William Hunter's Library: a Transcription of the Early Catalogues: Transcription of Museum Records 1-3, Trustees Catalogues of Printed Books

Baston, K. and Gardham, J. (2017) William Hunter's Library: a Transcription of the Early Catalogues: Transcription of Museum Records 1-3, Trustees Catalogues of Printed Books. Catalogue. University of Glasgow. (Unpublished)

Abstract

About the Project: William Hunter (1718-1783) is a major figure in the history of eighteenth-century medicine. The leading obstetrician, teacher of anatomy, and physician of his day, Hunter amassed one of the finest private libraries and museums of his age. The quality of his library earned him international fame. Containing about 10,000 printed books and 650 manuscripts, his library is exceptional for being both a working medical library and an example of book collecting in the wider context of the Enlightenment. Most similar contemporary book collections have been dispersed but Hunter’s is a unique survival. Hunter’s bequest of his collections – book and otherwise – to the University of Glasgow realised his enlightened vision of retaining his museum and library together for public use. Glasgow’s Hunterian Museum opened in 1807 as the first public museum in Scotland. It was an instant success. Although the majority of books in the Hunterian Library today probably belonged to Hunter, many nineteenth-century additions were not made distinct from the core collection. The transcription of MR3 allows us to determine which books were in Hunter’s possession at the time of his death. Nine inter-relating manuscript catalogues of the library (MR1-9), dating from before Hunter’s death in 1783 to the early nineteenth century are part of a series of Museum Records. These are crucial to our knowledge of Hunter’s book collection during his life and how its contents relate to the library held in Glasgow today. MR3, compiled by Hunter’s Trustees in 1785, is the most comprehensive of these catalogues. This project is part of a wider project to bring together the collections of The Hunterian to reunite Hunter’s original library and museum. The Digital Hunter Portal will be a virtual version of Hunter’s enlightened vision. Project Team: Principal Investigator: Julie Gardham, Senior Librarian and Head of Special Collections Project Manager: Karen Baston Project Assistants: Michelle Craig, Hannah Grout, Lucy MacIver, David McOmish, Jade Scott, Katelyn Smith, Jennifer Young, Jasna Zwimpfer.

• Item Type: Research Reports or Papers (Catalogue)
• Keywords: #WHL1783, medical humanities, William Hunter, library history.
• Status: Unpublished
• Refereed: No
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Baston, Dr Karen and Gardham, Mrs Julie
• Authors: Baston, K., and Gardham, J.
• Subjects: Z Bibliography. Library Science. Information Resources > Z665 Library Science. Information Science
• College/School: University Services > Library and Collection Services > Library
• Publisher: University of Glasgow
• Published Online: 07 November 2017
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2017 The Authors
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced with the permission of the Authors

Related URLs

• Author

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
73701	1	William Hunter's Library: a transcription of the early catalogues	Julie Gardham	Wellcome Trust (WELLCOTR)	203711/Z/16/Z	LIBRARY