Cambridge student David Butterfield has only been collecting books for three-and-a-half years but he has already won an international prize for his 2,400 volumes on Classical scholarship.
Cambridge student David Butterfield has only been collecting books for three-and-a-half years but he has already won an international prize for his 2,400 volumes on Classical scholarship.
David was entered into the competition after winning Cambridge University Library's Rose Book-collecting Prize earlier this year, entries for which are now being taken for 2008.
David, who was the first to win the £500 Rose Book-Collecting Prize, launched in 2006, has now gone on to claim first place in the Fine Books and Collections Collegiate Book-collecting Championship, winning a further $2,500 and a donation of $1,000 made in his name to the Library.
The international competition received more than fifty entries and the prizes for the top three collectors were awarded on 12 October in Seattle.
The judges considered how well the students pursued their particular theme rather than the monetary value of their collection. Runners up included a young collector from Los Angeles with a collection on the works of mathematician Emil Artin and a New Zealander, studying at Cornell, with an interest in the plays of Oceania.
The international Championship is open to the winners of all college contests held anywhere in the world with judges considering how well the students pursued their particular theme rather than the monetary value of their collection.
David, 22, is in the first year of a PhD at Christ's College concerning the textual transmission of Lucretius. He originally entered 100 items from his total collection into the University competition under the title of 'Landmarks of Classical Scholarship.' These volumes deal with the field of textual criticism and the works of some of its greatest scholars, most notably three Cambridge figures, Richard Bentley, Richard Porson and A.E. Housman.
The majority of David's collection dates from the late nineteenth century, although his oldest book is the Aldine Lucretius of 1515. He has also gone to great lengths to acquire some of the texts.
“Although I have been fascinated by antiquarian books since my early teenage years, I only began collecting books concertedly on my arrival at Cambridge. The rich second-hand scene in Cambridge introduced me to a diversity and volume of classical books that I had not yet experienced and I began collecting rapidly,” said David.
“My book collection as a whole is extensive in scope and contains various sub-collections, particularly in the fields of Lucretiana, Latin and Greek verse composition, association copies from classicists' libraries, and the history of classical scholarship. I also collect manuscript material from notable classicists.”
“I have often gone to considerable lengths to get hold of some of these books, including composing a letter in basic Danish to charm a seller in Denmark, selling a cherished copy of an unpublished Housman letter, seeking out random bookshops in suburbs of Greece and Italy and employing some rather complicated eBay strategies,” he said.
The University library is now taking entries for the 2008 Rose Book Collecting Prize, for the chance to win £500 and a trip to the USA for next year's international contest.
The University Library prize was endowed in 2006 by Professor James H. Marrow and Dr Emily Rose in honour of Dr Rose's parents, Daniel and Joanna Rose and is open to all current students of Cambridge University.
The prize aims to encourage students to build their own collection of books on a particular theme, by a single author, from a certain period or with specific bibliographical features.
“One of the fundamental messages of this competition is that collections are not judged on material value – you don't have to have a lot of money to start a collection, just patience and enthusiasm,” said Peter Fox, University Librarian.
Students should submit a list of their collection together with a short essay, explaining the theme and significance of the collection. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to talk about their collection to the judges.
The deadline for entries is 15 January 2008.
For full details of the Rose Book-Collecting Prize and how to enter see the link above right.
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