Warne St Clair Collection
Reference: Uncatalogued collection, please contact Special CollectionsDate: 1800s and 1900sExtent: About 350 books
A collection of file copies of books published by Frederick Warne from the firm’s archive file set from the ‘Property Room’ of Frederick Warne. The books are mainly nineteenth century, and many, but not all, contain paperwork tipped in, detailing the publishing history and print runs of each title, some with editorial comments and paperwork. The collection includes many alternative bindings, Colonial editions, paperbacks and proofs.
The collection contains many popular English prose fiction titles and poetry from The Chandos Classics and other series, and also some non-fiction titles, including religious books/texts, historical and biographical works and birthday books.
The collection was purchased in 2022 from the estate of the historian and author William St Clair (1937-2021). References to the collection appear in St Clair’s book The Reading Nation in the Romantic Period (2004) and in his article ‘Following up The Reading Nation’ in volume 6 of The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain (2009).
More information
- The collection is not yet catalogued, although a copy of William St Clair’s draft annotated catalogue of the collection is available. This contains a handlist which was compiled by David Chandler, then a graduate student, in 1992-94, and includes a few items bought and added later by St Clair.