Bibliomaniac in Alberta: Ex Libris Christopher Gordon-Craig

In 2018 THOMPSON RARE BOOKS, of British Columbia, Canada—‘dealers in Old and Rare Books since 1983’—had for sale a Clowes Methuen copy of The Silmarillion; and this particular book had detail I thought (at the time) worthy of formal note. The provenance in particular piqued my interest. 

Vancouver bookseller William Hoffer—an interesting sounding character (see Brian Busby's blog post here)—had bought some ‘undistributed’ Clowes Methuen copies directly from a ‘Methuen Sales Representative’ in the late 1980s; THOMPSON RARE BOOKS bought ‘them all’ from Hoffer and sold them through their mail-order catalogues. A customer purchased one of these in 1991 (from THOMPSON RARE BOOKS catalogue no.10, October 1991), affixed their bookplate, and added a pencilled note. This same book was then reacquired by THOMPSON RARE BOOKS (circumstances unknown) and was now being sold by them for a second time twenty-seven years later. I didn't note the new (2018) price, but can't imagine it was anything other than significantly higher than the original $750 asking price; already very high (in my opinion) for 1991.

A more detailed (previous) discussion of the Clowes Methuen can be found here.

Aside from the story of the book's provenance, the lengthy inscription to the f.f.e.p. was also a copy-specific feature of interest. The previous owner's bibliographical note stated that the book in-hand was a ‘first state, first issue, first edition’ Canadian edition, and that ‘250 copies of this issue were specially bound by Clowes’. THOMPSON RARE BOOKS observed that the ‘pencil writing could easily be erased without a trace’ but felt it explained ‘the bibliographical details of the book nicely’. There was also an unobtrusive ex libris bookplate (opposite the inscription) to the front pastedown.

Quite independently (slightly earlier), and from an entirely different bookseller (in Pittsburgh), I acquired a Clowes First State—the so-called ‘export’ variant—with an interesting ‘ADVANCE ORDER FORM’ slip (not stated, but METHUEN PUBLICATIONS) tipped onto the front pastedown (S.151). 

Advance Order Form

The printed form mentions the Canadian ‘Special Deluxe Edition’; what I refer to as the Clowes Methuen. It's not entirely clear if this is a later marrying of book with (closely associated) ephemera. This copy also has two inscriptions from a previous owner.

Inscriptions to front endpaper

The first inscription—to the pastedown (in pencil)—name-checks L. W. Currey (bookseller) and makes several claims about the priority of the Clowes ‘export issue’ over other copies. The second inscription—to the f.f.e.p. (in ink)—is in the same handwriting and gives the P.O.'s name, two locations, and two dates.  

Inscription to f.f.e.p.

The P.O. was a C. Gordon-Craig. For the location/date detail: the first part surely refers to when (‘15 September 1977’) and where (‘Edmonton, Alberta’) the book was acquired; the second, one might guess, refers to where (‘Auckland, N.Z.’) and when (‘25 Sept. – 2 Oct. 1977’) the book was first read. But the locations are continents apart, which is curious. I could think of several reasons to try and explain this—assuming the guesswork to be correct—but none felt quite right.

Recently, while revisiting the notes (and saved images) I had made in regard to the THOMPSON RARE BOOKS Clowes Methuen copy, I turned my attention to the simple, but effective P.O.'s bookplate. 

Ex libris bookplate

The image isn't great, but it clearly reads ‘Ex Libris | Christophori | Gordon-Craig’; the THOMPSON RARE BOOKS listing even mentions the ‘neat and attractive bookplate of C. Gordon-Craig on the front paste-down’. The P.O. of the Clowes Methuen (bookplated copy) and the Clowes First State (signed copy) are clearly the same person; a cursory glance at the inscriptions in both copies also show the handwriting to be one and the same. Christopher Gordon-Craig owned both of these copies of The Silmarillion.

Christopher Gordon-Craig (1941–2023) was a Professor at the UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; he was still ‘actively engaged in teaching’ and celebrating fifty years at the university—by then Professor Emeritus—in 2019. He was still working at the university, as Department Scribe, until his death last year. His name is usually referenced as ‘C. Gordon-Craig’; informally he would appear to have been known—although possibly only to those who knew him personally—as ‘Chris’.

Gordon-Craig was born in New Zealand in April 1941, where he lived until early adulthood. He was educated at KING'S PREPARATORY SCHOOL (now simply ‘KING'S SCHOOL’), then KING'S COLLEGE, both private schools in Auckland. He later attended the UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND, attained degrees in English and Classics (BA, 1965), and English Languages and Literature (MA, 1966).

At some point in the 1960s he relocated to Canada to live and study, attaining his PhD at the UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK (1969), where he also taught for several years. His dissertation was on the seventeenth-century English playwright Arthur Wilson (1595–1652). In 1969 he became a member of the English Department (now Department of English and Film Studies) at the UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA. I believe he held both New Zealand and Canadian citizenship.

