The Howard Collection 1

Turnbull Library Record, Volume 34, 1 January 2001, Page 11

David Pearson

The Howard Collection 1

early Bibles and liturgical books in the Alexander Turnbull Library

The Special Printed Collections of the Alexander Tumbull Library include a small but select group of Bibles and liturgical texts, mostly dating from the 16th century and illustrating the development of the English ecclesiastical tradition during that time. The collection is focused principally around the English Bible and Book of Common Prayer, and the succession of editions which it includes makes it possible to study the transmission and change of these texts during what is arguably their main period of development. The books were all donated from the estate of Sir Arthur Howard, a distinguished if not very well known British collector who died in 1971, leaving behind the wish that this part of his library should be given to a suitable repository within the British Commonwealth.

The Turnbull may not, at first glance, seem the most obvious home for such a collection, although Sir Arthur had an active interest in New Zealand, forged through a number of direct connections mentioned below. The books are firmly rooted in a particular cultural tradition and whereas the fit with New Zealand might once have been accepted without question, the country today is more alive to debates about national identity and direction, and cultural allegiances. Should New Zealand regard itself as an offshoot of European civilisation, and see its roots there, or should it concentrate on its indigenous heritage? These issues affect the National Library and its collecting policies, where the emphasis for the future is being placed very much on acquiring and retaining that which is exclusively the output of New Zealand and New Zealanders. This means

that less effort will be allocated to acquiring material from elsewhere or from earlier times, even when it has also been a direct influence on that output. 2 Indeed, a visitor to New Zealand cannot help but experience the strong influence which European civilisation has exerted in shaping the country as it is today. For better or for worse, the colonial past is firmly entrenched in New Zealand’s heritage, and the Bible is as rooted in that heritage as it is in the English or American one. It was, in fact, a major interface between the Maori culture and that of the 19th century colonists, as the recent history of Book & print in New Zealand shows. 3 Just as a knowledge of the Bible and its history is essential to an understanding of the European past, so this knowledge belongs in New Zealand too.

This article discusses how the books making up even a small collection like this have a value beyond the purely textual, and beyond what can be entirely replicated in any kind of facsimile. The study of early texts, once entirely dependent upon tracking down copies in libraries with holdings of the originals, has already been facilitated by the advent of microform facsimiles, and the growing power of the Internet as a means of transmitting information, irrespective of geographical constraints, has the potential to make this easier still. But the impact of a book as a physical object, to be experienced as a piece of cultural history, can only come from the artefact itself. These particular books each have their own individual histories which, in aggregate, reflect the history of the Bible and associated texts in western culture over several centuries. We need to respect and preserve them not out of sentiment, or merely to provide a choice of reading format, but because people are likely to have an ongoing wish to study and experience what they comprise.

Such an awareness of historical cultural roots and influences also inspired Alexander Turnbull, the donor of the founding library to the Crown in 1918, to build a broadly-based collection. His own library included some magnificent illuminated manuscripts and had great strength in early printed books—the latter has subsequently been developed to create one of the world’s most important collections of Milton and his 17th century milieu.

The Turnbull Library is therefore not only a welcoming context for the Howard Collection in general terms, but the collection is also significantly complemented within the Library by the somewhat larger collection of the Bible Society in New Zealand, deposited shortly after the Howard books were received. 4 This includes 166 volumes printed before 1801 (21 before 1601), with a wider chronological and geographical spread than Howard; the earliest complete Bible is the third edition of the Great Bible (1540), and there is very little overlap between the two collections. The Howard bequest significantly enriches the national holdings in this area and the power of new technology makes it possible for all the world to know. A summary handlist of the contents of the collection follows, but fuller details of the books can be found in the National Library catalogue, available online via <www.natlib.govt.nz> or in hard copy from the Curator, Special Printed Collections, Alexander Turnbull Library, PO Box 12-349, Wellington, New Zealand.

Sir Arthur Howard and his collection

Arthur Howard was born in 1896, the third son of the surgeon R. J. B. Howard (18591921). His career embraced a mixture of administration and politics; he was Treasurer of St. Thomas’s Hospital, London, between 1943 and 1964, Chairman of the Delegates of King’s College, London during the 1950 s and 60s, and also for a short time Conservative MP for St George’s Division, Westminster (1945-50). He was knighted in 1953 and died in 1971.

