From Athens (Greece) to Athens (Ohio)

Publii Virgilii Maronis Bucolica et Georgica by Virgil (1757) - Previous Ownership Location: Manchester, UK

This book is a collection of what is known as the “Bucolics” and “Georgics” of Virgil, which are just other names for some of his poetry. Virgil was a very well-known poet of Ancient Rome, and many would consider the education of a classics student incomplete until they were familiar with at least some of his works.  This book has many beautiful engravings throughout, as seen in the fourth image portrait of Virgil. It also has a notable fine binding, with gold stamped covers and marvelous marbled endpapers.

The signature of Henry Vincent Bayley is just visible in the upper right hand corner of the first free endpaper (second image) of the book, which contains other notes and signatures as well. Bayley was an English clergyman in the early 1800s. He was very thoroughly educated and was declared “the first Greek scholar of his standing” by Richard Porson, a well-known English classicist at the time. Although we do not have much in terms of marginalia from this fomer owner, we can find out a lot about his life simply from the signature he left behind. There is also a bookplate in the front cover that connects the book to a Frederic Bronson Winthrop who is noted as being a famous book collector.  

Institutio Graecae Grammatices Compendiaria by William Camden (1804) - Previous Ownership Location: Hamilton County, OH

This palm-sized, highly portable book is a compendium, or collection, of Greek grammar for the purpose of teaching the language. During the 18th and 19th century, the study of Greek was very common for educated people, especially those in classical academic circles, and this book and similar ones were a staple in the library of students and teachers alike.  

Not much has been remembered about the history of Joshua Wilson and Henry Bond, two previous "owners” of this book, but luckily, we have evidence of their camaraderie forever documented in the pages of these books. With little record of either of their lives, we cannot assume anything but what they clearly displayed on the pages of their book. We can see that at one point their lives crossed, and they commemorated it by leaving each other practical jokes and notes in a book with ownership obviously and lightheartedly disputed between the two. This is clearly demonstrated in the first image which shows a handwritten note reading: This is Wilson's Book not Bond's, June 10 of 1814. 

Crispi opera omnia by Sallust (1804) - Previous Ownership Location: Ohio University  

This book is a collection of the complete works of Sallust, a famous historian and politician from Ancient Rome. Classics students would have been very familiar with his works, and others that were similar, so it is not surprising that the collection has many copies of his work.  

Although this is another one in the collection that does not have a personal signature, the history of this book is directly connected to that of Ohio University. This book's bookplate links it to the Carnegie Library of Ohio University, which was the original library of Ohio University and of Athens itself! The students who studied this book left us a little marginalia to remember them by, and there is even a checkout sheet still in the back of the book from its days back on the regular circulating shelves!

Another element of note is the typed title page, seen in the second image, which indicates that the original title page went missing or was lost at some point. Fortunately someone took the time to replicate all of the information and insert the typed substitution title page into the book. 

De Veritate Religionis Christianæ by Jean Le Clerc (1809) - Previous Ownership Location: Boston, MA

This book is an academic examination of Christianity, as one would study it through a classics lens. This is something that would have been extremely common for a student to study or a professor to reference in the time that this book was published.

Oric Bates, a previous owner of this book, was an archaeologist based in Boston, MA during the late 1800s to early 1900s. We see his bookplate and signature in the second and third images, respectively. Bates worked for the Peabody Museum of Harvard and led many expeditions under the guidance of George Reisner to areas of Africa, including Egypt and Sudan. He passed away tragically in 1918 at the military World War I training camp, Camp Zachary Taylor, from influenza, leaving behind his wife, who would give birth to their daughter a few short months later.  

Græcæ Grammaticæ Westmonasteriensis Institutio Compendiaria by James Ross (1813) - Previous Ownership Location: Athens, OH

This book is a collection of Greek grammar similar to the one we have already seen, but this one is very special because it was signed by the author. The title also suggests that this was the Greek grammar of Westminster. Since this book is in Greek, we unfortunately do not have an more information on what “Westminster” is a reference to, but it is very interesting to speculate about! 

Not much is known about the owners of this book, except a few records mentioning the family of D.J. Patterson, but we do know that he lived part of his life and died right here in Athens, Ohio. We also know that somehow, he has a book with a few very interesting additions related to the author, including a clipping of a newspaper inviting fans to attend a club for this book, and a signature as well as a note inscribing it to a different owner. Sadly, nothing could be found on the original owner, a Rev. R. Andrews, M.D. This book was also published by a very important figure in print history by the name of Jane Aitken. She was significant as one of few woman printers of her time.

The Iliad by Homer (1814) - Previous Ownership Location: Hartford, OH

This book is arguably one of the most recognizable books in this collection as it is an epic poem that follows the great heroes Achilles, Ajax, Agamemnon, and many others in their conquest of Troy to retrieve the beautiful Helen from the grasp of Paris, the Prince of Troy. This is one of the most circulated and well-known stories of the ancient world, so it only makes sense that it would have been studied by generations of classics students worldwide, including here at Ohio University.

Although this book does not have a full name signature, we do have a bookplate and a few initials that indicate some very interesting ideas about the previous ownership of this book. The bookplate that was placed in this book has the inscription of “J. Boyd”, which calls to mind the surname of a very famous woman graduate of Ohio University: the first! Margaret Boyd, in 1873 became the first woman to graduate from Ohio University. Due to the lack of a full signature, we cannot prove the ownership of this book, but Margaret “Maggie” Boyd’s mother was named Jane, and the dates she leaves throughout the margins align with her arrival to America. It is interesting to speculate that we might have something so significant to our own history in the library here at Ohio University.