Edward Gordon Duff
Encyclopedia
Edward Gordon Duff was an English
bibliographer
and librarian
known for his works on early English printing
.
Duff was born in Liverpool on 16 February 1863. He was educated at Cheltenham College
and Wadham College, Oxford
where he took a degree in classics
in 1887. He began work on a catalogue of incunabula in the Bodleian Library
but did not finish the project. In 1893 Enriqueta Augustina Rylands
appointed Duff her librarian. From 1893 to 1899, he compiled the first catalogue of the John Rylands Library
, Catalogue of the Printed Books and Manuscripts in the John Rylands Library, Manchester (Manchester
: J. E. Cornish, 1899). Henry Guppy
was appointed joint librarian in 1899. Duff resigned from his position at the John Rylands Library in October 1900 and, for the rest of his life, he supported himself by doing freelance work and by taking academic appointments. Duff died at his home in Oxford on 28 September 1924.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
bibliographer
Bibliography
Bibliography , as a practice, is the academic study of books as physical, cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology...
and librarian
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
known for his works on early English printing
Printing
Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing....
.
Duff was born in Liverpool on 16 February 1863. He was educated at Cheltenham College
Cheltenham College
Cheltenham College is a co-educational independent school, located in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.One of the public schools of the Victorian period, it was opened in July 1841. An Anglican foundation, it is known for its classical, military and sporting traditions.The 1893 book Great...
and Wadham College, Oxford
Wadham College, Oxford
Wadham College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, located at the southern end of Parks Road in central Oxford. It was founded by Nicholas and Dorothy Wadham, wealthy Somerset landowners, during the reign of King James I...
where he took a degree in classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
in 1887. He began work on a catalogue of incunabula in the Bodleian Library
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
but did not finish the project. In 1893 Enriqueta Augustina Rylands
Enriqueta Augustina Rylands
Enriqueta Augustina Rylands was the founder of the John Rylands Library, Manchester.Born in Havana, Cuba, she was one of five children including José Esteban , Blanca Catalina and Leocadia Fernanda...
appointed Duff her librarian. From 1893 to 1899, he compiled the first catalogue of the John Rylands Library
John Rylands Library
The John Rylands Library is a Victorian Gothic building on Deansgate in Manchester, England. The library, which opened to the public in 1900, was founded by Mrs Enriqueta Augustina Rylands in memory of her late husband, John Rylands...
, Catalogue of the Printed Books and Manuscripts in the John Rylands Library, Manchester (Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
: J. E. Cornish, 1899). Henry Guppy
Henry Guppy (librarian)
Henry Guppy CBE was Librarian of the John Rylands Library in Manchester from 1899 until his death in 1948....
was appointed joint librarian in 1899. Duff resigned from his position at the John Rylands Library in October 1900 and, for the rest of his life, he supported himself by doing freelance work and by taking academic appointments. Duff died at his home in Oxford on 28 September 1924.
Major works
- Early Printed Books. LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1893. - Catalogue of Books in the John Rylands Library, Manchester, Printed in England, Scotland and Ireland, and of Books in English Printed Abroad to the End of the Year 1640. Manchester: J. E. Cornish, 1895.
- Early English Printing. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1896.
- Catalogue of the Printed Books and Manuscripts in the John Rylands Library, Manchester. 3 vols. 4to. Manchester: J. E. Cornish, 1899.
- A Century of the English Book Trade: Short Notices of All Printers, Stationers, Book-binders, and Others Connected with it from the Issue of the First Dated Book in 1457 to the Incorporation of the Company of Stationers in 1557. London: Printed for the Bibliographical SocietyBibliographical SocietyFounded in 1892, the Bibliographical Society is the senior learned society dealing with the study of the book and its history, based in London, England....
, by Blades, East & Blades, 1905. - William Caxton. ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
: Caxton ClubCaxton ClubThe Caxton Club is a private social club and bibliophilic society founded in Chicago in 1895 to promote the book arts and the history of the book...
, 1905. - The Printers, Stationers and Bookbinders of Westminster and London from 1476 to 1535. CambridgeCambridgeThe city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
: University PressCambridge University PressCambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, 1906. - The English Provincial Printers, Stationers and Bookbinders to 1557. (Sandars Lectures; 1911.) Cambridge: University Press, 1912.
- Fifteenth Century English Books: a Bibliography of Books and Documents Printed in England and of Books for the English Market Printed Abroad. (Illustrated Monographs; 18.) [London]: Printed for the Bibliographical Society at the Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, 1917.
Revised edition: Printing in England in the Fifteenth century, a reprint of E. Gordon Duff, Fifteenth Century English Books, with supplementary material compiled by Dr Lotte Hellinga. Published by the Bibliographical Society in collaboration with the British Library, 2009.