As mentioned earlier, Sir Arthur Howard also had a personal interest in New Zealand. This was apparently initially sparked during the First World War by a period of hospitalisation with New Zealand soldiers, whose spirit he admired, and he subsequently visited New Zealand in 1931. Another direct contact included sharing a room with a New Zealand politician at an international conference in the 19405. His collection of early printed books and manuscripts, amassed over many years and kept at his house in Steyning, in Sussex, covered a number of discrete areas,

including the English Bible and Prayer Book, English incunabula, Shakespeare, the Kelmscott Press, and first editions of medical and scientific texts. Some items were disposed of during his lifetime, including a unique copy of George Joye’s translation of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, printed ca. 1534 (STC 2752), 6 which he gave to Lambeth Palace Library in 1963. 7 Following his death and the directions left about the dispersal of the Bibles and associated books, negotiations facilitated by the firm of Maggs led to the proposal by Sir Arthur’s family to offer the books to the Alexander Turnbull Library, which was sent a list of 60 items from which material to a certain value was to be selected. The items excluded by this selection process were largely liturgical, including several medieval manuscripts and a Wynkyn de Worde Sarum Missal of 1511, formerly in the possession of Sir Thomas Phillipps; the only significant Biblical text left behind was a first edition of the Geneva Bible, of which the Library already had a copy.* The resulting collection of 49 items in 57 volumes was received in New Zealand in 1974.

The English Bible and the Howard Collection The development of the printed English Bible during the 16th and early 17th centuries is a well known and much-described story, generally perceived as a series of landmarks as new translations made their first appearance. In between, an everincreasing quantity of new editions of these versions was printed as time progressed. 9 After the earliest experiments of Tyndale and Joye, whose translations of various parts of the Bible appeared in the late 1520 s and early 15305, Coverdale’s version became the first complete Bible to be printed in English, in 1535. The transition from suppression to approval by the state in the mid-1530s led to the first Bible printing in England in 1537, the year in which ‘Matthew’s version’ appeared, which combined the texts of Tyndale and Coverdale. Coverdale’s revision of that text produced the ‘Great Bible’ of 1539, ordered to be set up in churches, which passed through numerous editions during the 15405, although editions of the earlier versions continued to be produced. After this, the next major milestone was the appearance of the Geneva Bible in 1560, the work of William Whittingham and other English protestants exiled in Geneva during Mary’s reign, which continued to be a much reprinted text well into the following century. In 1568 the Bishops’ Bible appeared, translated by Matthew Parker and others, which became the officially sanctioned version until replaced by the Authorised Version in 1611. In 15 82 the first edition of the Rheims New Testament appeared, the Roman Catholic answer to this succession of Protestant texts, complemented by the Old Testament published in Douai in 1609-10. With the exception of the early texts of Joye, the Howard Collection embraces all these versions, usually in several editions. 10 They are not usually represented by their

first appearance in print—the Bishops’ Bible is the only exception here —and the acquisition of first editions seems not to have been a priority for him (which may, of course, have been dictated by matters of cost or availability). The sense which emerges from the collection is of a wish to assemble a comprehensive coverage of the key texts, without holding numerous multiple editions of any of them. It is a very small collection numerically, and Howard would have had many opportunities to augment it with further editions, particularly of the later versions like Geneva and King James. In fact there is only one Authorised Version included, the 1612 quarto (the first quarto printing of this New Testament) (H 29), and three Geneva editions, including the second edition of 1562 (HI4), and the 1610 Edinburgh edition, the second Bible to be printed in Scotland (H2B).

Howard seems to have concentrated on collecting multiple editions at the earlier end of the spectrum, with a particularly valuable sequence of Coverdale versions. Although there are no imprints before 1538, there are four Coverdale texts from that year: the first edition of the diglot New Testament (with Erasmus’s Latin), printed in London but condemned by Coverdale for its raft of errors (H 4); the second London edition of the same year, in which the printer tried to rectify his mistakes (H 5); the Paris edition of November 1538, supervised and approved by Coverdale himself (H 6); and an Antwerp edition of the English text only (HI).

The most obvious lacuna, apart from the earliest editions before 1538, is probably the first edition of Matthew’s Bible of 1537. The collection does, however, include the first edition of Taverner’s revision of Matthew, printed in 1539 (H 8). Tyndale is represented in three editions printed between 1538 and 1550 (H 2-3, H 7, HI7). The earliest Great Bible is the fourth edition of 1541 (H 10), supplemented by several other editions of the following decades. The Rheims/Douai translation is included in a complete edition of the 1630 s (H3O), and in William Fulke ’ s Confutation of 15 89 (H 26). Matthew Parker’s Anglo-Saxon gospels of 1571 are also included, in a particularly nice copy (H 25) with the ownership inscription of John Savile, noting that the book was presented to him by Parker, in the presence of William Fleetwood—an example of the Elizabethan antiquarian movement, which would lead to the founding of the Society of Antiquaries, in action. 11

The non-English Bibles constitute just a handful of 16th century texts in Greek or Greek and Latin, and the Latin liturgy is similarly present as a sample rather than anything which can be said to be comprehensive, although some interesting and attractive copies are included. The English liturgy is covered in more depth around the time of Edward VI, but sparingly so thereafter. Three of the prayer books of 1549 are included, including the first version of 7 March (HSO), with two versions from 1552. One of these is particularly scarce, a complete copy of STC 16282.3, noted by STC as surviving in only two copies elsewhere (one of which is imperfect); the Howard copy (H 54) includes the final leaf with regulations about the prices at which the book may be sold, according to the style of binding.