In 1972 Gordon-Craig moved into ST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE, an affiliated college on the UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA campus, founded in 1926 as a Catholic institution for post-secondary higher learning. He was appointed to the Board of Governors and was at one point Dean of Residence. He played a leading role in ST. JOSEPH'S year-long celebrations (March 1976–March 1977) marking the college's golden anniversary, helped re-establish an alumni association for the college, and played his part in establishing ST. JOSEPH'S at the heart of the spiritual, intellectual, and social life of the university's Catholic community.

He held numerous positions outside of academia. He was a member of the ALBERTA LIBRARY BOARD for four years from 1979, serving as Chairman in 1980–1981. He served on the Board of Directors of ST. JOHN AMBULANCE, where he was admitted into the Order of St. John; he was later awarded the St. John Medallion for Dedicated Service in 2021, after more than 40 years service. Just two examples, from many.

His interest in literature and books is also quite clear. He was co-editor of the Victorian Review in the late 1990s, and his teaching—at least latterly—focused on children's and Victorian literature.  One also encounters his name in publications of the BIBLIOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA; there is mention of him guest-curating an exhibition which featured nineteenth- and twentieth-century boys' books; his name crops up as the author of several book reviews.

He writes as someone familiar with bibliography—which apparently he taught, but I haven't been unable to find evidence of—and the language of books. In book review articles he prominently appraises the physical aspects of books, as well as the content. Careful mention is made of the paper used, of typefaces, and margins (‘bibliographers like ample margins’); sewn gatherings and headbands are noted, serviceable bindings commented upon. 

In one review he commends the writer(s) for convincing us of the ‘validity and relevance of books in our lives’; in another he admits to it being hard ‘for some of us to maintain patience with those who find bibliographies dull’. (This gave me a chuckle.) In 2007, when the UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA acquired the staggeringly large Science-Fiction collection of Chester Cuthbert (all 45 tons of it), he was asked to comment on the university's new possession; he mentioned the importance of cataloguing and careful preservation, but also (in an aside) referred to himself as a ‘biblio-maniac at home’. Some interviewer/interviewee context has probably been lost here, but this is quite a specific choice of language.

So what of Gordon-Craig's two copies of The Silmarillion?

He certainly had an academic interest in Tolkien; The Hobbit is mentioned as one of several ‘accepted classics’ in some of his later teaching courses. But clearly his interest went beyond that. His inscription to the standard hardback copy of The Silmarillion shows he was a publication day purchaser and early reader; and, further, he was interested in bibliographical detail, including priority, issue points, and printers. Since he went on to purchase a copy in 1991, he presumably didn't manage to acquire a Clowes Methuen in 1977.

One might also assume—ignoring idiosyncratic and non-chronological usage—that in 1977 he didn't have a personal bookplate yet. The story behind why he was in Auckland, New Zealand remains unclear. His family—or, at least, his father—still lived in New Zealand; my guess, is that he likely travelled to New Zealand in late September 1977 to visit family, reading The Silmarillion while there (or while travelling).

And what of the bibliographical notes that he made to both copies of The Silmarillion that he owned?

CLOWES FIRST STATE inscription

The bibliographical note in the Clowes First State (above) doesn't appear to be contemporary, since it cites L. W. Currey; his Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors (G. K. Hall & Co.) wasn't published until 1979. In this work Currey uses ‘edition’, so Gordon-Craig's use of issue is interesting. This is fairly standard stuff; but it is, if written in the late 1970s, a good, early example of bibliographical detail in respect to The Silmarillion. I'll politely ignore ‘correct’ First Edition. (Is there ever an incorrect First Edition?)

CLOWES METHUEN inscription

The Clowes Methuen inscription (above) is significantly longer. First edition, yes. First issue? This bibliographical definition could certainly be argued. First state? The Clowes Methuen would only appear to exist in one state—one binding state, one textual state—so, in this general respect, first state might be applicable; but the text is, and undoubtedly was in Gordon-Craig's copy, second state. The source of the 250 copies claim remains unclear. However, it must carry some weight, coming as it does from a Canadian bibliophile; a claim that THOMPSON RARE BOOKS, also, don't challenge.  

Reference in both copies to the ‘raised headband’ is either a slip or a misunderstanding of book construction; one might refer (correctly) to raised bands (on the spine), but not raised headbands. I'm sure I'm doing Gordon-Craig a disservice here, since he comments knowledgeably (elsewhere) of ‘imitation headbands’. Perhaps a rhetorical flourish.

NOTE: The screenshots I saved are not of sufficient quality to allow for useful reproduction here, hence the (above) transcriptions.

I wish I knew a bit more about Gordon-Craig, particularly his book-collecting interests. Both copies appeared for sale at roughly—give or take a few years—the same time, although from different booksellers. I'm curious to why he jettisoned both copies; unfortunately we will likely never know the reason(s) for this. 

In the meantime, this brief and uneven biographical sketch serves, I hope, as merely a stopgap in lieu of something written by someone who knew him; something more substantial, personal, and informed. I hope, too, that he wouldn't be too upset at his biography being used as a vehicle for book provenance exploration. Without his ownership markings, the personal bookplate, and his bibliographical inscriptions, nobody would be reading this.

 

Also on SILMARILLION MINUTIAE

❆ The Silmarillion — Clowes Methuen (1977)