The National Trust looks after more than 500,000 books and manuscripts in historic houses across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Libraries Curator Tim Pye takes a closer look at some of the most significant works in our care.
'Lives of the Twelve Caesars', c. 1452
Blickling Hall, Norfolk
This handwritten copy of 'De vita Caesarum' ('Lives of the Twelve Caesars') by the ancient Roman writer Suetonius is the finest Renaissance manuscript in our collections. Suetonius was an inveterate gossip, and his book contains salacious tales about Roman emperors, such as the Emperor Caligula trying to make his horse a senator.
Commissioned in about 1451 by Borso d’Este, Duke of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio, this manuscript was written in a very fine script on sheets of white vellum by his court scribe. It was decorated by the artist Marco dell'Avogaro (fl. 1449–76).
Jean de Planche binding, 1565
Kingston Lacy, Dorset
The binding of this book is one of the most remarkable from England in the 16th century. It's the work of Jean de Planche, a Huguenot immigrant binder from Dijon, who worked in London from 1567 until at least 1575. Eight bindings by de Planche are known, but this is perhaps his masterpiece.
The binding was probably made for Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal under Elizabeth I. Bacon’s family motto ‘Mediocra firma’, which translates to 'the middle ground is safe', appears on the back cover.
The book itself is the encyclopaedic ‘Theatrum vitae humanae’ by the Swiss physician and humanist scholar Theodor Zwinger. At 1,400 pages, it's perhaps the most comprehensive gathering of sources to be compiled by a single individual in the early modern period.
The complete Bible was first translated into Welsh by William Morgan and published in 1588. This cheaper and smaller edition, 'Y Bibl Cyssegr-lan, sef yr Hen Destament a’r Newydd', is based on Morgan’s 1588 translation and was issued in 1630.
It has a particular resonance at Chirk, as the publication was sponsored by Sir Thomas Myddelton, the man responsible for the purchase of the estate of Chirk Castle in 1595.
'The Coasting Pilot', 1671
Dunham Massey, Cheshire
'The Coasting Pilot', was a series of atlases produced by John Seller in the 1670s. It was a patriotic attempt to overcome an over-reliance on the maps and atlases produced in the Low Countries. Seller was appointed hydrographer to Charles II in the same year that 'The Coasting Pilot' was published. This was quite the turnaround for someone who'd been arrested for high treason in 1662 and implicated in a plot to overthrow the King and Church of England.
'The Coasting Pilot' is a large, decorative book but the copy at Dunham Massey is doubly so, having its title page and maps hand-coloured.
This manuscript contains a popular work by the Persian poet, Muḥammad Rizā Khabūshānī (commonly known as Naw'ī Khabūshānī). The poem 'Burning and Melting' is set in Mughal India and tells the story of a Hindu bride who chooses to join her dead husband on the funeral pyre.
This manuscript at Tatton Park was written in 1672 and is lavishly illustrated in ink, wash and gilt. It's likely that Wilbraham Egerton, 2nd Baron Egerton of Tatton (1832–1909), who had a keen eye for bindings, acquired the manuscript for its covering. It's one of more than 30 Islamic manuscripts scattered across our libraries.
'Castle of Otranto', 1791
Anglesey Abbey, Cambridgeshire
This copy of Horace Walpole’s 'Castle of Otranto' from 1791 – often considered to be the first Gothic novel – is a luxury edition printed in Parma, Italy, by the Bodoni press. Like many of the books at Anglesey Abbey, it's housed in a fine binding, in this case by the celebrated Edwards of Halifax. To accompany the binding, Edwards added two 'secret' fore-edge paintings. The pictures disappear when the book is closed but fanning the leaves in either direction brings them back into view.
'The Orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala', 1843
Tatton Park, Cheshire
James Bateman created the garden at Biddulph Grange in Staffordshire between 1842 and 1869 as a home for his collection of plants from around the world.
His passion for exotic plants led him to publish 'The Orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala'. Published in London in 1843, in an edition of only 125 copies, Bateman's 'Orchidacea' is the largest and arguably the finest orchid book ever produced. The 40 life-size, hand-coloured lithographic plates were created predominantly from designs by two botanical artists, Sarah Drake (1803–57) and Augusta Withers (c.1793–1864). They're accompanied by two vignettes by George Cruikshank (1792–1878).
There's no copy of Bateman’s book at Biddulph Grange; however, there's one in the library at Tatton Park, the former home of the Egerton family.
Sangorski & Sutcliffe bindings for 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' (1871) and 'Through the looking-glass' (1878)
Anglesey Abbey, Cambridgeshire
'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' and its sequel 'Through the Looking Glass' feature characters that are beloved and recognisable today: the White Rabbit, The Mad Hatter, The Cheshire Cat and, as seen in these striking and colourful bindings, the Queen (and King) of Hearts and Alice.
These editions were published in 1871 and 1878 respectively (neither is a first edition) and were rebound in the early 20th century by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, one of England’s foremost luxury binding firms.
In her autobiography, 'The Story of My Life' (1908), Dame Ellen Terry writes that, ‘The most remarkable men I have known were, without a doubt, [James Abbott McNeill] Whistler and Oscar Wilde ... there was something about both of them more instantaneously individual and audacious than it is possible to describe.’
Oscar Wilde felt similarly about the famous actress, writing several sonnets to her and presenting her with a copy of his first printed play, 'Vera; or, The Nihilists' (London, 1880). In contrast to his later plays, 'Vera' wasn't well recieved, running for just one week in 1883 in New York City.
Wilde inscribed the title page of Ellen Terry’s copy of 'Vera', writing, ‘To Miss Ellen Terry / from her sincere admirer / The author’. In the letter that accompanies the book, Wilde writes that ‘perhaps some day I will be fortunate enough to write something worthy of your playing’.
Unfortunately, and despite their close friendship, this never happened.
Ellen Terry’s collection of books at her home, Smallhythe in Kent, includes numerous association copies highlighting her friendships with the great and the good of the day.
'Just So Song Book', 1902
Wimpole, Cambridgeshire
Most of Rudyard Kipling’s 'Just So Stories' began their life as tales that he invented to entertain his oldest child, Josephine. Serialised from 1897 and collected together in book form in 1902, their success spawned spin-offs, including painting books and this collection of songs. The lyrics, by Kipling, are set to music by Edward German, one of the great composers of his age.
As is the case with many of Kipling’s works, a great number of the 'Just So Song Book' was printed. However, the Wimpole Hall copy is particularly special as it's a presentation copy from Kipling to his two children, Elsie and John (Josephine had sadly died in 1899 at the age of six). It's inscribed 'Elsie & John / from their Daddy.'
Elsie Kipling (later Elsie Bambridge) bought Wimpole Hall in 1938. In addition to her own collection of books she transferred some of her father’s books from Bateman’s, East Sussex to Wimpole, thereby creating an important Kipling library.
Art and collections
We care for one of the world's largest and most significant collections of art and heritage objects. Explore the highlights, our latest major exhibitions, curatorial research and more.
The 13,000 oil paintings in our care are nearly all displayed in the houses of their historic owners. Learn about the stories behind a selection of the artworks and their owners.
Explore the stories behind the illustrations, sketches and letters of this legendary author, preserved by the National Trust at her former home in the Lake District.
We look after the largest collection of tapestries in the UK and one of the largest in the world. Learn more about these status symbols and explore some of the best examples of this craftmanship at the places in our care.
Discover the artists and writers at the heart of the Bloomsbury group, a group of influential intellects brought together by their modern views and artistic interests.
