Letters relating to the Roxburghe Club, 1812-, bibliophile club

This material is held atUniversity of Glasgow Special Collections

  • Reference
    • GB 247 Roxburghe 122
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1885-1892
  • Name of Creator
  • Language of Material
    • English
  • Physical Description
    • 5 letters

Scope and Content

These letters are sewn into the binding of the first volume of Thomas, Earl of Ailsbury's Memoirs of Thomas, Earl of Ailsbury (1890), printed on behalf of the Roxburghe Club. The letters all refer to the Roxburghe Club's business, the most recent from W E Buckley to Henry Hucks Gibbs relating to a potential reviewer of Ailsbury's book.

Letters from: 

  • Edward James Herbert, 3rd Earl of Paris to Revd W E Buckley, 1885;
  • Henry Hucks Gibbs (?) to Revd W E Buckley, 1892;
  • 2 letters from Revd W E Buckley to Henry Hucks Gibbs, 1892;
  • A Lang to Henry Hucks Gibbs, [1892?]

Administrative / Biographical History

The Rev Thomas Dibdin founded the Roxburghe Club in 1812. In 1804, John, the 3rd Duke of Roxburghe, died and 8 years later his library was auctioned. The gem of his library, the Valdarfer Boccaccio of 1471, was sold on 17 June 1812, and to celebrate the event Dibdin assembled a dinner party of bibliophiles, many of whom had taken part in the auction, at Waterloo Place, London. This was the first meeting of the Roxburghe Club and an annual dinner was to be held on the same day. From 1814, the Club proceeded to publish books privately in small print runs, usually enough for each member to receive a copy. These were usually reprints of early printed books or of classics by the likes of Virgil and Ovid. Editions of archival material, such as correspondence, were produced and personal memoirs published. Since its foundation, almost 300 volumes have been published on a wide range of subjects and scholarship.

Source: Clive Bingham, The Roxburgh Club 1812-1927 (Roxburghe Club: London, 1928)

Arrangement

The arrangement of this material reflects the original order in which it was received

Access Information

Access is open, however an appointment may be required. Please email Archives and Special Collections for advice: library-asc@glasgow.ac.uk

Acquisition Information

Purchase : 1938 : ACCN 2302

Other Finding Aids

Physical Characteristics and/or Technical Requirements

The letters are sewn into the binding of a book and are fragile

Conditions Governing Use

Reproduction subject to usual conditions: educational use and condition of documents. Applications for permission to quote should be sent to Archives and Special Collections, please email: library-asc@glasgow.ac.uk

Appraisal Information

This material has been appraised in line with standard GB 247 procedures

Custodial History

Not known

Accruals

None expected

Related Material

An almost complete set of the Roxburghe Club publications can be found in the Special Collections department. Titles can br found by searching Glasgow University Library Online catalogue for the classification Roxburghe

Corporate Names