Rare and unique items Not surprisingly, a collection like this includes a number of items of notable bibliographical rarity. Heading this list are two editions of The bokes of Salomon in the Great Bible version, printed ca. 1550-51, which are apparently the only surviving copies. STC 2757.5, a sextodecimo, unfortunately lacking its first gathering but with an undated colophon of Rycharde Jugge, is identified in STC only as the ‘Harmsworth copy, bought by Maggs, cannot be traced’. In fact it went to Howard and is now in the Turnbull Library (Hl9). 12 The book is interesting not only for its rarity but also for its binding, which is a slightly damaged but once handsome contemporary London binding of dark brown calf, gilt-tooled with a rectangular arabesque panel stamp (see Figure 2). I have not traced this tool elsewhere although it is very similar to one used by the Initial Binder in the early 15605, illustrated by Howard Nixon in his article on Elizabethan gold-tooled bindings. 13 Equally rare is the Howard copy of STC 2759, The bokes of Salomon printed in 1551, known to STC only from this example (H 18). The binding is again contemporary, but more simply blind-stamped.

A duodecimo New Testament in Tyndale’s version, printed about 1550, is known to STC from only three copies, all imperfect (STC 2864). The Howard copy (additional to these) (HI7) also lacks its title-leaf, but is otherwise complete, making it the most complete copy known to survive. Among the prayer books, the rarity of STC 16282.3 (H 54, 1552) has been noted above; another prayer book, an octavo edition of 1560, is known to survive only as one imperfect copy in Oxford (STC 16294a.3; the Howard copy (H6O) is also defective). Another scarce item is STC 2968, Taverner’s version of The epistles and gospelles with a brief postil vpon the same from after Easter tyll Advent, recorded in STC as four surviving copies, of which three are imperfect. The Howard copy (HI6), which is complete apart from minor defects, is a British Museum discard with the elliptical red Museum Britannicum stamp and 19th century British Museum pressmarks.

Provenance A major proportion of the collection (21 volumes) was acquired from the dispersal of the Leicester Harmsworth library, at the sale of prayer books (Sotheby’s, 28 January 1946) and Bibles (8 July 1946). 14 Howard seems to have acquired a significant proportion of his biblical and liturgical material this way and, having established the collection, added only slightly to it thereafter. He made one purchase at the sale of George Goyder’s Bibles at Sotheby’s on 23 June 1956 (lot 13, one of the Coverdale New Testaments of 1538), although that too had previously been a Harmsworth book (H 5). Other smaller clusters are two books from the collection of Lord Peckover (HIS and H 34), and three with the bookplate of the Yorkshire collector William Gott, whose library was dispersed in 1908-10 after the death of his son John Gott, Bishop of Truro 15 (HI6, Hsl, H 56).

Looking overall at the previous ownership of the books during the last century and a half, the list reads as a roll call of many of the great Bible collectors of the period, including (as well as Harmsworth) Amherst of Hackney, Ashbumham, Francis Fry, Henry Huth, and Lea Wilson. There is one book (H 47) from the library of John Bellingham Inglis, that ‘very eccentric collector’ (in the words of de Ricci), which exemplifies his ‘peculiar mania ... to cut out tiny engravings, coats-of-arms, monograms, etc., and paste them on the first or last leaves of his books, regardless of their being in any way suitable’. 16 Mention of this book makes it possible to lay another STC mystery to rest, as this is STC 16002 a, noted as sold at Sotheby’s in 1900, bought by Ellis, and since untraced. As regards earlier noteworthy owners, the Anglo-Saxon gospels given by Parker to John Savile were mentioned above (H 25). There is also a book from the library of Henry Savile of Banke (Hsl), one with the inscription of the 18th century printing historian William Herbert (HSB), and one with the distinctive hand of his contemporary Richard Farmer (H4B).

Bindings and marks of ownership

With the exception of the 16th century gilt-tooled binding on the Bokes of Salomon (HI9), the bindings in the collection are probably more noteworthy for later rather than earlier work. They range in date from a contemporary London binding on the 1527 Erasmus New Testament (H 32) to 20th century morocco, with all centuries in between being represented. The earlier bindings have generally suffered from the ravages of time or later repair, but one of the 1552 prayer books has a handsome if straightforward gilt-tooled black turkey binding of around 1700, in very fresh condition (H 53). However, as many of these books have been through the hands of 19th and early 20th century collectors, much rebinding has been done according to the custom of that time, and among the solid morocco bindings with heavily gilded edges are nice examples of the work of Francis Bedford, Riviere, and Sangorski & Sutcliffe. The most striking example of this school of activity is probably a binding by Birdsall of Northampton, on the 1539 Taverner Bible (H 8), in bright citron morocco with a heavily gilded pattern of Tudor roses, fleur-de-lys and floral bunches (see Figure 2).

