Provenance

There are a number of things that I keep coming across in the Grimes collection: the different styles of binding, the marbling patterns on the covers and the gold detailing on the spines. But one thing that intrigues me when I first open a text is the provenance of the book. After learning how to determine provenance and the importance it holds, I decided that this unique feature of old books should be shared.

Provenance is an important aspect when it comes to studying books. The provenance of a book is the chronology of ownership or custody from its publication date. Sometimes books have no signs of their journey. But sometimes people leave a mark within the pages to show their ownership.

There are a number of indicators of provenance that can aid the reader in tracking the previous owners. An owner’s name and the date and place of purchase is always ideal but often not present. Signatures of owners may stand alone with no sign of the date of purchase or cost. Annotations within the pages of the book can often give a glimpse of the thoughts and personality behind a previous owner.

An example of an armorial from
La Sainte Bible, Vol.13 (1748)

While handwritten notes are one example of signs of provenance, there are other forms that can be investigated. Book plates and ink stamps, like those that Bishop Grimes used are equally as useful. They stand as a permanent mark of ownership, like signatures, and can often extend to armorials and bookbinders’ tickets. Armorials (coats of arms) represents the ownership of a person of gentility or nobility. Bookbinders tickets, although they may not give any signs of who owned the book, allow the texts to be tracked to particular binders and sometimes establish the date of contact.

For an example, I found a seller’s ticker in Benjamin Calamy’s Sermons Preached Upon Several Occasions (1700).  On the board paper of the text the sticker reads ‘Thomas Baker, 1 Soho Square, London 1’. 

Bookseller ticket of Thomas Baker, 1 Soho Square, London 1,
& Book plate of Bishop J.J. Grimes

After some research, I managed to track down the antiquarian bookseller Thomas Baker at that address and discover the time period that his store was active (1884-1903). Although this date is not as specific as other examples of provenance, this tells us that the book managed to come into the hands of Thomas Baker during the time that he was operating (for this sticker to be placed on the board paper). From Baker’s shop, it is possible that Bishop Grimes acquired it.

Signs of provenance can sometimes be difficult to determine. Old books suffer from deterioration and age, and marks of provenance may have faded or suffered some foxing (aging spots). Some books may not show any sign of provenance at all, which could suggest great care or little use. The most common places to look for provenance are within the first few pages, or the last few pages of the text.

However, even when a book has visible provenance markings, there is never any way of being certain that the text never fell into anyone else’s hands. Some owners do not mark their ownership in books, and although there may be multiple owner marks in a book, we should never assume that the person who owned the book in 1643, for an example, was the only owner before the next signatory 50 years later. And so although provenance offers a great insight into the journey of texts, the full ownership of a book will always remain a mystery.

References

'Soho Square Area: Portland Estate, No. 1 Soho Square.' Survey of London: Volumes 33 and 34, St Anne Soho. Ed. F H W Sheppard. London: London County Council, 1966. 55. British History Online. Web. 4 September 2015. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vols33-4/p55.

La sainte Bible en latin et en françois..., 1748. University of Canterbury Rare Books Collection - 493224 - La Sainte Bible - vol13 - Board Paper.

Sermons Preached Upon Several Occasions by Benjamin Calamy, 1700. University of Canterbury Rare Books Collection - 123774 - Sermons - Board Paper.