Selecting Books for the Library
Readers of the Newsletter may not be aware of how new books are selected for purchase. This article explains the processes involved in deciding which books to buy.
The Deputy Librarian is responsible for producing a list of potential new purchases; this is then presented to a Books Sub-Committee for approval. This Committee meets four times a year.
In the run-up to a Committee meeting the Deputy Librarian will be gathering information about forthcoming publications from various sources (the website of Wildy & Sons, and publishing information from other leading legal publishers). A record of interesting new titles is kept and those which will be published in time for the Committee meeting are chosen for closer examination.
Various criteria are used to select new titles. The intended audience of the book is important: we buy books that are aimed primarily at practitioners. We also run a Patron-Driven Acquisition scheme for Library users to make suggestions for purchases.
The authorship of each title is considered carefully. Books written by barristers will be favourably looked at. We would not discount a work written by a solicitor but in such cases the subject matter becomes more important in determining whether we list a book for purchase. Some topics that solicitors write about are not always the same as topics that practising barristers will be interested in.
The subject of the book is of course very important. Within English law each Inn Library specialises in certain topics. A work that covers one of our specialisms will be accorded close attention. For those works which do not fall within our specialisms, or which are of a more general application, we will suggest purchase if we consider that we have gaps in our holdings. This can happen if a book clarifies an area of law where there are not many published works, or if there have been significant legal developments in the subject and our existing holdings do not reflect this.
With regards to topic, we might find a book that looks interesting but is not within our specialisms. In this case we will refer to another Inn Library which collects more widely in that area.
Another aspect that we will look at is the jurisdiction covered by the work. We maintain a core collection of the law of England and Wales as well as materials relating to Scotland. We also have responsibility for collecting within various Commonwealth jurisdictions. We will actively look out for books that cover these areas.
Finally, the format of the title is to be considered. Some legal books are published in loose-leaf format, which means that every so often a new set of pages is released and will need to be inserted. This is very time-consuming and potentially costly in terms of a subscription or paying per release. These are important factors to consider.
When a list of titles is compiled we will obtain approval copies so we can consider each book before we take it to the Committee. This allows us to look at the contents in detail and to check that there are detailed footnotes and tables of cases and legislation. The value of the work is lessened if footnotes and tables are absent or inadequate.
The list of potential new purchases is then annotated for the Committee. We include useful notes such as details of other works the Library has on the same topic, with a comparison of contents, and also reasons for purchase. At the Committee meetings the books are brought along for inspection and attendees will discuss the list. Where the Committee cannot agree on a purchase or where a further subject specialist view is needed, books can be referred to the full Library Committee which usually meets a week after the meeting of the Books Sub-Committee.
This might seem a time-consuming way to select books, but it works well. The Books Sub- Committee is made up of a range of Library patrons and their views on the books are based on practical experience and in-depth subject knowledge.
From many years of attending the Books Sub-Committee meetings, the current Deputy Librarian believes that the system is effective and ensures that the collections are well-balanced and relevant.
John Playford 1622/3 – 1686/7
Simon Hindley, Senior Library Assistant writes
John Playford was a 17th-century publisher, bookseller, and bookbinder. He was born a little over 400 years ago in Norwich. After being apprenticed to a London stationer in 1640 he went into business on his own, leasing a shop at the Temple Church porch in 1647. He is best known as a music publisher, in particular for his work The Dancing Master, which gave instructions for English popular dances and included the tunes to which they could be danced. It is the source for many tunes that are still played today.
Playford was appointed as clerk to the Temple Church in 1653. In addition to payments related to the church, the Calendar of Inner Temple Records lists payments to Playford for books and items of stationery, and for the rebinding of the Inn’s Grace Book in 1670-71.
A few years ago I was asked where John Playford was buried. Playford’s son Henry expressed a desire in his will to be buried with his father in the Temple Church. However, the only Playford listed in the burial records for the church (which also lists people who died in the Temple but were buried elsewhere) is John Playford’s first son, Samuel, who died in infancy in the Temple, where his parents were living, and was buried at St Dunstan’s in January 1655. Coincidentally, the immediately following entry records the burial of John Selden.