Although this is not a large collection, it can be seen to represent a microcosm of the patterns of collecting, using and owning biblical and liturgical texts over the centuries. We can see, in some of the early inscriptions, straightforward ownership of the books as working devotional texts, with names written simply at various points within the texts, though sometimes accompanied by a religious sentiment appropriate to the content. The significance of the Bible as a sacred text suitable for recording special things may be seen in the 1550 Coverdale Bible (H 22), where one John Ketteryge in 1555 chose the opening page of the New Testament on which to write the bequest of property to his kinsman Thomas. The liturgical books are regularly annotated for working purposes, with revised texts written in by later generations of owners, or offending words (such as the name of the Pope) obliterated in the cause of reform. Margins are liberally used for pen trials and trivia (‘William Wright is my name and withe my hand I wrote the same’, etc.), and one of the prayer books (H 59) has a note ‘Henry Higgenson we we [sic] are not good boye’, to which the counterpoint, several pages later, reads ‘Cozen Elizabeth you are not a good wench’.

With the passing of time the ownership patterns change and we can see the beginnings of collecting as opposed to mere owning. Notes begin to appear in 18th century hand commenting on the rarity or interest of the edition, as interest in typographical antiquities grows. Once into the 19th century, the books have very much become collectible objects, cherished by being taken out of their earlier covers and put into new morocco, often with some kind of nod towards a contemporary style, as interpreted by Victorian eyes. The binding of the Marbeck Concordance of 1550 (H 23) imitates a 16th century roll binding, while two of the prayer books (Hsl,

H 56) have rather more convincing bindings by Francis Bedford which are close replicas of early 17th century centrepiece bindings. We can also study other aspects of 19th century book collecting fashion, as a number of the books rebound at this time have clearly been washed—the 1607 prayer book (H 56) has a note, dated 1861, ‘bound by Bedford & cleaned’. The popularity of supplying missing leaves in facsimile, as well as the making up of copies by quarrying others, can also be seen, and many of the imperfect Bibles have faked leaves skilfully made. The work of John Harris, a master craftsman in this area, can be seen in the earliest Great Bible (H 10), in which the facsimile title page is noted by Francis Fry to be Harris’s work. 17

Handlist of the Howard Collection

This list gives brief details of the content of the collection, with summary information on provenance and bindings. Bibliographical details are deliberately brief as fuller information will be found in the appropriate STC and Herbert descriptions. 18 Items from the Harmsworth collection are identified by their lot numbers in the sales of 28 January and 8 July 1946. Final numbers in parentheses, preceded by ‘H\ indicate shelfmarks within the Howard sequence. A complete listing of the volumes by ‘H’ number is appended.

Bibles Tyndale version New Testament, English & Latin, 4°, London, 1538; STC 2815; Herbert 36. Two copies, both imperfect, with some leaves supplied in facsimile: (1) Provenance: John Griffith (16th century), John and Thomas Lightwood (16/17th century); E. F. Bosanquet (bookplate, 19/20th century) Binding: 20th century morocco (H2) (2) Provenance: Thomas Kydmore (16th century); Ashburnham; Michael Tomkinson (collection sold, 1922); Harmsworth (2398) Binding: 19th century morocco, by W. J. Mansell (H 3)

New Testament, English & Latin, B°, London, 1550; STC 2821; Herbert 88. Title leaf in facsimile. Provenance: John Cooke, 1566; Henry Frohock, 17th century Binding: 19th century straight grain morocco, by Maclehose, Glasgow (H 7) New Testament, 12°, London, 1550?; STC 2864; Herbert 91. Lacks title leaf, but otherwise complete. Provenance: Harmsworth (2407) Binding: 19th century morocco (Hl7)

Coverdale version New Testament, English & Latin, 4°, London, 1538; STC 2816; Herbert 37. Title leaf in facsimile. Provenance : Henry Huth; Harmsworth (2420) Binding: 18th century russia (H 4)

New Testament, B°, Antwerp, 1538; STC 2836.5; Herbert 42. Lacks several leaves, including title leaf. Provenance : H. Sherbrooke of Oxton, 1712; Amherst of Hackney; Harmsworth (2427 A) Binding: Late 16th century centrepiece binding (HI)

New Testament, 4°, London, 1538; STC 2816.7; Herbert 38. Provenance : Harmsworth (2421); George Goyder (lot 13, Sotheby’s, 23 June 1958) Binding : 16th century roll binding, Oldham HM.a(l2) (H 5)

New Testament, B°, Paris, 1538; STC 2817; Herbert 39. Bound with metrical psalms (Stemhold & Hopkins), London, 1608, STC 2526.6. Provenance: Henry Huth; Harmsworth (2426) Binding: Early 17th century red goatskin, with small central gilt tool of a pair of clasping hands (H 6)

