steady unbroken success, so quiet and uniform as almost to conceal the
credit to which he is entitled as a man of original mind and a vigorous
innovator and reformer. Born on December 31, 1815, the son of a
clergyman and schoolmaster at Hanwell, he entered the Record Office at
seventeen, and there, under the tuition of Sir Thomas Hardy and the Rev.
Joseph Hunter, laid the foundation of his extensive palæographical
acquirements. Having obtained a thorough acquaintance with mediæval
hand-writings, so far as this is attainable from English and French
records and charters, he passed in 1837 to the more varied and extensive
field afforded by the British Museum, where continuous experience made
him a master of palæography in every department. The sudden and much
regretted death of Mr. John Holmes in 1854 made Bond Assistant-Keeper of
Manuscripts sooner than could have been anticipated, and in 1867 he
succeeded his chief, Sir Frederic Madden, as head of the department.
During thirty years he had been known as an exemplary and diligent
official, who enjoyed the confidence and esteem both of his immediate
superior and of the head of the Museum, Sir A. Panizzi; yet few were
prepared for the sweeping and vigorous measures by which, within a few
years, he reorganised his department, reformed many defects which had
been allowed to creep in, did away with the extraordinary mass of
arrears which he found existing, and brought the work up to the high
standard of regularity and efficiency which it has maintained ever
since. Concurrently with these reforms, he executed the classified index
of MSS. which has proved of such essential assistance to students, and
performed a service, felt far beyond the precincts of the Museum, by the
foundation of the Palæographical Society, whose selections of authentic
facsimiles from MSS. of varied character in separate libraries may be
said to have made palæography an exact science. Their value was evinced
in the celebrated controversy respecting the date of the Utrecht
Psalter, in which Bond took the leading part. This, however, was about
the only occasion on which he came prominently before the public. His
modesty and reserve kept him almost unknown beyond his own department;
it was a genuine surprise to the world and to himself when, in 1878, he
succeeded Mr. Winter Jones as Principal Librarian. The appointment had
been looked upon as the appanage of Sir Charles Newton, at that time the
most conspicuous officer of the Museum, and he might undoubtedly have
filled it, if a brief experience as Mr. Jones's deputy of its arduous
and engrossing nature had not made him decline it as incompatible with
his cherished archæological pursuits.
Sir Edward Bond's career as Principal Librarian repeated the history of
his keepership upon a larger scale. As before, he was inflexibly
diligent in his attention to routine duties, and boldly original when an
emergency arose requiring special action. He saw that the time had come
for the introduction of electric lighting into the Museum, and achieved
this invaluable improvement in the face of many discouragements. The
enormous bulk of the catalogue threatened to drive everything else out
of the Reading Room. Sir Edward Bond first curbed the evil by
introducing print for the accession titles, and then induced the
Treasury to consent to the printing of the entire catalogue, a vast
undertaking now on the verge of completion. His openness of mind was
shown in no respect more forcibly than in his prompt appreciation of the
sliding-press, an idea altogether new to him. An ordinary official would
have hesitated, objected, and deferred action until some other
institution had shown the way. Sir Edward Bond no sooner saw the model
than he adopted the invention, and won the honour for the Museum. In his
time the separation of the Natural History departments from the
Bloomsbury Museum was consummated, and the White Wing erected with its
newspaper rooms and admirable accommodation for the departments of MSS.
and prints and drawings. The facilities for public access to the Museum
were greatly extended under him. Of the many important acquisitions
made in his term of office, the Stowe Manuscripts were perhaps the most
remarkable. He retired in 1888, among the most gratifying testimonies of
the respect and affection he had won for himself. His manner had been
thought cold and reserved, and such was indeed the case; but the better
he was known the more apparent it became that this austerity veiled a
most kind heart and a truly elevated mind, far above every petty
consideration, and delighting to dwell in a purely intellectual sphere.
After his resignation he spent upwards of nine years in an honoured and
dignified retirement. He had been made a C.B. while Principal Librarian,
and his last days were solaced by the bestowal of the higher distinction
of K.C.B., which ought indeed to have been conferred much sooner. He
died at his house in Bayswater on January 2, 1898, two days after
completing his eighty-second year.
