This collection of books is from the press of eighteenth-century Birmingham letter-founder and printer, John Baskerville (1706-1775). Baskerville created one of the world's most famous typefaces. The collection was presented in memory of Victor Hely-Hutchinson (Professor of Music at the University of Birmingham 1934-1944), by his brother.
Baskerville was an entrepreneur from Wolverley, near Kidderminster in Worcestershire. He made his fortune in japanning in Birmingham but his lifelong passion was for the production of finely printed books. In addition to pioneering the use of smooth wove paper, Baskerville used his technical skills and knowledge to introduce innovations in press construction and to invent a superior black ink. His books are especially noted for his own elegant type-face and spacious margins and many of our copies are in Baskerville's own magnificent bindings.
In 1757 he published his first book, an edition of the poems of Virgil, printing it on the hand press at his house at Easy Hill, Birmingham. His last great work was Ariosto's Orlando Furioso (1773), which was illustrated with engravings by leading artists of the day. The most recent addition to our collection is Baskerville's wife Sarah's copy of the Cambridge Bible (1763). This is widely acknowledged as his masterpiece. The copy was donated by Benjamin Tillett Davis, a forensic pathologist at the University of Birmingham and a medical historian.