Bible, 4°, Zurich, 1550; STC 2080; Herbert 84. Lacks several leaves, including title leaf. Provenance: Sir George Shuckburgh (d. 1804; bookplate, Franks 26854 and notes in his hand) Binding: 20th century morocco (H 22)

Matthew’s version Bible, 2°, London, 1539; STC 20 67; Herbert 45. Title leaf, and several others, in facsimile. Provenance: Roger Hatton (16th century); Harmsworth (2439) Binding: 20th century morocco, by Birdsall of Northampton (H 8) (see Figure 3)

Liturgical epistles and gospels, 4°, London, 1540; STC 2968. Provenance: British Museum, with oval red stamp ca. 1800 and pressmarks; William Gott (1797-1861; bookplate, Franks 12353); E. F. Bosanquet (bookplate, 19/20th century) Binding: Early 18th century blind tooled calf (Hl6)

Great Bible version Bible, 2°, London, 1541; STC 2072; Herbert 60. Title leaf, and several other leaves, in facsimile. Provenance: Francis Fry (1803-86); Harmsworth (2457) Binding: 19th century russia (H 10)

Bible, 2°, London, 1549; STC 2079; Herbert 76. Provenance: Lea Wilson; Henry Huth; Harmsworth (2463) Binding : 19th century blue morocco (H2O) Bible, 2°, London, 1553; STC 2091; Herbert 102. Provenance: Richard Guy, 1644 Binding: Late 16th century roll binding, Oldham HE.b(5) (H 9)

Bible, 2°, Rouen, 1566; STC 2098; Herbert 119. Provenance : Harmsworth (2471) Binding-. 20th century morocco (Hll) Proverbs of Solomon, B°, London, 1551; STC 2759. Lacks gathering C. Provenance : E D (blind stamped on covers); Ashburnham; George Dunn (book label, 20th century); Harmsworth (2467) Binding : Mid 16th century blind tooled calf, Memento Mori stamped on covers (H 18)

Proverbs of Solomon, B°, London, 1550?; STC 2757.5. Lacks all before 81. Provenance: Given to Margaret Willoughby by Elizabeth Beaumont, 1613; Harmsworth (2466) Binding: Mid 16th century English gilt tooled calf (Hl9) (see Figure 2)

Geneva Bible version Bible, 2°, Geneva, 1562; STC 2095; Herbert 116. Provenance: Robert Fenn (17th century); Harmsworth (2476) Binding: 16th century roll binding, Oldham HM.c(4) (Hl4)

New Testament, B°, London, 1576; STC 2878; Herbert 146. Lacks one preliminary leaf, and one at the end. Provenance: Ed. Eliot (17th century); Alexander, Baron Peckover of Wisbech (bookplate, Franks 23090) Binding: 19th century calf (Hls) Bible, 2°, Edinburgh, 1610; STC 2209; Herbert 302. Provenance: George Gladstaine (17th century); Charles Butler (book label, 19/20th century); Harmsworth (2500) Binding: 19th century morocco by Orrock & Son (H2B)

Bishops’ Bible version Bible, 2°, London, 1568; STC 2099; Herbert 125. Two copies, both lacking some leaves, both Harmsworth (2515): (1 ) Binding: 19th century morocco (Hl2) (2) Provenance: Edward Milles, 1663; Binding: 19th century russia (Hl3) Gospels, Anglo-Saxon & English, 4°, London, 1571; STC 2961; Herbert 131. Provenance: “Liber Joannis Savile ... ex dono ... mathei Archiep[iscop]l Cantuar: 16 die augusti 1571 in presentia W. Fletewodd”; J. Fullerton, 19th century; Earl Fitzwilliam (20th century) Binding: Late 16th century plain limp vellum (H 25)

New Testament, Bishops’ & Rheims, London, 2°, 1589; STC 2888; Herbert 202. Title leaf, and several other leaves, in facsimile. Provenance: William Leigh, 1628; William Allen, 1732 Binding: Late 16th century centrepiece binding (H 26)

Authorised version New Testament, 4°, London, 1612; STC 2910; Herbert 318. Provenance : John S. Pakington (19th century); Charles Tabor Binding : 19th century blind tooled calf (H 29)

Douai/Rheims version Bible, 4°, Rouen, 1635-33; STC 2946. Provenance: Will: Fowler (17th century); Viscount Belasyse (1699-1774; bookplate. Franks 2063); Harmsworth (2580) Binding: Mid 17th century plain calf (H3O)

Polyglot Biblia polyglotta, ed. B. Walton, 6v., 2°, London, 1657-60; Wing 82797. Binding: 17th century calf, with later repair (H 36-41)

Foreign bibles St John’s Gospel, Greek, 4°, Venice, Aldus, 1504; Adams G 1142. Lacks four preliminary unsigned leaves. Provenance: C. E. Stewart (bookplate dated 1893, Franks 28147) Binding: Plain vellum (H 33) New Testament, Greek, 4°, Hagenau, 1521; Adams 81648. Provenance: Herbert Evans (1802-77); Alexander, Baron Peckover of Wisbech (bookplate, Franks 23090) Binding: 19th century morocco (armorial for Evans) (H 34)

