It has been a little while since Callum James Books has issued a publication as I have been concentrating on sale catalogues of late, however, I'm delighted to be able to tell you about The Last Weeks. Urania from the Collection of Donald Weeks. Some of you may remember that when this famed collector and biographer of Frederick Rolfe Baron Corvo died, his collection was catalogued by Maggs Brothers and sold en bloc to the Brotherton Library in Leeds. A slice of that collection became detached in the probate process and that was catalogued by Callum James Books and eventually also rejoined the rest in Leeds. But there was another part of Weeks's collection.
In the process of collecting Corvo he also amassed a handsome collection of Uranian material, much of it directly from the libraries of Charles Kains-Jackson, John Gambril Nicholson and S. E. Cottam. This part of his collection he dispersed before his death and in 1993 it was catalogued by Nigel Burwood of Any Amount of Books in London. At the time that catalogue was produced only in typescript as an aid to sale. The collection was sold as a whole to an American dealer who then distributed it among institutions and private collectors.
The catalogue is fascinating. Not only is it an insight into the libraries of three central Uranian figures, it also suggests links between them and more widely recognised cultural figures with letters and association copies and inscriptions from people like John Addington Symonds, Norman Douglas, Laurence Housman Henry Scott Tuke and so on. There are plenty of obscure titles to learn about here as well. If, like me, you enjoy a good book catalogue and if you have any interest in gay literature then you will want to browse through this booklet. We are very grateful to Any Amount of Books for allowing us to reprint their typescript in booklet form with 156 items catalogued in 32pp sewn into printed card covers. The edition is strictly limited to 60 numbered copies. There are two colours, dusky pink and pale blue, but there is no priority and unless there is a specific request they will be sent randomly.
The book costs 9.99GBP and postage is 1.50GBP within the UK: 4.00GBP within Europe and 5.00GBP to elsewhere in the world. Drop me a line if you would like one. Payment is usually handled through paypal.
Just to be perfectly clear, this is NOT a selling catalogue but a reprint of a 1990s list for its inherent interest.
