Fragmented Libraries: an exploration of the material culture of 16th century books
Fragmented Libraries: An Exploration of the Material Culture of 16th Century Books, is a digital exhibition exploring a collection of 16th century books acquired by Queen’s University Library with a gift from Bader Philanthropies, Inc., from the personal collection of Michael John Hatcher.
The collection features a dozen 16th century books printed in England, France, and Switzerland. They cover a broad range of topics, highlighting the vast interests of readers throughout the period. Each volume bears evidence of former owners throughout the years in the form of marginalia, bookplates, and/or their bindings.
Michael Hatcher collected the books between 1960 and the early 1990s from various booksellers and auction houses in England, Denmark, and the United States.
This exhibit draws on the Private Libraries in Renaissance England (PLRE) project database, compiled by the Folger Shakespeare Library, to build a contextual framework for analyzing and considering the changing intellectual trends of the 16th century, how the books may have been read, and the social positions of book owners and collectors.
The provenance of three of the books has been traced to the personal libraries of prominent figures within British history, both local and national. Booklists and catalogues of the original libraries to which these books once belonged have been consulted in addition to booklists derived from the PLRE.Folger database.
This exhibition was researched and written by Haley Svensrud, 2023 Digital Humanities Undergraduate Assistant, under the supervision of Brendan Edwards, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections, Queen's University Library.
W.D. Jordan Rare Books and Special Collections at Queen's University Library is grateful to Isabel Bader (1926-2022) for initiating and inspiring the acquisition of the 16th century books discussed in this virtual exhibition.
