final lcc newsletter 2007 for output:Lucy Newsletter v2
09/01/2008
10:47
Page 48
The Founders’ Collection of Children’s Books Amongst the rare books held in the College Library is a
collection of children’s literature from the 19th century. These
books, 45 in total, were donated to the College in 1995 by Dr. Anna Bidder (1903-2001), a founding
fellow and first President of the College (1965-1970), and are collectively known as the ‘Founders’ Collection of
Children’s Books’. Born in Cambridge, Anna and her
elder sister, Caroline (1900-1990), were the daughters of two scientists, George Parker
Bidder III, a zoologist, and
Marion Greenwood, a biologist.
They lived at Cavendish Corner, now the EF School of English on Hills Road. Inscriptions in
many of the books reveal that they were passed down
Sarah Trimmer Miscellanies (n.d.)
library, and managing conservation of the collections.
through generations of Bidder
Following the death of Anna
Anna and Caroline.
Association made a donation of
children before reaching
The books are housed in a
purpose-built rare books room
with temperature and humidity controls. Management of this
collection, and indeed the rare book collection as a whole, provides something of a
challenge to the Librarian
and the Archivist through the demands of cataloguing
specialist collections of rare books, a task which differs markedly from that of
cataloguing modern texts
for a predominantly undergraduate
Page 48 | Lucy Cavendish College Cambridge
Bidder in 2001, the Alumnae
at the end of the Easter Term
which used examples from the collection to present a brief history of 19th century children’s literature.1
£1000 for the repair and
Children’s books flourished
Collection of Children’s Books,
levels of literacy steadily
conservation of the Founders’ in memory of Anna and in
recognition of her contribution
to the founding and development of the College. This generous
during the 19th century: increased, and technical
advances made it possible
to produce large numbers of
books at lower prices.2 There
donation has provided for the
was also a growing acceptance
last of which was completed
not only to be informed and
repair of eleven books, the
this summer. To mark the
end of the alumnae-funded
conservation programme, the opportunity was taken to showcase this fascinating
collection through an exhibition
that children had the right educated but also to be
entertained. This is characterised by the changing tone of the
literature, from didactic and explicitly moral texts at the
beginning of the 19th century to