This post features a collection of books printed shortly after 1900 with women’s ownership inscriptions. Some are undated, but the general appearance suggests they are from the early 20th century.
Grethe Nielsen’s Onkel Toms Hytte, 1905
This book was kindly shared by Andreas Grønnebæk.
Type of ownership mark: inscription Transcription: “Grethe Nielsen”
Min farmor fik denne bog ag hendes mor [Grethe Nielsen] da hun var lille. Min oldemor fik den i gave, som meget lille pige, og den har så været i familien side.
Andreas Grønnebæk
[My paternal grandmother got this book from her mother, Grethe Nielsen. My great-grandmother got it as a gift as a very young girl, and it has been in the family ever since.]
Liselotte Schütz’s Körners Werke (undated)
This book was kindly shared by MT.
Type of ownership mark #1: ex libris Transcription: “Hab’ Sonne im Herzen” and “Mein Buch Liselotte Schütz” (‘Have sun in your heart’ and ‘My Book Liselotte Schütz’
Type of ownership mark #2: inscription Transcription: “bekommen von Vati zu meinem 15. Geburtstag” (‘received from daddy for my 15th birthday”)
Gertraud Weber’s Immermanns Werke, undated
This book was kindly shared by an anonymous participant.
Type of ownership mark: inscription Transcription: “Gertraud Weber”
There are a few books I got sent that I cannot quite figure out. I am posting them here in case anyone can find out more about them – do drop me a comment or an email with your thoughts (cepple[at]sdu.dk).
Madame d’Anthes’ Agnes von Lilien, ??
This book belongs to an anonymous participant, but it is my fault that I do not have all the relevant information. The current owner invited me to have a look at it in person, but part of the imprint is missing, and I did not photograph all the relevant parts of the book. In my defence – this person had lots and lots of interesting old books, so it there was a lot to look through!
Flopy Artman’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, about 1897
This book was kindly shared by another anonymous participant. Here I am not sure if the owner is a woman – what could ‘Flopy’ – if I am even reading that correctly – stand for?
Since launching the project on 8 March 2025, readers of this blog have sent me a lot of books with fascinating contents and object biographies. It has been a joy to look through all the submissions and read about former and current owners, authors, stories, and everything else. This post is a short update to let you know what will happen in the project going forward.
When I embarked on this project, I set the goal of collecting about fifty or so pre-1900 books with ownership inscriptions from women. That goal has now been reached, and I am still working through the submissions that I have not published yet. Since all good things must come to an end, and research projects like this are time-limited, I have now decided to close the survey. The remaining submissions will successively appear on the blog over the course of this month. I might also share some miscellaneous items people sent me that do not strictly speaking meet the criteria of the project.
If you did not manage to submit your book to the blog, I still want to see it!Please do post it on BlueSky and tag me, or share it in the dedicated Reddit thread!
A selection of photos from crowdsourcing contributions. Image credits, left to right: Chris Kraus, Brian Busby, Chris Kraus, Public Domain, MT, Roberta Fountain, Eva Epple, Anonymous, Anonymous.
Some reflections
Books must meet two criteria to be considered for this project: traces prior female ownership and a publication-date before 1900. One can reasonably criticise both of them, and I freely admit that I chose them for personal and practical reasons: I am interested in women’s under-researched participation in book culture, and was greatly inspired by the wonderful Early Modern Female Book Ownership project. I wanted to see what this approach could bring out if expanded to more ordinary, younger books people might have lying around at home.
In particular, I was interested what people know about their books’ provenances. It turns out: it varies massively. Some people know lots of details, either through transmitted knowledge about family heirlooms, or because they did provenance research online. Others know very little, because they simply bought a second-hand book to read it. Fascinatingly, some participants shared reflections about their own relationship to the old books, something I would love to dig into deeper at some point. With this focus, one could have just as easily done a project on ownership inscriptions in books without any restrictions, which would certainly have the potential to draw a much bigger ‘crowd’.
