Percy H. Muir letters to Rev. James Brown
Scope and Content Note
British author, bibliographer, and antiquarian bookseller Percy H. Muir (1894-1979) corresponded with Church of Scotland minister and book collector Rev. James Brown regarding the purchase of books and illustrations which reflected Brown's collecting interests.
During this correspondence, Percy Muir was a director at the noted British antiquarian bookseller, Elkin Mathews Ltd. Muir's long and interesting letters to Rev. Brown suggest Brown's interest in Muir's bibliographic work and similar work being done by Rev. Brown. Some letters and invoices in this collection were written by Laurie Deval, an associate at Elkin Mathews Ltd., who also worked with Rev. Brown during the 1950s. Muir and Deval, on occasion, sent Brown illustrations for his advice as to the creator or for dating. In one letter, Muir notes that a particular Granville drawing will be "recatalogued in the light of your further discoveries" (March 22, 1951).
The letters also mention Deval's evaluation of books owned by Rev. Brown which he wished to sell. Many of the letters offer descriptions of the items being offered to Rev. Brown, as well as the discounted price the firm would offer him. There are also several invoices documenting specific items purchased by Brown.
Over the years, Percy Muir and Rev. Brown developed a friendship in addition to transacting business. In later letters, Muir discussed his travels to Europe, and when asked, offered advice regarding Brown's planned trip to the continent. The two men occasionally scheduled social visits and shared personal tragedies, such as a death in the family.
The collection which Reverend James Brown was creating, partially through purchases from Elkin Mathews Ltd., would ultimately become the James Brown Collection in the National Library of Scotland, at Brown's bequeath in 1984.
Dates
- Creation: 1951-1964
Creator
Language of Materials
Materials entirely in English.
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, http://library.udel.edu/spec/askspec/
Percy H. Muir (1894-1979)
British author, bibliographer, and antiquarian bookseller Percy H. Muir (1894-1979) compiled bibliographies of the first editions of such authors as Aldous Huxley and George Eliot; and wrote numerous books on book collecting, including Victorian Illustrated Books (1970) and Book Collecting as a Hobby: In a Series of Letters to Everyman (1944).
As a director of various antiquarian bookshops and booksellers for over fifty years, Muir was instrumental in the founding of the British Antiquarian Booksellers Association and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers.
Percy Muir also wrote a regular column, "Notes on Sales," for the Times Literary Supplement from 1940-1945, and articles and reviews for AB Bookman’s Weekly, Colophon, and Library.
"Percival H(orace) Muir." Contemporary Authors Online (reproduced in Gale Biography In Context). http://ic.galegroup.com (accessed February 26, 2014).
Rev. James Brown
The Reverend Dr. James Brown was the parish minister for the Colmonell Parish Church (Church of Scotland) and later the Stranraer parish in Scotland.
Rev. Brown was an avid collector of French illustrated books of the Romantic period, as well as nineteenth century edition of English and French literature. Rev. Brown bequeathed this collection of books, illustrations, and two printing blocks to the National Library of Scotland in 1984. The James Brown Collection is now part of the Special and Named Printed Collections in the library. Some of the books in this collection were purchased from Elkin Mathews Ltd., which Percy Muir represented.
"James Brown Collection," Special and named Printed Collections in the National Library of Scotland. http://www.nls.uk/catalogues (accessed February 28, 2014)."Colmonell Parish Church," Scottish Churches. http//www.scottishchurches.org.uk/sites (accessed February 26, 2014).
Extent
35 item (63 pages)
Abstract
British author, bibliographer, and antiquarian bookseller Percy H. Muir (1894-1979) corresponded with Church of Scotland minister and book collector Rev. James Brown regarding the purchase of books and illustrations which reflected Brown's collecting interests.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Source
Purchase, October 2013.
Shelving Summary
Box 66, F0953: Shelved in SPEC MSS 0099 manuscript boxes.
Processing
Processed and encoded by Anita Wellner, February 2014. Further encoded by George Apodaca, October 2015.
Subject
- Muir, Percy H. (Percy Horace), 1894-1979--Correspondence (Person)
- Brown, James (Reverend)--Correspondence (Person)
- Deval, Laurie (1923-1981)--Correspondence (Person)
- Brown, James (Reverend) (Correspondent, Person)
- Deval, Laurie (1923-1981) (Correspondent, Person)
- E. Mathews (Firm) (Organization)
- Title
- Finding aid for Percy H. Muir letters to Rev. James Brown
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- University of Delaware Library, Special Collections
- Date
- 2014 February 28
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the University of Delaware Library Special Collections Repository