New Testament, Latin & Greek (Erasmus), 2°, Basle, 1527 Adams 81682. Binding: 16th century roll binding, Oldham HE.h(l) and C.(4) (H 32) New Testament, Greek, Geneva, 1551. Provenance: William Constable (18th century bookplate, Franks 6646) Binding: 18th century French calf (H 35)

Prayer books Book of Common Prayer, 2°, London, 7 March 1549; STC 16267. Provenance: John Throsyll (16th century); Richard Henry Wood (19th century) Binding: 19th century morocco (HSO)

Book of Common Prayer, 2°, London, 4 May 1549; STC 16270 a. Provenance : “Henry Sauile de la Banke”, 17th century; William Gott (1797-1861; bookplate, Franks 12353) Binding: 19th century morocco by Francis Bedford (Hsl) Book of Common Prayer, 2°, London, 16 June 1549; STC 16273. Provenance: John Naylor (bookplate dated 1860); Harmsworth (2142) Binding : 19th century blue morocco (H 52)

Book of Common Prayer, 2°, London, August 1552; STC 16286. Provenance: Lord Wenman (18th century bookplate, Franks 31310); Harmsworth (2145) Binding: Gilt-tooled black goatskin, ca. 1700 (H 53)

Book of Common Prayer, 2°, London, 1552; STC 16282.3. Provenance: Harmsworth (2147) Binding: Mid 17th century plain calf (H 54)

Book of Common Prayer, 4°, London, 1560? STC 16294? Title leaf and some preliminaries supplied from another, later edition. Provenance: Anthony Brokett (17th century); Henry Higgenson (17/18th century); Robert Howarth (18th century) Binding: 18th century blind tooled calf (H 59)

Book of Common Prayer, B°, London, 1560; STC 16294a.3. Lacks all before leaf 82. Provenance: Jhon Bearde (17th century); Ashburnham; Amherst of Hackney; Michael Tomkinson Binding: Mid 16th century blind tooled English roll binding (H6O)

Book of Common Prayer, 4°, London, 1562; STC 16295. Provenance: Mansfield Price (d. 1765); William Herbert (1718-95); Samuel Christie-Miller (1811-89) Binding: 19th century calf (HSB) Book of Common Prayer, 2°, London, 1604; STC 16327. Final leaf supplied in facsimile. Provenance: Crewe Hall (Baron Crewe; 19th century bookplate, Franks 7345) Binding: 19th century russia binding, by Robinson (H 55)

Book of Common Prayer, 2°, London, 1607; STC 16332. Provenance : John Woodshawe (17th century); Nathaniel, Lord Crewe (1633-1721); Lord Alvanley (1789-1849); William Gott (1797-1861; bookplate, Franks 12353); Harmsworth (2161) Binding: 19th century morocco by Francis Bedford (H 56) Book of Common Prayer, 2°, Edinburgh, 1637; STC 16606. Binding: 17th century plain calf (H 57)

Latin liturgy Sarum hours, B°, Paris & Rouen, 1497; STC 15885. Provenance : William Bulkley (16th century); Isbell Ysymbert (16th century); Mary Midgely (19th century); Robert Mackenzie Beverley Binding : 19th century gold tooled calf (H 42)

Sarum hours, B°, Paris, 1498; STC 15887; Printed on vellum. Lacks 9 leaves. Provenance: Charles Hurt, 1821; Ashburnham; George Dunn (book label, 20th century) Binding: Early 20th century red morocco, by Riviere (H 43)

York breviary, B°, 1526; STC 15858. Provenance: Tob. Swinburne (17th century); Robert Davies (18th century); R. B. Davies Cooke Binding: 19th century calf (H 45) Sarum hours, 4°, Paris, 1527; STC 15954. Binding: Early 20th century red morocco, by Sangorski & Sutcliffe (H 46)

Sarum primer, B°, Rouen, 1538?; STC 16002 a. Lacks final leaf. Provenance: John Bellingham Inglis (1780-1870); Baron Aldenham (1819-1907); Wallace Clare Binding: 19th century calf (H 47) Sarum manual, 4°, London, 1554; STC 16152. Binding: 16th century roll binding, Oldham HM.a(l3) (H 49)

Sarum primer, B°, Rouen, 1556; STC 16076. Provenance : Richard Farmer (1735-97); Edmund Ferrers (18/19th century bookplate, Franks 10421/2) Binding: 18th century half calf, marbled boards (H4B)

Concordances Marbeck, A concordance, 2°, London, 1550; STC 17300. Binding: 19th century calf, imitating a 16th century roll binding (H 23)