The 1900 cut-off date was mainly a practical consideration. Not only is it a neat round number, but there are still plenty of 19th century books in circulation. Unless they are rare editions, they are not usually particularly valuable. They are (mostly) easily comprehensible to a 21st century reader. But 125+ years is a plenty long time for an object to accumulate an interesting ownership history. Also, GDPR! I will not bore you with details, but this was a concern right from the start: book inscriptions contain names, dates, sometimes addresses – personal data that is rightly protected by law, but only for a set period of time. Ownership inscriptions from around or before 1900 are quite unlikely to contain personal data of living people.
Bonus Books
Given that 1900 is such an arbitrary date, a book from 1905 is of course not necessarily less interesting than one from 1899. And indeed, I encouraged people to just submit books if they were unsure about whether they met the criteria. So I received a handful submissions of post-1900 books, which I will share over the coming week or two. I also got to see some items that are not strictly ‘books’ the same way the normal entries are. A few of these miscellaneous items with a connection to women’s history will also appear on the blog.
A thank you note
This project relies on people contributing their time and their knowledge, so I will take a moment to honour that. I am incredibly grateful to everyone who took the time to look through their bookshelves, photograph books, and share their knowledge and their own memories and feelings about them. Thank you for doing that. A special thank you goes to the people who invited me into their homes and showed me their old books in person.
I would also like to thank the many people who looked for books with female provenances in their homes, or their parents or grandparents shelves or elsewhere and didn’t find anything. You are part of the ‘crowd’ in ‘crowdsourcing’. Thank you, equally, for taking the time to think about my project! Not finding something you’re looking for is an interesting part of research, too, and I hope you found enjoyment in the old books regardless of whether it resulted in a contribution or not.
Thank you, and have a great winter break!
Book of hymns of Elisabeth Wölfle, Stadtmuseum “Alte Post” Ebersbach. Detail of an ornamental full page ownership inscription, dated Christmas Eve 1813.
Type of ownership mark: inscription Transcription: “Belle. from Uncle Edward December 25/91.”
Bibliographic data Title: The Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barren Browning (Complete.) Authors: Elizabeth Barrett Browning Publication year: 1886 Publication place/publisher: Troy N.Y./Nims and Knight Genre(s): poetry Subject matter: arts, mythology, various
Editor’s notes: I was not able to find a digital copy of this exact edition. Browning’s works were and are incredibly popular and reprinted all the time.
Type of ownership mark: inscription Transcription: “For dear little Julie – From Cousin Alice Christmas 1854”
Bibliographic data Title: Fireside Fairies Subtitle: Or, Christmas at Aunt Elsie’s Author: Susan Pindar Publication year: 1849 Publication place/publisher: New York/D. Appleton & Company Genre(s): short story, children’s literature Subject matter: Fairy tales
Editor’s notes: Susan Pindar is one of those 19th century authors who was moderately successful at the time, but seems to be completely forgotten today. Fireside Fairies was reprinted at least twice, in 1850 and in 1852. She published poetry and a short novel called Midsummer fays(1852) which also features Aunt Elsie.
Type of ownership mark #1: inscription Transcription: “Minnie H. Brown December 25th 1897 Pitterton, Pa.”
Type of ownership mark #2: inscription Transcription: “From Mr R. B.”
Bibliographic data Title: The Old Maids Club Author: Israel Zingwill Publication year: 1892? Publication place/publisher: New York/Lovell, Coryell & Company Genre(s): novel Subject matter: marriage (or deciding against it), gender, society
This book was kindly shared by an anonymous participant.
Type of ownership mark: inscription Transcription: “Marey Lewis her Boock Preasent from Afetinate (read: affectionate??) friend Decamber 26 1859”
Bibliographic data Title: The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments Subtitle: Translated Out of the Original Tongues, and with the Former Translations Author: N/A Publication year: 1854 Publication place/publisher: Oxford/Printed at the University Press, Sold by E. Gardner and Son Genre(s): bible Subject matter: religion, christianity
She was my great great grandmother on my Dad’s side , married name Mary Barnfield, husband Samuel. I’ve uploaded photos of her grave and the grave of Sophia one of the births listed at the back. She lived in the northwest of England. I think she was a non-conformist.
