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[[Narcissus Luttrell | The diarist Narcissus Luttrell (1657-1732) helped later generations of historians by dating his acquisitions; his books can usually be recognised from his distinctive monogram ink stamp.]]</div>
 
[[Narcissus Luttrell | The diarist Narcissus Luttrell (1657-1732) helped later generations of historians by dating his acquisitions; his books can usually be recognised from his distinctive monogram ink stamp.]]</div>

Revision as of 09:55, 6 January 2021

Book Owners Online is a directory of historical book owners, with information about their libraries, and signposts to further reference sources. It currently covers seventeenth-century English owners and has begun to be expanded. Feedback from users is welcome.

Sir William Dugdale: etching by Wenceslaus Hollar, 1656 (detail)

Book owners played an essential role in creating the documentary heritage we value today. Our libraries, curating our collective printed and written memory, were built on countless donations or purchases from individuals over the centuries. Books which they kept and valued have significantly shaped ideas about our literary legacy.

Key questions which BOO seeks to answer include “did this person own books?”, "how many and what kind?", "what happened to them?", and “where do I look for more information?”. At a time of growing interest in provenance studies, private libraries, and work on the material book, it fills a gap in our book historical reference sources. There are many online sites which start from books or libraries and provide provenance data, but BOO starts with owners.

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