Heritage Lottery Fund grant announced
The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded a grant of £209,000 to the University of Aberdeen towards the purchase of the Bernard C. Lloyd Walter Scott Collection, the most valuable library purchase the University has ever made.
The Lloyd Collection is understood to be the most comprehensive collection of Sir Walter Scott printed books ever assembled, and the physical quality of the finest is outstanding. It contains almost every edition of every work written or edited by Scott and published during his lifetime, works to which he contributed, and works derived from Scott such as songs, playscripts, libretti, chapbooks, illustrations, and parodies, together with catalogues, biographies and criticism. There are also 35 Scott manuscripts.
Commenting on the purchase Professor David Hewitt said: "Bringing the collection to Aberdeen will make this treasure publicly available for the first time, and it will become accessible as it is added to the University's electronic library catalogue over the coming year. The Lloyd collection will complement what is already the world's finest university collection of fiction published between 1790 and 1830 and will provide the basis for continuing research on the formative impact upon the nineteenth century of Scotland's greatest and most demanding writer. "
Colin McLean, The Heritage Lottery Fund's Manager for Scotland, said: "The written word is just as an important part of our heritage as a building or a piece of art. This is an extremely significant collection so we are delighted to be able to give it our support and through doing so, make it accessible to everyone. We hope it will make a difference to many people for study or pleasure."
The cost of purchase, which stands at £357,500 plus £14,000 to cover valuation, removal and cataloguing, has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, and by revenue from the University's Macdonald bequest.