Over the years, the Taylorian has received a number of important donations - both single volumes and largeish collections. It is not possible here to record every donation. However, important single volumes and some of the larger donations should be noted.
Typically, these will be smaller than named collections and will contain less rare material and will not therefore be treated as a named collection and given their own shelfmark.
However, the name of the donor will be recorded on the bibliographical method and will provide a way of accessing these collections online. Some examples of recent important donations include the James Currey donation, the Elizabeth Fallaize donation and the Joanne Richardson bequest.
James Currey worked at Heinemann Publishers for many years, working on the African Writers Series, Caribbean Writers Series, Studies in African Literature, Studies in Caribbean Literature and Arab Authors series (he has donated sets of these to Rhodes House Library).
In 1984 he established James Currey Publishers Ltd (based in Oxford) which specialized in academic books on Africa. He retired in 2008 and the James Currey imprint moved to Boydell & Brewer Ltd. The archive of James Currey Publishers Ltd was donated to Rhodes House Library.
The books which the Taylorian acquired in February 2010 (69 titles), through the good offices of Lucy McCann, Librarian at Rhodes House, are ones he gathered over the years and reflect his interest in African literary writing. They enhance the already rich Taylorian collections of Francophone African writing for which there is a special trust fund.
It should also perhaps be noted that Francophone literature is currently a special sequence in our main collection, in the Basement, kept apart from the main French collections in the stacks in the Research Collection and in the Modern Languages Faculty Library.
Thre is also considerable teaching and research interest in African and other Francophone writing at Oxford. Audrey Holdhus has written a Ph.D thesis (Aberdeen) on Publishing and cultural identity in francophone West Africa which looks at West African literature and publishing.
In order to locate these titles on SOLO type in James Currey in the search-box and restrict field to copy-specific notes.
Highlights of the donation:
Ayissi, Léon-Marie Contes et berceuses beti 1968 Yaoundé : Éditions Cle (TNR66644) Most of the volumes in the collection have French imprints. This volume is unusual in actually being published in the Cameroons.
Warner-Vieyra, Juletane Myriam. 1982 | Paris : Présence Africaine (TNR65779) Présence africaine - one of the most important publishers of French African literature in metropolitarn France.