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NUMBER 36 AUTUMN 2011 NEWSLETTER, OF THE FRIENDS OF UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

‘The true University of these days is a collection of books’ PiperThomas Carlyle It has been a very busy summer. members as well as fulfilling the predictions about the death of Having decided we needed an expectations of our present ones. libraries as the life of the printed book Administrative Assistant whose sole I would be delighted to receive evolves. Yet the use of the Library has task would be to provide support and any ideas or suggestions as to how we increased beyond all expectations and service, we advertised on the might expand and improve the I was delighted recently to have to University website for a suitably Friends into an organisation which is queue for the first time in over twenty qualified PhD student and had a involved with its members and years to gain admittance. We have also massive response of over 40 applicants, engaged in a productive dialogue that had good attendance for the delightful finally reduced to a short list of five. enables us both to support the Library ‘Singing the Reformation’ exhibition After a thorough interview and to create a distinctive and in the ground floor exhibition space process we appointed Samantha enjoyable identity for our members. for which the Friends purchased the Walton who is doing a PhD in liter- Elsewhere in this newsletter beautiful display cases. ature. She has extensive administrative you will read of the importance of I think we can look forward to an experience and we feel certain she will the Library to the University as interesting and stimulating year. be a valuable addition to the team. We demonstrated by the Chancellor’s now hope to be able to follow through recent visit. Lady Caplan, President, the ideas we have for recruiting new There have been many dire Friends of Edinburgh University Library

HRH the Princess Royal with, from left to right, Dr John Scally, Arnott Wilson, The Lord Provost, Vice-Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, Professor Nigel Brown Photograph: Douglas Robertson THE ., PNUMBERiperp 36 AUTUMN 2011

An Administrator Christmas Card for the Friends and Calendar

The illustration on the card is from Biblia 2011 Christmas card (Nuremberg: Anton Koberger, 1483). This early German Bible contains numerous interesting Cards are sold singly at 80p each woodcuts with contemporary colouring. They or £5 for 6 or £10 for 14. were made originally for Heinrich Quentell's 1478 High German Bible, printed in Cologne. They can be purchased by: EUL Special Collections: Inc.45.2. Bequest of James Cathcart White, 1943. email: [email protected], by phone: 0131 650 8379 (CRC reception) Mondays and Wednesdays 12noon – 2pm when Samantha Norton will be available. Please state how many you wish and whether you will pick them up from Reception on Ground Floor Main Library, or wish them to be posted to you. Cards can also be purchased at the University shop. The successful candidate, Samantha Walton, takes up her post as part-time 2012 Calendar theme: Administrator with immediate effect. Samantha is currently completing Historic Musical Instruments her doctoral research at Edinburgh at St Cecilia’s Hall on the representation of psychology Size: 30 x 30cm. Drilled hole for in golden age crime fiction. She hanging. Full colour. Price: £10 is interested in the medical aspects of Victorian literature, early twentieth Online orders: www.giftshop.ed.ac.uk century women’s writing and popular modernism; she also teaches on the The calendar can be purchased at Literature department’s degree course, the CRC reception on 6th floor, Scottish Literature 1750–1950. Before Main Library or at the University coming to Edinburgh, Samantha took shop at Charles Stewart House: price £10 per copy. Orders can also be a BA in Literature and Language at made by using the accompanying form. Also available from St Cecilia’s King’s College London and an MSc Hall, Cowgate (for opening times see www.music.ed.ac.uk/ euchmi/sch/) in Political and Social Theory at Birkbeck, University of London. She has worked at the Hay Literary Festival, Graduates’ Association Film Night for the publishers Simon and Schuster, and has volunteered for the social You are invited to a Film Show by Panamint Cinemas and environmental think-tank, New Tuesday 29 May 2012 at 7pm: Playfair Library Hall Economics Foundation. Here in Edinburgh, she co-ordinates the Three short films from ‘Films of Scotland’: Northern Capital (1937, b/w), postgraduate reading for the James Lothian Landscape (1948), Waverley Steps (1974), all about Edinburgh and East Tait Black Award, recently Lothian and Emma’s Dilemma, a comedy by Rikki Fulton (made in the 1950s co-organised the poetry conference in the style of 1920s silent films). Wine and nibbles served from 7pm: ‘ConVersify’, and is now excited to programme begins 7.30pm Tickets: £10 available from Joan Meikle, EUGA be working with the Friends of the Assistant Secretary: [email protected] Telephone: 0131 650 4292: Edinburgh University Library. send payment to EUGA, 24 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9LN