The last mention of Playford in the Calendar of Inner Temple Records is from the General Account Book for 1683-84, when he was paid £2/1/4d for “13 iron candlesticks for the church, 2 copies of the King’s declaration, etc.” If he had retired from the post, this would probably be mentioned in the records, so it seems possible that he was still clerk when he died. Recording the burial would have been the church clerk’s responsibility, so perhaps a new clerk had yet to be appointed and there was no clerk to record the burial.
The Library holds two books written by John Playford: a 4th edition of The Dancing Master, and a 4th edition of A Brief Introduction to the Skill of Musick, which covers musical theory and basic instruction in playing the viola da gamba and violin (“a cheerful and sprightly instrument”).
The Library also holds a brief biography of Edward II, supposedly written by Henry Carey, Viscount Falkland (1575-1633), and published by Playford in 1680.
In 2008 Master Sedley, then Master of the Library, wrote an article about Playford and The Dancing Master for the Inner Temple Yearbook.
References
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Vol. 44 pp. 568-571
Register of Burials at the Temple Church 1628-1853 p. 10
Inderwick, F. A. Calendar of Inner Temple Records Vol. 3 (1660-1714) pp. xl-xli, 82, 212
Institute of English Studies Group Visit
On 3 December 2024 the Library and Archives hosted a visit from students enrolled on the History of the Book MA at the Institute of English Studies. We arranged an exhibition of intriguing items from both collections, including a recent and exciting acquisition, a copy of the fourth edition of Milton’s Paradise Lost (1688) previously owned by Charles Killigrew (1655 – 1725), Master of Revels and patentee of the Drury Lane Theatre, whose brother Thomas was a member of the Inner Temple. It contains annotations on the frontispiece and first pages of the volume, possibly made in preparation for its performance as a play, perhaps for Queen Anne’s court in 1711. There are references in the Inn’s own accounts to a payment of £20 to the Drury Lane Players in 1710, though unfortunately the title of the play performed is not mentioned. The annotations also list the names of 18 Inner Temple barristers, including the Inn’s own Master of Revels, Stephen Clay, and four Dukes. Were those named perhaps involved in the poem’s adaption for performance?
On one table of the exhibition, our visitors were given a crash course in the history of the Inn, with the original Bench Table Orders dating from 1668 charting the decisions made at the Inn, the Christmas Accounts 1614-1682 auditing the festive expenses, and plans and photographs showing changes to the Inn, including the destruction of a large part of the estate during the Second World War.
Other items featured as ‘hands-on’ exhibits, and were chosen to demonstrate a range of features relevant to bibliography. Among the selection were:
- The Old Grace Book of the Inner Temple (c.1440-1505) [Misc. Ms.13], exhibited for its full documented history of the rebinding with original signatures and dates. John Playford is first in the list recording that the volume was rebound by him at his shop adjoining the Temple Church in 1656.
- Henry of Bratton [Bracton], De Legibus Angliae, (13th/14th century) [Misc. Ms.67] displayed, not for the sake of the text itself, but for the 39 fragments or folios of miscellaneous medieval manuscript that formed part of the original binding. Many are unidentified, but they include folios from a late 12th- or early 13th- century manuscript of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and three fragments of a music manuscript.
- A Commentarie of M. Doctor Martin Luther upon the Epistle of S. Paul to the Galathians (1588) featured on account of its contemporary calf binding complete with metal clasps, elaborate gilt tooling, and gauffered edges.
- A selection of early printed law books showcasing several early printers including William Caxton, Wynkyn de Worde, William Rastell, John Lettou, William de Machlinia, and Richard Pynson.
The visit also included a tour of the Library, and there was much opportunity to discuss the exhibits, research interests, and professional issues with Library and Archive staff.
