Case 12
- Book Collector and Donor
Bifolium from a Book of Hours, in Latin. France (Paris), 1408. Reed MSF17a.
As well as early Bibles in printed form, Reed collected English and Western European manuscripts, primarily of a religious nature. Reed marvelled at the medieval makers of these books, devoted craftspeople and artists who prepared their own vellum, colours, gold, and ink, cut their quill pens, and bound their books with loving care.
The text of this leaf from Reed’s collection is part of Lauds in the Office of the Dead.
The Bible, that is, the Holy Scriptures conteined in the Olde and Newe Testament. London: Christopher Barker, 1599.
In his 1967 Autobiography, Reed recalls how his first ever antiquarian book purchase – a 1599 Beza New Testament “started me on the road to making a collection of early Bibles.” In 1925, Reed divided his early collection of Bibles between Knox College, Dunedin and Trinity Theological College, Auckland - the 1599 Beza forming part of the latter gift. But Reed regretted parting with it and years later, in July 1948, corresponded with the College and successfully arranged for its return in exchange for manuscript material. Reed donated it to the Dunedin Public Library later that year.
The Bible, that is, the Holy Scriptures conteined in the Olde and Newe Testament. London: Christopher Barker, 1599.
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Letter, Charles Dickens to Henry Johnston, Gads Hill Place, Higham, Kent, 26 August 1869.
Reed perused Dickens from childhood and considered the English novelist his literary hero. Reed’s original gift of 1948 included a collection of approximately fifty monographs relating to Dickens, and a complete set of the periodical The Dickensian, from 1905 to 1947. The monographs included biographies, works of literary criticism, and a first edition of the novel Little Dorrit.
After 1948, Reed continued to donate precious items of Dickensiana and would later claim that his Dickens collection was probably the most comprehensive in the Southern Hemisphere. His collection included books autographed by Dickens and containing his distinctive bookplate, as well as numerous original letters by Dickens and members of his circle.
The displayed Dickens letter is to Henry Johnston (1842-1919), a Scottish author of the Kailyard School.
‘Alfred Hamish Reed to the Mayor Councillors and Citizens of the City of Dunedin: Deed of Gift.’ 16 January 1948.
Although initially avoidant of publicity, Reed had decided by the late 1920s to build up a significant collection of rare books and manuscripts which he would eventually donate to the Dunedin Public Library. By 1948, Reed was 72 years old and felt the time was right to hand over his collection as he had for many years intended.
It was to be known as the Alfred and Isabel Reed Collection and was made over to the City of Dunedin by deed of gift dated 16 January 1948. The gift was delivered to Dunedin Public Library on 31 March 1948, and a formal opening occurred on Wednesday 5 May 1948 in the Library’s Lecture Hall.
A.H. Reed’s collecting of books and his donation to the City of Dunedin will be examined in greater depth in a second Reed Gallery exhibition, A Living Memorial: Alfred Reed’s Legacy to Dunedin, opening on 14 November 2025.
‘Alfred Hamish Reed to the Mayor Councillors and Citizens of the City of Dunedin: Deed of Gift.’ 16 January 1948.
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