Page 2 THE ., PNUMBERiperp 36 AUTUMN 2011

A Royal Occasion for the Library

The Chancellor in the Collections and University Archivist, Conservation Studio talking with Caroline was delighted to highlight some of Scharfenberg the very special and significant items Photograph: Douglas Robertson within the Library’s collections. ‘During her visit to the Centre for Research Collections, the Princess was shown some of the University’s greatest treasures including the 11th century Celtic Psalter, which may have belonged to St. Margaret, Queen of Scotland. The effective starting point of the University, the charter authorising the town council to establish a college teaching in the liberal arts, dated 1582, was a particularly appropriate item on display in view of HRH Princess Anne’s impending installation as Chancellor’. The Chancellor and her party were also given a preview of a new project ‘Women Firsts’ relating to the On 29th July 2011 HRH the Princess As the royal party came straight history of women at the University Royal paid a visit to the University. It from the airport, George Square was of Edinburgh. As the first female was not her first, but it was the first the first place they visited in Chancellor in the University’s history to the Main Library and her first Edinburgh and so, as protocol would HRH the Princess Royal will now go since the announcement that she demand, the Lord Lieutenant and down in the history books as part of would become Chancellor, following Lord Provost of the City of that particular aspect of the history in the footsteps of her father, HRH Edinburgh, the Right Honourable of women and, in due course, when Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. George Grubb, welcomed Her Royal the project is officially launched, ‘It was a great honour for the Highness and her husband, vice- there will be a panel to the new Library to have a visit from HRH admiral, Sir Tim Laurence. Then Chancellor in the Main Library the Princess Royal shortly before she Professor Nigel Brown, as Senior alongside those of other women was formally installed as Chancellor. Vice-Principal and Sheila Cannell, who have played a significant part It confirms that the Library lies at as Director of Libraries, showed the in this history. the heart of the University.’ The Princess Royal and her party the The Chancellor and her group Director of University Collections, mesostic circle at the front entrance. also talked with students at the study Dr John Scally, reiterated the The royal party arrived twenty pods and met representatives of thoughts of everyone who was minutes early and remained beyond EUSA before joining benefactors and present on that day in July when the their scheduled stay and all who met others associated with the Library Princess Royal as ‘Chancellor elect’ them felt that their interest was at a reception. It was truly a great spent considerable time on a tour, considerable and the questions honour and a most enjoyable looking at items from within the extremely relevant and indeed, occasion, and all connected with the Archives and generally, from Special incisive. Library hope this visit will be the Collections. Arnott Wilson, Head of Special first of many.

Page 3 THE ., PNUMBERiperp 36 AUTUMN 2011 A Wonderful and Unexpected Boost for Special Collections

In March 2011 the College of areas. Some of the more ‘typical’ scenes and Goethe’s edition of Humanities and Social Science Scottish material includes a Ossian. We made an effort to find awarded the Library an additional manuscript by the poet Norman something for all the different £100,000 to spend on books and MacCaig, several nationalist departments that make up the manuscripts for Special Collections. pamphlets from the 1970s, the only College that would be relevant to This was welcomed enthusiastically copy in Scotland of the first separate their particular teaching, learning by the curators who set about the publication by Muriel Spark and an and research needs. task of spending this sum before the example of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Thinking about the growing end of July. A Child’s Garden of Verses with an importance of our international With this money we acquired a autograph letter from the author. The student community, and the range of fantastic range of material, much of more exotic material includes a international topics studied in the which relates to the Library’s existing collection of 40 original Arabic and College, we selected a number of collection strengths, and some of Turkish manuscripts, an album of important non-British items. A which takes us into new and exciting photographs showing Russian street beautiful Japanese children’s book,

