In 1948, Alfred Hamish Reed (1875-1975) donated his valuable collection of books to Dunedin Public Library. In December 1954, Reed was informed, much to his delight, that he had successfully acquired a single leaf of the famed Gutenberg Bible. Printed in Gothic letter in double columns of 42 lines to a page with ample margins, the leaf was purchased from the bookseller Chas J. Sawyer of London at a cost of £175.
The printing of this Latin Bible (ca. 1455) using movable metal type by Johann Gutenberg (ca. 1399-1468) in Mainz, Germany is one of the most important developments in the history of western culture and civilisation. It was a first, marking the beginning of a process that scarcely changed in its essentials for 400 years.
Alfred H. Reed’s collection centred around Bibles as well as certain literary figures such as Charles Dickens and Samuel Johnson. However, he also included other items which he enigmatically termed in his 1948 Deed of Gift ‘books of unusual interest’. The small, eclectic bundle of items listed under this esoteric heading were essentially printed books of the hand-press period which did not fit comfortably within the boundaries of his more well-defined interests.
In 1958, Reed curated a substantial exhibition in the former Dunedin Public Library in Moray Place that showcased chosen examples from his collection that illustrated a sense of the progression of printing history in Europe from 1450 onwards.
This current exhibition is entitled The Glory of Print: a Celebration of Printing Specimens from Gutenberg Onwards and doffs a respectful hat to A.H. Reed’s exhibition of 65 years ago. This exhibition features a number of items that Reed chose to highlight, especially his beloved Bibles, and also a larger number of curious books, many not often displayed publicly. Many of these entered the collection subsequently via his generous hand.
With the Gutenberg leaf as a starting point, the exhibition showcases a wide range of continental European and English printed books and leaves from 1450 to 1800, complemented by a few choice samples of 19th and early 20th century printing, also donated by A.H. Reed. Please enjoy.