As a palæographer, whose life had been spent among MSS., Sir Edward Bond
could not be expected to take the same warm interest in the Library
Association that may reasonably be looked for in a librarian chiefly
conversant with printed books, but he well understood the duty in this
respect imposed upon him by his office as Principal Librarian, and
evinced this by presiding over the London meeting of 1887. He married a
relative, Miss Caroline Barham, daughter of the famous author of the
"Ingoldsby Legends." Lady Bond survives her husband, and he has left
five daughters, all married. He wrote no independent work, but edited
the _Statutes of the University of Oxford_, the _Trial of Warren
Hastings_, and several books for the Hakluyt and other Societies,
besides contributing numerous memoirs to the _Transactions_ of his own
special creation, the Palæographical Society.
FOOTNOTES:
[335:1] Contributed to _The Library_, May 1898.
INDEX
Abbas the Great, Shah of Persia, wishes to introduce printing into
Persia, 119
Africa, question as to first introduction of printing into, 123
Aldrich, Stephen J., of the British Museum, an authority on
incunabula, 208
Ancina, Bishop, his integrity, 169
Antequera Castro, Joseph, author of a book printed in Paraguay, 133
Baber, Rev. H. H., his Museum catalogue, 85;
his plan for an improved catalogue, 90
Bailey, J. B., on subject indexes to scientific periodicals, 225
Beresford, General, prints proclamations in Buenos Ayres, 136
Bethnal Green Library, its contrivance for the accommodation of books,
the prototype of the British Museum sliding-press, 267
Bible, the foundation of the system of classification adopted at the
British Museum, 212
Blades, William, his "Enemies of Books," 283-287
Bond, Sir Edward Augustus, K.C.B., Principal Librarian of the British
Museum, his services to the British Museum Printed Catalogue, 15;
his negotiations with the Treasury, 65, 73, 94;
memoir of, 335-339
Bonifacius, Joannes, author of the first book printed by Europeans
in China, 121
Bradshaw, Henry, 209
British Museum Catalogue, how far a model for other catalogues, 7
Canevarius, Antonius, collector of books and amateur of bindings, 164-166
Carlisle, Nicholas, 312
Cary, Rev. Henry, 295
Classed indexes to Museum Catalogue, how to be made, 106
Classification of Books on the shelves of the British Museum, Library,
211
Clemente Patavino, early Italian printer, 201
Cole, Sir Henry, 84, 109
Collins, C. H., Esq., of Edgbaston, advocates a classified index of
scientific papers, 22
Colophons of the early printers, 197-209
Cordier, M. Henri, Chinese bibliographer, 121
Crestadoro, Mr., advocates dictionary catalogues, 46
Cutter, C. W., his report on catalogues, 46;
his cataloguing rules, 48
Dewey, Melvil, on the decimal system of classification, 80
Douglas, Professor R. K., Keeper of Oriental Books and MSS., his
catalogue of the Museum collection of maps, 15;
supervises catalogue of accession titles, 74
Duarte y Quiros, founder of a college at Cordova, La Plata, 134
Dury, John, 175-190, _passim_
Edwards, Edward, 320
Electric Light in British Museum, 253, 254
Ellis, Sir Henry, his Museum catalogue, 85
Ewart, William, M.P., founder of free public libraries in Great
Britain and Ireland, 36
Fire, protection of libraries against, 258-261
Fortescue, G. W., Keeper of Printed Books, his subject indexes to
British Museum catalogue, 10
Foscolo, Ugo, 289
Gallus, Udalricus, early Italian printer, 203
Garcia da Horta, author of the second book printed by Europeans in
India, 118
Grand, G. F., author of the first book printed in South Africa, 125
Grenville, Right Hon. Thomas, 292, 294
Heidelberg Library, pillaged and partly restored, 187, 188
Hervey, Lord, and Conyers Middleton, 191-193
Horne, Rev. T. H., his project for a classed catalogue, 89
Howe, William, bushranger, book relating to him the first printed in
Australasia, 125
Jenner, Henry, assistant in the Library of the British Museum, his
share in the introduction of the sliding-press, 267;
rewarded by the Treasury, 268
Johnstone, Mr., procures Mr. Winter Jones an appointment in the
British Museum, 313
Jones, Giles, author of "Goody Two Shoes," 305
Jones, John Winter, Principal Librarian of British Museum, memoir of,
304-324
