KINSEY LIBRARY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 205, 29 August 1936, Page 8

KINSEY LIBRARY.

WEALTH OF RARE MATERIAL.

VALUABLE COPIES OF BUTLER'S WORKS

When the sixteen thousand or more volumes of the famous Warrimoo Library, collected by the late Sir Joseph Kineey and bequeathed by him to the Tunibull Library, Wellington, are lodged in their new home ' and made available to students of literature, they will be found to contain a wealth of rare, curious and unique material that will excite the envy of bibliophiles all over the world.

There are many art works and sumptuous editions such as none but the wealthy collector could hope to possess, and there is a remarkably complete collection of books dealing with PAlar exploration which was accumulated during Sir Joseph's long years of association with the work of such men as Shackleton and Scott. But apart from these are hundreds of rare and obscure volumes which only the persistent and long labours of an enthusiast for the curious in literature could have assembled.

One capacious bookcase after another is filled with works bearing 011 early New Zealand, many of them by forgotten New Zealanders; but for the Now Zealand interest the most important section of the Warrimoo Library is that which honours a man whose connection with this country has done much towards making it known in the great literary world—Samuel Butler.

Butler of Erewhon, whose works so challenged the logic and shocked the conscience of England in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Though not a New Zealander by birth lior even for long a resident in this country, Butler underwent a profound development during his experiences here and achieved that financial independence which enabled him during the rest of his life to write as he pleased; so that thoughts of New Zealand will always be intimately associated with thoughts of Butler. And was it not up our own Rakaia River and over our own Southern Alps that the discoverer of Erewhon set out on his momentous voyage ? Found Freedom. In the back country of Canterbury the young Butler found the freedom that was essential to the development of his philosophical ideas. Born in 1835, the son of an English rector and grandson of the famous Dr. Butler (head of Shrewsbury School and later Bishop of Norwich), Samuel Butler had been intended for the Church, but lie''early showed those radical tendencies which were to make him famous. Following continuous quarrels with his father oil this and other subjects, he broke, away and struck out for himself.

His decision falling on New Zealand, he came out to Canterbury and purchased the sheep run in the Rakaia Gorge, which he named Mesopotamia.

The Warrimoo collection of Butleriana contains 180 volumes and many pictures. Of "Erewhon" there are copies of every edition except the seventh, which, in any case, is of no particular importance. Three of the copies of "Erewhon" have direct personal connection with the author. A copy of the second (revised and corrected edition) is autographed on the title page "S. Butler." This copy is quite different from that described by Hoppe in his bibliography of Butler. It has brown cloth boards and bevelled edges, similar to the first edition, and the paper is thick. Butler inscribed his signature between the title and the p»raphrase. This copy formerly belonged to the Rev G. McKenzie, curate to Canon James at the Pro-Cathedral, Wellington.

Butler's handwriting also appears in the Warrimoo copy of the first edition of "Erewhon" (Trubner and Co., London, 1572), which has inside the cover a label addressed by the author to "J. C. Veel, Esq., Christchurch, Canterbury, 2STew Zealand." Mr. Veel was one of the few intimate friends that Butler made in New Zealand. This copy was presented to Sir Joseph by Miss Colborne Veel. Published Anonymously. The first four editions of "Erewhon" were published anonymously. The fifth, 1873, was the first to carry the author's name. One of the Warrimoo copies is autographed by

Henry J. Sealy and S. D. Barker. Sealy, a Government surveyor, whose name is borne by a range of mountains, accompanied Julius von Haast when lie visited Butler at Mesopotamia in ISG3. Haast and Butler struck up a close acquaintance. Among the Warrimoo Butleriana is a collection of the original watercolour sketches of the headwaters of South Island rivers made by Haast in the course of his explorations.

"A First Year in the Canterbury Settlement" is represented at Warrimoo by seven copies of various editions. A first ;edition (Longman, 1863) is autographed by the author "To Dr. Julius Haast, with S.B.'s very kind regards. June 0, 1864"; and a second copy of this edition contains a manuscript list of the names of the passengers who came out to New Zealand with Butler in the ship Roman Emperor. R. A. Streatfield's edition of "A First Year" (published 1014) is represented by a copv presented by the editor to Miss Mary C. Colborne Veel, which, after her death, was presented to Sir Joseph by her sister Gertrude.

One of the very few of Butler's writings to be published in New Zealand was "A Note on 'The Tempest,' Act 111., Sc. 1," which appeared in a volume entitled "Literary jjoundlings," printed at the "Lyttelton Times" office in 1564. It was issued in red, blue, green and cream paper boards, with all the borders in "ilt. The Warrimoo collection contains ten originals and ,an eleventh that is bound lip with other pamphlets.