Presenter(s): Sadie Kavalier − Accounting
Faculty Mentor(s): Vera Keller
Oral Session 3SW
Research Area: History
William Morris wore many hats: publisher, socialist advocate, craftsman, poet. However, Morris’ private library remains one of the most understudied aspects of his illustrious career. We hold two volumes from his own library in our SCUA collection, which spawned this research into the driving factors behind his choice of books for his personal collection. Through an analysis of both these volumes and those that Morris printed himself at the Kelmscott Press, I have taken a holistic approach to analyzing these copies for their content, typography, and imagery. Further analysis revealed that the type of these books
is similar with Morris’ gothic preferences and that the main reason for his purchase of them was an affinity for the style of their respective publishers, Wynkyn de Worde and Johannes Mentelin. This research offers a glimpse into the mind of William Morris as collector and helps illuminate the preferences that drove the selection of his private library.