Perhaps Abby et al. can work with the library to do a bulk upload deal through MARC records or some such. It's all magic to me...
I don't want to do Gladstone myself, but thought I'd put the info out there so it can be picked up later. Perhaps Abby et al. can work with the library to do a bulk upload deal through MARC records or some such. It's all magic to me...
5benjclark
From William Roberts's The Book-Hunter in London, available on
Project Gutenberg. On page 315, a fun side bar with an image of Gladstone's writing on a catalog page to place an order.
Project Gutenberg. On page 315, a fun side bar with an image of Gladstone's writing on a catalog page to place an order.
6benjclark
"A collection of books belonging to 19th Century prime minister William Gladstone has been auctioned in Angus.
About 2,000 books from the library at Fasque House - the former Gladstone family home in Aberdeenshire - went under the hammer in Montrose.
Gladstone was so fond of books that he created an even larger library at Hawarden in Wales.
A second auction from Gladstone's Fasque collection - containing about another 2,000 books - is expected to take place in October."
Reported by the BBC 26 July 2008. A shot of a family Bible included in the short article.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/7525655.stm
About 2,000 books from the library at Fasque House - the former Gladstone family home in Aberdeenshire - went under the hammer in Montrose.
Gladstone was so fond of books that he created an even larger library at Hawarden in Wales.
A second auction from Gladstone's Fasque collection - containing about another 2,000 books - is expected to take place in October."
Reported by the BBC 26 July 2008. A shot of a family Bible included in the short article.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/7525655.stm
8JBD1
It looks like Gladstone's original collection is now known as the Gladstone Foundation Collection at https://www.gladstoneslibrary.org/reading-rooms/the-collections/special-collecti..., where the books are cataloged in GladCAT. This wouldn't account for the 2008 auctions but that's the bulk of it.
~30k volumes would be a real beast of an LL to maintain, and since the books are already cataloged over there (including a grant-funded project to note his marginalia), in a non-standard (i.e. unimportable) format, unless somebody feels really strongly that they want to take this on, my inclination would be to let Gladstone's books live where he wheelbarrowed them?
That said, as more projects like this continue to pop up, we should maybe make a new LL status for libraries that are cataloged elsewhere! I will check with Tim and Chris about the possibility of that.
~30k volumes would be a real beast of an LL to maintain, and since the books are already cataloged over there (including a grant-funded project to note his marginalia), in a non-standard (i.e. unimportable) format, unless somebody feels really strongly that they want to take this on, my inclination would be to let Gladstone's books live where he wheelbarrowed them?
That said, as more projects like this continue to pop up, we should maybe make a new LL status for libraries that are cataloged elsewhere! I will check with Tim and Chris about the possibility of that.