Index to Howard Collection numbers HI Coverdale New Testament, B°, Antwerp, 1538; STC 2836.5; Herbert 42 H 2-3 Tyndale New Testament, English & Latin, 4°, London, 1538; STC 2815; Herbert 36 H 4 Coverdale New Testament, English & Latin, 4°, London, 1538; STC 2816; Herbert 37 H 5 Coverdale New Testament, 4°, London, 1538; STC 2816.7; Herbert 38 H 6 Coverdale New Testament, B°, Paris, 1538; STC 2817; Herbert 39. Bound with metrical psalms (Sternhold & Hopkins), London, 1608, STC 2526.6 H 7 Tyndale New Testament, English & Latin, B°, London, 1550; STC 2821; Herbert 88

H 8 Matthew Bible, 2°, London, 1539; STC 2067; Herbert 45 H 9 Great Bible, 2°, London, 1553; STC 2091; Herbert 102 HlO Great Bible, 2°, London, 1541; STC 2072; Herbert 60 Hll Great Bible, 2°, Rouen, 1566; STC 2098; Herbert 119 Hl2-13 Bishops’ Bible, 2°, London, 1568; STC 2099; Herbert 125 Hl4 Geneva Bible, 2°, Geneva, 1562; STC 2095; Herbert 116 Hls Geneva New Testament, B°, London, 1576; STC 2878; Herbert 146 Hl6 Matthew: Liturgical epistles and gospels, 4°, London, 1540; STC 2968 Hl7 Tyndale New Testament, 12°, London, 1550?; STC 2864; Herbert 91 HlB Great Bible: Proverbs of Solomon, B°, London, 1551; STC 2759 Hl9 Great Bible: Proverbs of Solomon, B°, London, 1550?; STC 2757.5 H2O Great Bible, 2°, London, 1549; STC 2079; Herbert 76 H 22 Coverdale Bible, 4°, Zurich, 1550; STC 2080; Herbert 84 H 23 Marbeck, A concordance, 2°, London, 1550; STC 17300 H 25 Bishops’ Bible: Gospels, Anglo-Saxon & English, 4°, London, 1571; STC 2961; Herbert 131

H 26 Bishops’ Bible: New Testament, Bishops’ & Rheims, London, 2°, 1589; STC 2888; Herbert 202 H2B Geneva Bible, 2°, Edinburgh, 1610; STC 2209; Herbert 302 H 29 Authorised: New Testament, 4°, London, 1612; STC 2910; Herbert 318 H3O Douai/Rheims Bible, 4°, Rouen, 1635-33; STC 2946 H 32 New Testament, Latin & Greek (Erasmus), 2°, Basle, 1527 Adams 81682 H 33 St John’s Gospel, Greek, 4°, Venice, Aldus, 1504; Adams G 1142 H 34 New Testament, Greek, 4°, Hagenau, 1521; Adams 81648 H 35 New Testament, Greek, Geneva, 1551 H 36-41 Biblia polyglotta, ed. B. Walton, 6v., 2°, London, 1657-60; Wing 82797 H 42 Sarum hours, B°, Paris & Rouen, 1497; STC 15885 H 43 Sarum hours, B°, Paris, 1498; STC 15887 H 45 York breviary, B°, 1526; STC 15858 H 46 Sarum hours, 4°, Paris, 1527; STC 15954 H 47 Sarum primer, B°, Rouen, 1538?; STC 16002 a H4B Sarum primer, B°, Rouen, 1556; STC 16076 H 49 Sarum manual, 4°, London, 1554; STC 16152 HSO Book of Common Prayer, 2°, London, 7 March 1549; STC 16267 Hsl Book of Common Prayer, 2°, London, 4 May 1549; STC 16270 a H 52 Book of Common Prayer, 2°, London, 16 June 1549; STC 16273

H 53 Book of Common Prayer, 2°, London, August 1552; STC 16286 H 54 Book of Common Prayer, 2°, London, 1552; STC 16282.3 H 55 Book of Common Prayer, 2°, London, 1604; STC 16327 H 56 Book of Common Prayer, 2°, London, 1607; STC 16332 H 57 Book of Common Prayer, 2°, Edinburgh, 1637; STC 16606 HSB Book of Common Prayer, 4°, London, 1562; STC 16295 H 59 Book of Common Prayer, 4°, London, 1560?; STC 16294? H6O Book of Common Prayer, B°, London, 1560; STC 16294a.3 Note: Gaps in the numerical sequence relate to items on the original list not selected by the Alexander Turnbull Library.

