LeMire, Eugene D. A Bibliography of William Morris.
Gordon-Craig, C.
LeMire, Eugene D. A Bibliography of William Morris. New Castle,
Del., and London: Oak Knoll Press and The British Library, 2006. 448
pp.; US $98.00. ISBN 1584561734 (US); 071234926X (UK).
The initial reaction to Eugene D. LeMire's magnificent
bibliography of William Morris is admiration, together with a certain
bibliomanic covetousness. Compiled painstakingly, it is an impressive
triumph, comprehensive, clearly organized, and ample in its
illustrations. And in case the thought occurs, yes, it is needed and
does fill a gap in Morris scholarship. Ever since the 1897 seminal
compilations of "Temple Scott" and H. Buxton Forman, there has
been a steady progression of bibliographical resources on Morris,
including (to name only some) Sir Sydney Cockerell's
"Annotated List" (in H. Halliday Sparling's The Kelmscott
Press, and William Morris Master-Craftsman), John J. Walsdorf's
William Morris in Private Press and Limited Editions ..., and William S.
Peterson's useful Soho Bibliography of the 1980s. Indeed, Peterson
is often the source one has turned to, and while thorough, it considers
only the Kelmscott Press itself. LeMire's intent then, clearly goes
further in scope. To take just one example, Peterson lists the Kelmscott
printing of The Water of the Wondrous Isles (Peterson A45), noting
"A less expensive edition was published by Longmans in October
1897." LeMire gives full accounts of the Kelmscott Press printing
(A-84.01), the "Popular Edition" of 1897 (A-84.02), The
Collected Works text of 1913 (A-84.03), and the "Pocket
Edition" of 1914 (A-84.04). The descriptions have been re-examined
and augmented, and of course LeMire has the advantage of drawing on the
accumulated findings of his precursors.
The challenge of LeMire's task is daunting. Not only was
William Morris prolific as a writer, but his range was varied. Poetry,
fiction, translations, essays, articles, lectures, contributions to
periodicals, and political pamphlets are all amongst his output, and the
matter is complicated by his sheer popularity in his own period which
led to numerous anthologies, as well as collected editions. Nor can one
overlook the number of pirated versions, an inevitable result of his
success.
Strictly "a primary bibliography" excluding
"secondary ... critical" material and translations (other than
Morris's own, of course), the work is divided into standard
categories. The main body, Section A, covers separate editions up to
1915, though first editions printed after 1915 to the present are
listed. Section B--"contributions [to books] deliberately
undertaken by Morris"--is limited to works published in his
lifetime. Other sections include "Collections, Selections, and
Anthologies to 1915"; contributions to periodicals, magazines, and
journals; and a fascinating list of "Forgeries, Piracies and
Sophistications." Two short Appendices, "Interviews" and
"Ephemera," together with an admirably concise Index, conclude
the work.
The listings in Section A follow standard bibliographical
descriptive systems according to Gaskell and Fredson Bowers, with full
collations. Importantly, a Register of Copies Examined (or Located) is
given for entries, and an impressive prefatory list indicates the
locations of the collections consulted, ranging internationally from
Australia to The Netherlands. Canadian listings show the libraries of
the Universities of British Columbia and Toronto, as well as the private
collection of the late Professor William E. Fredeman of Vancouver who
contributed the entry on Morris to the NCBEL. For researchers in the
area, the significance of such lists cannot be overstressed for the
assistance they provide quickly in establishing possibilities for
primary sources.
A 35-page Introduction detailing the scope, limitations, and
methodology followed leads the reader into intriguing critical
considerations. The topic of copyright applications in the UK and the
USA is raised and moves into an extended exposition of the details of
Morris's relations with publishers, and the basis of the printing
of posthumous publications. There is mention of Thomas Bird Mosher of
whom LeMire notes that "[he] round in Morris his greatest
publishing interest of all, producing more issues of his work than that
of any other writer." While quoting the well known tag, "the
Portland Pirate," LeMire does add a corrective that Mosher
"was sufficiently mindful of the law never to violate the US
International Copyright Act of 1891," and that "He made a
significant contribution to the transmission of Morris's texts in
the USA, being from 1896 to 1914 both an indicator of and a stimulus to
the growth of Morris's reputation there."
Clearly printed on sturdy paper with a page height of 27.9 cm, the
volume is a joy to use and is one of those works (like the OED, or
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable) that invite the user to
meander happily into digressive reading away from the principal point
under consideration. While admittedly it is hard for some of us to
maintain patience with those who find bibliographies dull--or worse,
pedestrian cataloguing--Professor LeMire's is an especially
exciting achievement. Not only is it a monumental addition to Morris
studies, it also provides a brilliant focus on Morris himself, his
interests and activities, his concerns and contacts. Displayed in a
vivid light is Morris, the translator of Virgil, Homer, old French
romances, Beowulf, and the Northern Sagas. We see his influence on
modern fantasy writers, his standing in art, architecture, and
manufacture, his place in the history of social concerns, and in
literature itself. The obligatory illustrations of details of
Kelmscott-Press works always impress us with Morris's innovations
in printing and book design; and even the mention of such a dedication
as that of The Defence of Guenevere--"To My Friend, Dante Gabriel
Rossetti, Painter"--reinforces our view of Morris's
connections in the thought and culture of his time.
Eugene LeMire's love of Morris and books shines through in
this careful, rewarding, and major undertaking. Indispensable in
Victorian studies, it is certainly a must for reference collections, not
only for specialists in the multiple areas Morris embraces, but as a
basic tool in establishing definitively the priorities of printings for
this eminently collectible writer.
C. GORDON-CRAIG
University of Alberta
