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Rare Books Early Printed Books Early Printed Books Collection With over 6000 volumes, the early printed books make up the bulk of the collection. Many of these were present in the library when it was catalogued in 1734, as evidenced by Catalogus Librorum Bibliothecae Honorabilis Societatis Medii Templi, printed in London in 1734.
The volumes were mainly collected by the Library, or donated by past members. The earliestbequest is that of Robert Ashley, who, in 1641 bequeathed a collection to Middle Temple in orderto re-establish a library, due to the fact that the previous holdings had all been stolen! This bequest included treasures such as Histoire del S. D. Fernando Colombo, 1571, a biography of Christopher Columbus written by his youngest son, and an illustrated 1634 book about insects, Insectorum sive minimorum animalium theatrum, by Thomas Moffett. The collection also includes many medical texts, including an early gynaecology book printed in 1588 by Conradum Waldkirch, Gynaeciorum libri III: de morbis mulierum communibus, virginum, viduarum, sterilium, praegnantium, puerperatum, & nutricum. The colophon of this book is illustrated here to the right. The Ashley bequest included a substantial portion of John Donne's library. A minimum of 72 volumes, the majority bearing Donne's signature, have been identified. Our holdings constitute one of the largest collections of Donne's library. Recent research suggests that our Donne holdings might be greater. Examination of marginal notations and provenance marks of 261 books which Donne is known to have read has proved inconclusive, however. Hopefully future research will establish their provenance, and enquiries or comments regarding this collection are always welcome.
Provenance research into the collection has revealed other notable past owners, including Edward Gwynn, Ben Johnson, and William Petyt, keeper of the Records of the Tower of London in the 17th century, among others. The image to the right is a manuscript marriage agreement between Jehan Barrier and Joanne Hoadon, dated 1571. It is bound in Belleforest's Histoire universelle du monde, printed in Paris in 1570. Click on it to view a larger image. Such provenance research is ongoing, and enquiries, comments, or additional information about previous owners are always welcome. The collection also holds a substantial amount of incunabula, numbering 103 titles in all. The earliest title in our possession is the Paulus de Sancta Maria Incipit dialogus qui vocatur scrutiniu[m] Scripturarum, ca. 1470. To view the list of titles, search the catalogue using the terms 'rare book room 1.' |
