Collecting The Most Beautiful Books - August Talk

Join us on Friday 22nd August for an incredible evening delving into the Bute Collection at Mount Stuart's rare collection of armorial bookbindings!

The 3rd and 4th Marquesses of Bute were collectors on a grand scale, of books and much else. One aspect of their collecting which has not received attention, however, is their penchant for armorial bookbindings, bindings (often of an unusually high quality) which incorporated the coats of arms of previous owners.

Kelsey Jackson Williams (Associate Professor of Early Modern Literature at the University of Stirling) will explore armorial bookbindings in the Bute Collection and tell guests the story of how aristocratic pride, the bookbinders' art, and subsequent tastes in collecting came together to form an exceptional but unknown assemblage of book-art in the Mount Stuart libraries.

We are thrilled to welcome Kelsey Jackson Williams to Mount Stuart on 22nd August, on what will be a fascinating evening examining spectacular decorative bookbindings.

About our August Speaker

Kelsey Jackson Williams is Associate Professor of Early Modern Literature at the University of Stirling and Senior Research Fellow at Blackie House Library and Museum in Edinburgh. He writes on the history of the book and his most recent work is the forthcoming Bibliomania: Portrait of an Obsession, published by Oxford University Press.

Event information

• The event takes place at Mount Stuart House, postcode PA20 9LR
• Parking is available at the main house, please follow signage
• Doors open at 5.15pm for a 5.30pm start
• Visitors with special access requirements should contact the Mount Stuart team in advance to make arrangements e: contactus@mountstuart.com
• Current Mount Stuart Members are entitled to a discounted ticket rate for the talk, please select the Mount Stuart Member option when booking