The History and the Founders of Celebrated British Libraries - History of Libraries

This collection focuses primarily on the formation of the great libraries of England, but encompasses state and royal collections, as well as other private collectors and collections. The arrangement and equipment of libraries is described in the superlative and wonderfully illustrated book of John Clark; the making, use, and circulation of books as a literary culture during the Middle Ages is told by Ernest Savage who gives insights into the relationship of books with monks, monasteries, cathedral and church libraries. It has chapters on the libraries at Oxford and Cambridge, but these two venerable library centres are treated separately in the scholarly works of Macray and Sayle. The British Library, originally part of the British Museum, is given full treatment by the famous library historian Edward Edwards. His companion volume, Libraries and Founders of Libraries,, covers other libraries and collections both ancient and modern. The oldest work in this collection is the two-volume Repertorium which has bibliographical and historical descriptions of the contents of public and private libraries and those sold by auction.

-Original source material for library and museum historians
-Well-documented accounts of British libraries from the earliest times to the 20th century
-Invaluable historical, economic, biographical, bibliographical and architectural information