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Donald Jackson Kerr

    Donald Kerr is a passionate bibliophile with a deep interest in book collectors, the phenomenon of collecting, and the formation of private libraries. His work delves into the history of collecting and illuminates the lives of significant figures within this sphere. Through his research, he uncovers the fascinating world of individuals dedicated to amassing and preserving literary treasures. His profound understanding of bookish culture offers readers a fresh perspective on the value and history inherent in books.

    Hocken
    Awakening a Curate's Library
    Life in a Shell: A Physiologist's View of a Turtle
    A Sportsman's Journey
    • 2022

      Awakening a Curate's Library

      The Rev. William Arderne Shoults (1839-1887) His life, his book collection and his legacy to New Zealand

      • 378 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      The book delves into the life of Rev. William Arderne Shoults, highlighting his remarkable book collection of around 5,600 items, which includes medieval manuscripts, incunables, and texts on various subjects. It chronicles his education at St. John's College, his work in London's poorer parishes, and his connections with notable figures like Rev. Joseph Leycester Lyne. Additionally, it covers his marriage and travels, including a visit to the Vatican Library. Following his death, his collection was donated to Selwyn College in New Zealand, showcasing the achievements of a 19th-century curate.

      Awakening a Curate's Library
    • 2021

      Lyrically and spiritually connects readers with the natural world. Donald Jackson explores the rhythms and ways of hunting and fishing, particularly in America's Deep South, and in so doing helps readers understand and find meaning in why hunters and anglers venture far afield.

      A Sportsman's Journey
    • 2015

      Hocken

      • 424 pages
      • 15 hours of reading

      Dr Thomas Morland Hocken (1836-1910) arrived in Dunedin in 1862, aged 26. Throughout his busy life as a medical practitioner he amassed books, manuscripts, sketches, maps and photographs of early New Zealand. Much of his initial collecting focused on the early discovery narratives of James Cook; along with the writings of Rev. Samuel Marsden and his contemporaries; Edward Gibbon Wakefield and the New Zealand Company; and Maori, especially in the south. He gifted his collection to the University of Otago in 1910. Hocken was a contemporary of New Zealand's other two notable early book collectors, Sir George Grey and Alexander Turnbull. In this magnificent piece of research, a companion volume to his Amassing Treasures for All Times: Sir George Grey, colonial bookman and collector, Donald Kerr examines Hocken's collecting activities and his vital contribution to preserving the history of New Zealand's early post-contact period.

      Hocken
    • 2013