Page 4 THE ., PPNUMBERipiper 36, AUTUMN 2011

hand-coloured volumes on the costume of China and Russia, plus an exquisite Dutch emblem book of the 17th century, all give us examples of items you might not expect to find in Edinburgh University Library’s collections. We also acquired a Nigerian manuscript and a book printed in New Zealand, in the hope that we can start adding to our strong African and Australasian collections again. In terms of the date range, the earliest printed item we bought was a French incunable printed in 1491 – the most recent was some new work from the private Old Stile Press in Llandogo. Many of the items bought were unique and unrecorded. This is a particularly good time to be buying antiquarian material, Opposite. Kobayashi, Eitaku (Shutaro). as some major institutions have Japanese paintings – children’s games. had to make cutbacks in this area. Tokyo, 1894. This is an exquisite work by Kobayashi (1834–1890), an artist of the These books were acquired in a Kano school and one of the most talented variety of ways – from professional of the whole Meiji period. Only one other copy is known to exist. Shelfmark: RB.FF.63 catalogues, at auction, from sales and private sellers. Good Above. Nigerian Islamic prayer book. Mid 19th-century. African material is one relationships were formed with of the little-known strengths of Edinburgh booksellers which will hopefully University’s collections. This acquisition is an illuminated prayer book, written in develop over the next few months what is now northern Nigeria. The climate and years. It is an excellent way in West Africa has ensured that there are of investing in the future of relatively few manuscripts available for study. Shelfmark: E2011.23 the University, strengthening the collections for future generations Right. Emblemata amatoria: emblemes d'amour en quatre langue. [Netherlands, of scholars and enhancing the c.1682]. Emblem books are a genre poorly ‘draw’ of Edinburgh as a place represented in our collections. This major acquisition does something to redress where researchers can find material the balance. The theme is love in its many available nowhere else. We hope guises, and Cupid is the main character depicted. Shelfmark: RB.S.667 to continue the buying strategies developed over the last few months with a view to keeping the collections alive and growing.

Dr Joseph Marshall, Rare Books Curator

Page 5 THE ., PNUMBERiper 36 AUTUMN 2011 p Left. The composer, James Macmillan with an instrument from the exhibition.

Right. A view of the exhibition with portraits of George Buchanan and All Sing Together Lord James in the background.

Bottom. An opening showing the Treble with a ‘Chereful Voyce’ singer, Cantus [Set 1], EUL, La.III. 483,p.iv

The exhibition, ‘Singing the at home. The purpose of these Part the British Library; Trinity College, Reformation’, has just recently closed Books was to record the four-part Dublin; and Georgetown University, but the project which made it harmonies for 106 metrical psalms. Washington DC. possible is of such importance that it The four singing parts were A labour of love over twenty is worth giving the Friends a brief cantus or soprano; altus or alto; tenor years, Wode not only copied the retrospective here. and bassus or bass. Additional parts music for these psalms but also ‘Singing the Reformation’ was the were written into a quintus or 5th part illustrated the pages delicately with most ambitious display yet to be book. Thomas Wode, ‘ane man of images of singers, musicians, mounted in the Library’s new mekill modestie’, created two sets of instruments and flowers. This was exhibition space and it was the result part books of which eight have virtually a Reformation version of the of a project – The world of survived – the other three being in medieval Books of Hours. Reformation Britain as seen and heard in the Wode Psalter – led by Professor Jane Dawson with funding of over £300,000 from the AHRC. The Reformation of 1560 was a major event in Scottish history and the Wode Psalter, one might argue, resulted directly from it. Named after its creator, Thomas Wode, who had been a monk at Lindores Abbey until the Reformation, and then vicar of St Andrews, this is a rare and extra- ordinary work consisting of eight Part Books of which Edinburgh University Library is privileged to hold five of these. In a way the Reformation opened up the possibility of music: congre- gations were now able to sing the psalms in church and, indeed, this became something families also did

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Masterpieces abound in the University Library