Anonymous
Gravestones of Mary Lewis (married Barnfield) and her husband Samual, right, and their daughter Sofia, left.
Rebecca Woods’ ownership inscription in her Holy Bible, printed in Oxford, at the University Press, for the British and Foreign Bible Society, 1854, held at Harvard Library, and digitally available on Google Books.
Editor’s notes: I could not find a digital version of this exact edition. Here is a very similar one printed the same year in Oxford, but for the British and Foreign Bible Society. It also belonged to a woman, featuring a curiously designed ownership inscription from a Rebecca Woods of… unfinished?
But back to Mary Lewis and her bible. She was born in about 1836, so would have been around twenty-three when she received the book on Boxing Day 1859. She went on to marry Samuel Barnfield soon after. The couple had six children. Their names also appear in the book: Apart from Mary’s ownership mark, the bible contains a series of birth records of the Lewis-Barnfield on the blank pages at the end of the book. They are not all written in Mary’s own hand. Each child born is listed chronologically with their name, date and exact time of birth:
Mary Maria Barnfield Born March 20th 20 minutes to eleven at night 1863
Soffiea Barnfield Born June 9th 1865 10 minutes to six in the morning
Isaac Samuel Barnfield Born May 4th 1867 half past 8 at night
Denis Barnfield born December 5th 1868 at half past 9 at night — Albert Barnfield born April 27th 1873 at twenty Minutes past 4 in the morning — Frank William Barnfield Born March 4 at quarter to 12 at night 1879
It was not uncommon to use bibles for keeping genealogical records – a bible is perhaps the most “shelf-stable” book of all. Bibles like this one were passed down the generations. Even if one bought a newer copy to use for reading and prayer, the old one was often kept around precisely because of its record-keeping function. Of course, they are often cherished as heirlooms of high symbolic value because of their provenance. For instance, former US president Joe Biden is known to have used his 1893 family bible every time he was sworn into office.1
19th century family bibles are a fascinating case study in the uncertain cultural status of books – treasured heirlooms, historical records, a bit of merchandise to be sold for money, or just worthless old paper? Propelled by digital genealogy research, they do seem to be experiencing a bit of a renaissance at the moment. Such bibles are of great interest to family historians, who use these notes for genealogical research.2 They might contain information about people not mentioned elsewhere, such as children who only lived for a short time. Sometimes, the records are even considered in probate matters.3 Obviously, not all family bibles survive, and many that do have become separated from their families. Some are in archives in libraries,4 but many are still in circulation on the rare book market. Browsing through the online resources available to work with these books, I came across a family historian who specialises in re-uniting bibles with the descendants of their former owners.5
Mary Lewis died in 1926, aged ninety, surviving her husband by about twenty years. It is staggering to think of the historical events her lifetime coincided with – the entire reign of Queen Victoria, the invention of the telephone and the lightbulb, the Great War. Her bible is still in the possession of her family almost one hundred years later.
Family historians, memory institutions, and commercial genealogy companies are all actively compiling data on and from family bibles. There are hundreds of websites centred around this topic. Since this blog is based on principles of public participation in historical research, I will highlight one volunteer-run example: St Claire, Tracy, Bible Records Online, https://www.biblerecords.com/. ↩︎
Type of ownership mark: inscription Transcription: “Lizzie Beaty”
Bibliographic data Title: The Bastonnais Subtitle: Tale of the American invasion in Canada 1775-1776 Author: John Lespérance Publication year: 1877 Publication place/publisher: Toronto/Belford Brothers Genre(s): historical novel Subject matter: Canadian history, war, love
The 1871 Canadian census records 21 Elizabeth Beatys (and one Elizabeth-May Beaty), ranging in age from two to seventy-four. I purchased this book as part of a lot in 2019, so can only speculate as to which Elizabeth Beaty owned this book. Because the sale was made in Toronto, that city’s two adult Elizabeth Beatys are the most likely candidates. One was an Irish immigrant who worked as a live-in servant, the other was an unmarried woman who lived with her mother (who was, coincidentally, an Irish immigrant). Of course, it may have belonged to an Elizabeth Beaty who arrived at a later date or never lived in Canada at at all. For the record, no one in the 1871 or 1881 censuses is documented as “Lizzie Beaty.”
