| Summary: | This thesis documents the book collecting activities of Sir George Grey (1812-1898) and the formation of his libraries in Cape Town (1861) and Auckland (1887). As this bio-bibliographical narrative unfolds, the variety and richness of each collection is revealed. Much of what is presented on Grey the bibliophile is new and detailed here for the first time. Importantly, it reveals another dimension to one who was the most important nineteenth-century governor in the Southern Hemisphere.
Coverage of Grey's life as a book collector extends from his early years at Bodiam, Sussex, to his last years in London, and includes those periods when he was governor in South Australia (1841-45), New Zealand (1845-53; 1861-68), and the Cape Colony (1854-186l). A bookish environment and a precocious willingness to engage in literary and antiquarian studies assisted a latent collecting instinct. This is nowhere more evident than in his early forays into the collecting of indigenous language materials and the collecting of natural history specimens in Australia. In his early years, Grey was fortunate to attract the attention of influential mentors such as Richard Whately, Richard Owen, and Sir John Herschel. Each played a part in encouraging his collecting. In later life, far removed from the centres of the book world, he continued to collect. As a committed bibliophile, it was a habit that he could not break.
The book dealer plays an essential role in the book collecting process. Grey was fortunate to gain advice and friendship from some of the most prominent antiquarian book dealers in nineteenth-century England, including Henry G. Bohn, T and W Boone, and Bernard Quaritch. Others included Asher and Heberle–the so-called 'German Connection'–and booksellers representing the growing colonial book trade in New Zealand and Australia. This study examines his relationship with these men, what type of books he acquired, what he paid for them, and when they were purchased. His chief method of acquisition was through dealer catalogues, but he also obtained books and manuscripts through private individuals and auction houses. If a buying pattern is evident, it is one that is continuous, with a gradual accumulation of books over long periods.
Grey also sought materials outside established book markets. His world-class collections of African, Maori, Pacific, and Aboriginal language materials were obtained by the patient development of networks with church officials, missionaries, explorers, linguists, and army and naval officers. Once again, each primer, catechism or word list was accumulated over a number of years. Full justice was given to these rare materials when they were documented in various printed catalogues that were instigated by Grey and completed by the philologist Dr Wilhelm Bleek.
There are no barriers to the persistent collector, and Grey's success in overcoming the frustrations of supply and the problems associated with distance is measured by the libraries he collected. His position as Governor assisted the collecting process, and once his collecting preferences were known, items flowed in for inclusion. That he gave both libraries away in his lifetime is remarkable, an unparalleled action in the annals of nineteenth-century book collecting. Both remain testaments to his persistence and vision.
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