The Haslam Collection
Special Collections at the College of Charleston’s Addlestone Library recently received a stunning collection of angling and sporting books compiled by Dr. Greville A.G. Haslam and published between the 17th and early 20th century in Great Britain and the United States.
The creation of one man, the culmination of a lifetime of collecting, the Greville Haslam Sporting Book Collection of over 2,000 volumes offers students, scholars and members of the public the rare opportunity to view and consult works of some of the most celebrated writers, explorers, collectors and book artists of their time.
Centered on hunting and angling, as well as exploration and enjoyment of the natural world, the books’ texts tell the story of men and women in pursuit of not just prey, but contentment and joy. As objects, the volumes illustrate the glories of the bookmaker’s art. Enriching the volumes are their associations. Some bear the bookplates of Dean Sage, Thomas Westwood, John G. Heckscher and other leading collectors. There are signed and limited editions, as well as copies considered unique, due to their added illustrations and elegant bindings from the hands of such artists as Zaehnsdorf and Riviere and Sons.
A stellar part of the collection, invaluable for reference, includes over 400 copies of a single title – the most celebrated angling book of all time – Isaac Walton’s The Compleat Angler, first published in 1653. Another book in the collection written by Walton bears his signature; over 250 years later poet and playwright John Drinkwater signed his name to the same volume, adding it to his library.
The second strength of the collection centers on its 17th, 18th and 19th century titles. Included are those works most prized by hunters, anglers and bibliophiles, such as a 1655 edition of Hunger’s Prevention: Or the Whole Art of Fowling by Water or Land and two copies of the extremely rare Guide to Norway (1848), sought for its stunning color plates of lures. Samples of yarn and bird feathers are bound into some volumes, demonstrating the materials used in constructing flies; others contain the actual finished artifacts. Greville Haslam’s wide interests and acquaintanceships are reflected in letters and inscriptions from writers as diverse as Zane Gray; polar explorer Ernest Shackleton; Eugene Connett, publisher of the much sought-after Derrydale sporting books; and Lee Wulff, one of the 20th century’s best known anglers, and godfather of catch and release.
Certain to intrigue lovers of sport and books for years to come, the unrivaled collection of sumptuous, rare, and prized titles was donated to the College of Charleston by Mary and Howard Phipps, Jr. in tribute to the man who collected them, Dr. Greville Haslam.
