Auckland Library Heritage Trust supported Auckland Libraries' symposium on 8 November to mark the significant donation by Don and Jill Smith of 183 pre-1801 titles. The gift in 2024 was a landmark event for the library's heritage collections.
Three scholars spoke at the symposium, each referring to works in the Don Smith collection. Mark Houlahan remembered Don Smith as 'a forceful, distinctive teacher' and a man of 'formidable learning' who, as an academic and head of department, demonstrated 'grace under pressure.' Mark then talked about Marvell's The Rehearsal Transposed and suggested that the religious and political debates recorded in seventeenth-century literature hold striking relevance for the twenty-first century. Having noted the 'daily tactile access Don's own copies allowed him,' Mark finished with a powerful acknowledgment of the importance of the collections in free public libraries.
Jack Ross spoke on Harington's verse translation (1634) of Orlando Furioso, an epic poem of over 38,000 lines by the Italian poet Aristo. (See the plates the library has digitised on Kura Heritage Collections Online.) Jack suggested modern parallels in science fiction and like genres with the works of former centuries that created whole worlds - parallels that exist when we look back to centuries before science fiction had been invented.
Shef Rogers discussed eleven volumes of miscellaneous prose and verse written by Swift, Pope and others and published in various editions and reprints from 1727 onwards. Shef described the 'messy but revealing immediacy' of the miscellany; how miscellanies were commissioned, made and updated over time.
Sophie Tomlinson from The University of Auckland thanked the speakers for their 'distinctive and illuminating talks' and chaired a short panel discussion before attendees chatted over afternoon tea.
ALHT trustees attended the event, and David Simcock spoke briefly about the Trust's work in support of the heritage collections that belong to the people of Auckland.
Auckland Libraries recorded the talks for releasing online.
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Jane Wild has written a post about the Smiths' gift in the Heritage et AL blog: 'Discovering Dora Carrington in Don's books.' Read Jane's post.
Read more about the late Professor Emeritus Donal Ian Brice (Don) Smith (1934-2023).
