Houghton-Medieval Studies Lecture in Early Book History: “For Purposes of Investigation or Instruction”
Houghton Library and the Standing Committee on Medieval Studies present William (Bill) P. Stoneman on “For Purposes of Investigation or Instruction:” The History of Collecting Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts at Harvard.
In building Harvard University’s collection of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, both private collectors and university librarians have played important roles. This lecture reviews some important acquisitions and reflects on changing collection development polices and some missed opportunities. It is also intended to function as an introduction to Incipit: A History of Early Manuscripts at Harvard and an extended example of provenance research, which will be the subject of the associated workshops.
William P. Stoneman was a college lecturer and private librarian before coming to serve as the Librarian of Houghton Library. His research interests have coalesced around the role of private collections in building public libraries. He worked with Boston-area colleagues Jeffrey Hamburger, Lisa Fagin Davis, Anne-Marie Eze, and Nancy Netzer on the 2016 exhibition Beyond Words. Now happily retired, his “A Reference Book for Scholars and Collectors: Eric Millar’s English Illuminated Manuscripts (1926–1928)” was a contribution to the study The Pre-Modern Manuscript Trade and its Consequences, ca. 1890–1945, published earlier this year.
Image: Detail of Ovid (43 BCE–17/18 CE). Works: manuscript, Italy, 15th century (before 1471). MS Lat 42. Purchased with the Charles Minot Bequest, 1897.
Add to: Google Calendar Other calendar (.ics)
Hands-On Workshops
Join Bill Stoneman for a hands-on workshop, "An Introduction to Provenance Research on Early Manuscripts and Books," which will introduce basic resources and principles of provenance research. It will develop some examples using Harvard manuscripts and early printed books and supporting documentation. Examples from the collections of George Dunn and William King Richardson will be used as well as manuscripts from less well-known English collectors such as C. S. Ascherson, C. H. St. John Hornby, and American collectors such as Edward Duff Balken, Acton Griscom, and Charles Walker Clark. This workshop will be offered twice on Thursday, February 13 at Houghton. Follow the links for more information and to register for the morning session or the afternoon session.
We encourage persons with disabilities who would like to request accommodations or have questions about physical access to contact us.