Labbe, Father, his travels in La Plata, 130
Leão, Gaspar de, Archbishop of Goa, author of the first book printed
by Europeans in India, 117, 118
Lignamine, Joannes Philippus de, early Italian printer, 153
Macedo, Antonio, his _Theses rhetoricæ_, 123
Mayhew, Henry M., assistant in library of the British Museum, his
invention of the pivot-press, 272
Mazarin, Cardinal, formation of his first library, 166
Medina, Señor Jose T., on first European printing in China, 120;
on South American bibliography, 128-140, _passim_
Middleton, Conyers, delay in publication of his "Life of Cicero," 190-195
Murray, Dr., his great English Dictionary, 20
Naudé, Gabriel, collects books for Cardinal Mazarin, 166-168
Newton, Sir Charles, K.C.B., favours printing Museum catalogue, 94
Nicholson, E. W. B., Bodley's Librarian, founder of the Library
Association of the United Kingdom, 3, 37
Nicius, Erythræus, 162-173, _passim_
Oddi, Muzio, his ingenuity, 171
Panizzi, Sir Anthony, K.C.B., Principal Librarian of the British
Museum, his services to the British Museum, 35, 36;
undertakes printing of Museum catalogue, 69, 90-92;
memoir of 288-303
Paper, fine, manufacture of, in England, 191-196
Peranda, Cardinal, 171
Photography, advantages of its introduction as an official department
of the British Museum, 16, 17, 85, 86, 234-252
Podianus, Prosper, a mighty book-hunter, 168-170
Pollard, Alfred William, on the title-page, 198
Poole's Index to Periodicals, 9
Ribeiro dos Sanctos, Portuguese bibliographer, 118
Roscoe, William, 290
Ruiz de Montoya, Antonio, author of books printed in Paraguay, 133
Rye, William Brenchley, Keeper of Printed Books, his services to the
classification of the Museum Library, 211
Rylands, Mrs., her public spirit, 25
Sande, Eduardus de, author of the second book printed by Europeans in
China, 120
Sainsbury, William Noel, his calendar of the papers of the East India
Company, 119
Satow, Sir Ernest Mason, K.C.B., on printing in Japan, 121, 122
Scientific Papers, subject indexes to, 225-233
Serrano, Father Jose, his translation of Father Nieremberg into Guarani,
the first book printed in Paraguay, 131, 132
Sliding-Press, the, at the British Museum, 262-271
Sparrow, Mr., locksmith at the British Museum, 267, 271
Spira, the brothers, early printers at Venice, 149, 203, 205
Stevens, Henry, of Vermont, his paper on Photo-Bibliography, 16, 239;
memoir of, 325-334
Sweynheym and Pannartz, early printers at Rome, 143, 148, 149, 150,
151, 152
Telautographic writing telegraph, 256
Telegraph, writing, advantage of introduction of, into Reading Room of
British Museum, 254, 257
Thompson, Sir E. M., K.C.B., on use of blotting paper in the Middle Ages.
Universal Catalogue projected by Sir Henry Cole, 83, 84, 109-114
Venetian book-trade, 153, 156
Vera, Juan de, first printer in the Philippines, 122
Virgo, Mr., his ingenuity, 266, 279
Watts, Thomas, Keeper of Printed Books, British Museum, advocated
printing the catalogue in 1855, 15;
founder of the system of classification followed at the British
Museum, 211
Whitelock, General, prints proclamations in Monte Video, 137
Wolfenbuttel Library, 189
Yapuguai, Nicolas, author of books printed in Paraguay, 133
Zaehnsdorf, Mr., bookbinder, his device for the protection of books
against fire, 259-261
THE END
Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO.
Edinburgh & London
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES
Variations in spelling and hyphenation remain as in the original.
Ellipses match the original.
The following corrections have been made to the original text:
Page 152: publication is greatly lowered.[original has a comma]
Page 172: the Rome of the seventeenth[original has
"seventeeth"] century
Page 321: the staunch[original has "stanch"] persistence with
which
Page 341: Bible, the foundation of the system of
classification[original has "classifiation"] adopted
Page 342: Photography, advantages of its introduction[was split
across a line break without a hyphen] as an official department
of the British Museum, 16, 17,[original has a semi-colon] 85,
86,[original has a semi-colon] 234-252
Page 343: Thompson, Sir E. M., K.C.B., on use of blotting paper
in the Middle Ages, 171[original has a period instead of a
comma and page number is missing]