Turnbull Library Record 34 (2001), 11-28

References 1 Research for this article was made possible by a two-week invited consultancy at the Turnbull Library in June 1999. I am extremely grateful to the Trustees of the National Library of New Zealand for sponsoring this visit, and to the staff there for their help, most especially Robert Petre, Curator, Special Printed Collections, Alexander Turnbull Library. A slightly different version of the article appeared in The book collector, 50 (2001), 217-234. 2 ‘New Zealand’s documentary heritage will be the primary focus for the National Library’s collection, preservation and access activities’, Towards the 21st century: Strategic plan of the National Library of New Zealand (Wellington: National Library of New Zealand, 1998), p.B. The text is also available on the Library’s website <http://www.natlib.govt.nz>). 3 Jane Mcßae Transitions ,in Book & print in New Zealand: A guide to print culture in Aotearoa, ed. by P. Griffith, P. Hughes and A. Loney (Wellington: Victoria University Press, 1997), p. 29, points out that the Bible was for a long time the only literature read by Maori (who originally had an entirely oral culture), and that it had a literary and narrative appeal beyond the theological and spiritual.

4 This collection is described in V. G. Elliott, ‘Some early printed Bibles in the collection of the Bible Society in New Zealand’, Turnbull Library Record, 7 (1977), 49-53. 5 The most accessible source of biographical information on Sir Arthur is his entry in Who was who, 1971-1980; a very short obituary was printed in The Times (London), 27 April 1971.1 am grateful to Sir Arthur Howard’s son Alexander (Jo Howard), of Taupo, New Zealand, for additional personal details, and to the Howard family for the loan of the photographic portrait of Sir Arthur. 6 STC refers to A. W. Pollard and G. R. Redgrave, A short-title catalogue of books printed in England, Scotland, & Ireland . . . 1475-1640, 2nd edn, rev. by K. F. Pantzer, 3 vols (London: Bibliographical Society, 1976-91). ‘H’ numbers refer to the Library’s shelflist number within the Howard collection (see listing, p. 25-27).

7 The book has a presentation label showing that Howard presented it to Lambeth Palace Library on the occasion of Archbishop Ramsay’s dedication of the new foundation stone of St. Thomas’s Hospital, 24 July 1963.1 am grateful to Christina Mackwell for this information.

8 The details of the transaction can be found in the donation records of the Turnbull Library. The most noteworthy of the medieval manuscripts was a copy of the York Horae, ca. 1300, formerly in the Dyson Perrins collection. 9 There are many detailed accounts of the development of the English Bible, such as chapter 4 (‘English versions of the Bible, 1525-1611’) in The Cambridge History of the Bible: Volume 3, The West from the Reformation to the present day, ed. by S. L. Greenslade (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1963). The story can be traced bibliographically in detail in A. S. Herbert, Historical catalogue of printed editions of the English Bible 1525-1961; revised and expanded from the edition ofT. H. Darlow and H. F. Moule (London: British & Foreign Bible Society, 1968).

10 Howard’s collection originally included one of the Joye versions, but this was given to Lambeth Palace Library in 1963, as noted above. 11 The history of the earliest Society of Antiquaries, in the late 16th century, is somewhat uncertain but later work has suggested that the statement in the Dictionary of National Biography article on John Savile, that he was ‘an original member of the Society of Antiquaries, founded by Archbishop Parker in 1572’, needs revision; see M. Mackisack, Medieval history in the Tudor age (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1971), chapter 7. It seems likely that the Society was not in fact founded until 1586, after Parker’s time, although Savile was certainly a member of it.

12 The book was identified by Mark Bland in 1993. See ‘Research notes’, Turnbull Library Record, 27 (1994), 91-92. 13 H. M. Nixon, ‘Elizabethan gold-tooled bindings’, in Essays in honour of Victor Scholderer, ed. by D. E. Rhodes (Mainz: Karl Pressler, 1970), pp. 219-270 (p. 232 and plate 2). Nixon knew of only this one instance of the tool in the Initial Binder’s output, on a book now in Stockholm. It is clearly a close variant of the design, rather than the same tool as is used on the Howard book, as it lacks the enclosing rectangular frame and some of the fleuron shapes are slightly different.

14 The scope and importance of the library of Sir Leicester Harmsworth (1870-1937) is indicated in Louis B. Wright, ‘The Harmsworth Collection and the Folger Library’, The book collector , 6 (1957), 123-128, although this concentrates only on the part of his collection that went to the Folger, rather than the 35 auction sales by which the remainder of the collection was dispersed between 1939 and 1953. See also E. M. Dring, ‘Fifty years at Quaritch’, The book collector: Special number for the 150th anniversary of Bernard Quaritch (1997), 35-52 (pp. 43-4), and the note in The Times, (London), ‘£227,645 for a library: Harmsworth sales ended’, 2 December 1953. 15 See the entry for John Gott in the Dictionary of national biography, second supplement. 16 S. de Ricci, English collectors of books and manuscripts (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1930), pp. 97-98. 17 On Harris, see B. Gaines, ‘A forgotten artist: John Harris and the Rylands copy of Caxton’s edition of Malory’, Bulletin of the John Rylands Library, 52 (1969-70), 115-128, and the entry in The Dictionary of national biography: Missing persons, ed. by C. S. Nicholls (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993), p. 291. 18 For details of ‘STC’ see note 6 above, and for ‘Herbert’ see note 9.