We are delighted to present a guest blog post from William, currently on student placement with us in Archives and Special Collections and contributing to the ongoing project to match our books to those on the English Short Title Catalogue.

There’s nothing quite like perusing the pages of an old book. I remember the time when a thoughtful friend bought me a 1901 copy of the Edmund Rostand play Cyrano de Bergerac. The book had yellowed leaves, an old paper smell, and light bumping to the bindings that showed its age. In addition to a quite excellent play, I was delighted to find the edition included several inserted advertisements pertaining to the early 1900s Paris from which the book had been plucked. It served as a small tangible window into a time and place in a way that only an old book can do.

So, I was pleased that, during the second semester of the MSc Information and Library Studies course, I would have the privilege of completing a placement in the Archives and Special Collections department of the Andersonian Library. In this placement I was tasked with matching holdings of books in the John Anderson collection at Strathclyde with titles in the English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC). The ESTC is a bibliography of English language books published before 1801 and includes links to those academic libraries around the world that hold a copy. This project put me in direct contact with books in the Anderson collection, comparing them to descriptions in the ESTC. A careful eye had to be given to small changes that might be present between differing editions and printings.

One of the joys of working with this collection was simply the ability to connect with a real piece of Glasgow history that is over 200 years old. The texts trace the tale of John Anderson’s interests spanning theology, philosophy, literature and history. These books formed the core of Anderson’s personal collection in a younger Glasgow swept up in the expansion of the ‘Tobacco lords’, while revolution swept through France and America. Through these books he continued to engage with the collective conversation of academia and added his own voice to theirs through his own works. Personal details can be found in these volumes such as a handwritten note from Anderson’s physician, Dr Peter Wright.

'A man of general knowledge and zealous in his profession... I saw him breathe his last'

Inscription written by Peter Wright about John Anderson, in 'Institutes of Physics' 1795 (reference: Anderson Collection (other)).

In addition to Anderson’s history, the books themselves give up enticing details of the times of their writing and beyond through various inserts, advertisements and maps. 

Linking them in the ESTC further reinforced the notion of how books created the shared network of knowledge that was present in the academic institutions of the time. When logging a book, a list of holdings from other academic institutes are displayed. Classic volumes become linked with other copies in special collections across the world. Conversely, books with few holdings may be among the last surviving copies.

The Anderson collection is pure Strathclyde University history in tangible form and I’m glad to have had the chance to work with it. It’s only the tip of the iceberg of what Archives and Special Collections hold. The various collections trace the path of the institution from Anderson to present day. Beyond words on the page there is great value in these collections that are cared for by a good team of welcoming people who would love to share them with you.