For the project all eight extant Original artwork for J.P. Chu, ‘Studies on Plumage in the Male Part Books were brought together Brown Leghorn Fowl’, Transactions and then displayed for the first time of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 59 (1938–9). Special Collections: along with other relevant items E.2009.10 which set the books in context: such as the wedding portraits of Lord James Stewart (‘wha efter wes Erle of murray and ‘regent’’) – who had been Wode’s patron – and his wife Annas Keith. Also displayed were musical instruments, a portrait of George Buchanan, a map of St Andrews of the period, as well as many other items setting this in a wider context. Other fascinating objects included examples of ‘stitching’ of the period which could be seen in the portraits and had been specially recreated by Nancy Bailey. The final touch, providing a true period atmosphere, was the music which hovered in the air while No matter how splendid the building outwith the university and thus the visitors studied the material in the a library is about its contents and can share cases. As the composer, James Edinburgh University Library some of its masterpieces with an Macmillan, who opened the contains collections amongst the even wider audience and provide exhibition, said: ‘Wode’s work shows finest in Europe, if not even the knowledge and pleasure for many that Scotland, in spite of everything, world. in the community. was connected to a wider world, and Part of the new approach has The Friends have played an absorbent of the most important been to dedicate a small area on the important part in this in many ways European music of the day’. Indeed, ground floor to exhibitions open, but especially providing funds for the composers were not only Scots not only to members of the Library the purchase of these state-of-the-art such as David Peebles, Andro and to the Friends, of course, but display cases which not only offer a Blackhall, Robert Johnson and Jhone also available to a wider public to splendid showcase Angus but continental Europeans share and enjoy. for precious items but also are such as Lassus and Palestrina as well This is proving very successful extremely secure and sufficiently as the Englishman Thomas Tallis. with figures for the most recent sophisticated to provide excellent A truly magnificent project and exhibition reaching almost 4,000. environmental control for rare, exhibition which deserves to travel These visitors include many from delicate items. the world.

For further information go to: Masterpieces II www.ed.ac.uk/divinity/wode Open 31 March – 30 July 2012 Wode Team in Edinburgh Jane Dawson, Timothy Duguid, Andrew Grout, Following on from the success of Masterpieces I, which illustrated the beauty, Jenny Gypaki, Karoline Maclean, Noel O’ Regan, richness and diversity of the University’s collections, its sequel, Masterpieces II, Jessie Paterson, John Scally, Scott Spurlock will showcase treasures from the University’s collections.

Page 7 THE ., PNUMBERiperp 36 AUTUMN 2011 A Good Friend has Departed Brenda Elizabeth Moon 11 April 1931 – 7 March 2011

of poets such as George Mackay became curator from 2002–2005. Brown, Norman MacCaig and Hugh In 1987 she gained her MPhil MacDiarmid, materials on WH from Leeds University with a thesis Auden, the , and the on Marianne North, and later her Corson–Sir collections. PhD from the on Born in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Amelia Edwards – subsequently she studied at St Hilda’s College, published as More Usefully Oxford and then worked in Sheffield Employed: Amelia B Edwards, writer, University Library and in the traveller, and campaigner for Ancient University of Hull’s Brynmor Jones Egypt (2006). Library serving under . A great traveller and an On the occasion of the library’s 50th accomplished photographer of anniversary in 1979, he laid a poem flowers, I spent many evenings in It is appropriate here to mention the on her desk, ‘The daily things we do’. her house, or her garden, seeing sad loss of Brenda Moon who was He also wrote, at her behest, another photographs of her recent trips. In appointed chief librarian of the poem, ‘New eyes each year’. retirement, she travelled widely with University of Edinburgh in 1980, her dear sister, Mary who, after the becoming the first woman to hold Brenda cared for her library staff as diagnosis of a brain tumour, came to such a post in Scotland, and one of her family, and many remember with Edinburgh and cared for Brenda the first in a major UK research affection the interest she showed. fulltime. library. At meetings, there was always a A pioneer, she brought the homemade treat – scones and lemon Sheila Cannell library into the late 20th century, cakes stand out in my memory. with a clear vision of the She also took a great interest in, transformative influence digitisation and re-invigorated, the Friends of would have on libraries. But for Edinburgh University Library. Brenda, libraries were above all An active member of several about collections and she library organisations, both Scottish re-invigorated the special collections, and international, she was a co- incorporating books, manuscripts, founder of CURL (Consortium of archives, museum objects and art University Research Libraries, now works. She brought major RLUK). Elected a Fellow of the Royal collections too, including the papers Society of Edinburgh (RSE), she

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