The Baker Collection of Books

About the
collection

Collection description

Collected by art gallery proprietor Samuel Henry Baker (1890–1975), the Baker Books, though seemingly disparate, are united by their finery, colour and eye-catching detail. The Collection is rich in first editions of British works, mainly novels and poetry, but its real strength lies in its reflection of developments in dress and decorative arts. As such, the Baker Books are potentially a valuable resource for students of design and fine bindings.
Dress history scholars will appreciate the examples of William Miller’s Costumes series of books from the early nineteenth century. Each contains colour plates depicting costume from around the world and includes volumes on Russia, Turkey and China. The books in some ways provide an early example of the study of dress history. They reveal much of European attitudes towards other cultures.

Among other highlights is a 20-volume run of the journal The Repository of the Arts, Literature, Commerce, Manufactures, Fashions and Politics (1809–28), published by Rudolph Ackermann. A leading style-bible of its day, it included news of trends in Paris and London and plates of interior design and fashion, complete with fabric swatches attached to the pages. Ackermann’s Repository is widely used by, and of great value to, students of dress and decorative arts.

Other subjects covered by the Baker Books include sports, antiquities and natural history. The Collection also includes copies of Culpeper’s English Physician (c.1789) and The British Dance of Death (c.1825).

The collection was donated to the University in 1993 by Samuel Baker's widow, the late Mrs Mary Baker. Links are maintained through their daughter, Dr Rosemary Hall, who continues to take a lively interest in the books and in their use in research. A catalogue of the collection, prepared by Peter Lambert, is available.