This Collection was formed by William Lawrence Taylor (1829-1910), a Peterhead scholar-bookseller, and came into the possession of the Library in 1910. The Collection consists of editions of the Psalms, and is divided into three sections: (i) complete versions, 1546-1911, the earliest with music dated 1578, with detailed bibliographic details; (ii) partial versions, together with Collections of paraphrases and hymns, 1546-1914; (iii) books relating to metrical versions and to hymnology in the Library’s general stock. This has c. 200 volumes mainly on nineteenth- and twentieth-century books on hymnology.
Keywords: Psalmody; hymnology
Strengths: The Collection contains many rare editions, such as the earliest printed volume in the Collection, Johannes de Turrecremata, Expositio in psalterium (Venice, 1502), in an attractive blind-tooled calf binding. It contains most English and Gaelic metrical versions to 1914, together with many Latin and some French versions. The Collection extends to early-twentieth-century editions.
Languages:Latin. English, Scots Gaelic, Welsh, Dutch, French, German, Chinese.
Identifier: TR
Physical characteristics: c. 1080 volumes.
Accumulation date range: 1846-1910
Contents date range: 1502-1929
Associated Publications: Aberdeen University Library, Catalogue of the Taylor Collection of Psalm Versions (Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press, 1921), P. J. Anderson introduces the Collection in a preface. Giles, Peter, William Lawrence Taylor (n.p., n.pub., 1912). Johnson, Ronald, 'Hymnological Collections in Scotland', The Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland, 11 (October, 1987), 269-71. Available on Library OPAC or WebPAC
Accrual Status: Closed.
Custodial history/provenance: The bulk of this Collection was formed by William Lawrence Taylor (1829-1910), a Peterhead scholar-bookseller, which was acquired from his trustees by Dr Willam Dey, a member of the University Court, who presented it to the Library in 1910. Taylor made contributions to Julian's Dictionary of Hymnology where his knowledge of the subject area can be readily seen. Also, other psalmody literature in other collections, were added to his collection at the time it was catalogued.
Access Control: Closed access - please request. Non-borrowable.