Now largely forgotten, The Bastonnais was quite popular in its day. A historical novel, it is set during the sixteen months the Continental Army attempted but failed to capture what was then known as the Province of Quebec. Its author, American-born John Lesperance, another immigrant to Canada, was also once well-known, but is now pretty much forgotten today. A fascinating figure, I recommend his Dictionary of Canadian Biography entry.1
Brian Busby
Editor’s note: Excellent biographical research here, I do not have much to add except that the Canadian censuses from 1825-1931 can be searched here. They are – unlike many other censuses – not gatekept by ancestry.org or other commercial genealogy sites, which is great.
Type of ownership mark: inscription Transcription: “Emily Marion Bourne from Katie & Clara Oct 22nd 1877”
Bibliographic data Title: Ballads: Scottish and English Author: s.a. Publication year: 1877 or earlier Publication place/publisher: Edinburgh/William P. Nimmo; London/Frederick Warne and co. Genre(s): ballads, poetry Subject matter: folklore stories
My grandmother gave me this book, which she had purchased at a fleamarket in the UK in the 1950s, when she was 19 and worked in a boarding school kitchen. I don’t know anything about the original owner.
Ida Aaskov Dolmer
Provenance inscription with enhanced contrast and sharpness.
This book was kindly shared by Natalie Vultaggio-Steger.
Type of ownership mark: inscription Transcription: “Eliza Greenly 1789”
Bibliographic data Title: The Poetical Works of Mr. Gray. A New Edition. Author: Thomas Gray Publication year: 1785 Publication place/publisher: London/Printed for Joseph Wenman, No. 144, Fleet-Street Genre(s): Poetry Subject matter: arts, mythology
From what I can tell [the book] is in decent condition considering it’s age of 236+ years old. If I recall correctly there were multiple printings of Thomas Gray’s poetical works. The first between 1780-1782. From what I could find out the format of the books differ from one publication date to another. Looking at the layout of the book I have it appears to be one published in the early 1780’s, which would suggest that when Lady Elizabeth Greenly signed and inscribed this copy in 1789 it was already a few years old.
Lady Elizabeth Brown Coffin-Greenly was an avid book collector who had a large library with varied topics. It is not difficult to find books with her signature and date inscribed inside from reputable book sellers.1 She was the only child of William Greenly of Titley Court. Born 27 Nov 1771 in Titley Court, Herefordshire, England Died 29 Jan 1839 at age 67 in Titley, Herefordshire, England, United Kingdom.
As far as I know I have no familial connection to Elizabeth Greenly. However we do share a deep love of books and knowledge. The book of poetry with her inscription inside is the oldest book in my collection, and one of my most prized possessions. I hope one day to be lucky enough to add more of her books to my collection. I find her inspiring for owning such a large library in the time period she did. It has always been my dream to have a personal library of my own. I hope that I can have a fraction of the collection she did.
Natalie Vultaggio-Steger
Editor’s notes: Elizabeth Greenly is – by now – a well-known figure in the history of Welsh book collecting. She was also a prolific diarist, painter, and published author. Here is some further reading on her and her library:
Recent article by Melanie Bigold on Greenly and other Welsh women collectors by Melanie Bigold. Author’s copy available open access. Highly recommend!! Bigold, Melanie. ‘Women’s Book Ownership in Wales, c.1770-1830: The Ladies of Llangollen, Hester Thrale Piozzi and Elizabeth Greenly.’ The Welsh History Review 31, no. 1 (2022): 126–49. https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/158981.
