Collections of Distinction
William P. Trent Collection of Defoe and Defoeana
Scope: One of the most comprehensive collections of Daniel Defoe and his contemporaries, this
30,000-volume collection was brought together by William Peterfield Trent, a Columbia
University professor, and acquired by the Library in 1929. Its nucleus is a set of first editions of
Defoe’s works, bound in seventy-seven volumes and formerly owned by Henry Labouchère.
There are hundreds of the various editions and bibliographic states of Robinson Crusoe, Moll
Flanders, and Roxana, as well as a set of his Review, a forerunner of Addison’s and Steele’s
Tatler and Spectator, as well as hundreds of his famous political pamphlets. This collection
contains many copies of titles not known in any other collection. In addition to writing some of
the first English novels, Defoe was a prolific political pamphleteer and is considered by many to
be a founder of modern journalism.
Criteria:
Uniqueness, rarity, and value: The collection contains many great rarities and titles known only
in this collection or the only copy outside of the United Kingdom. At the time it was acquired by
the Trustees in 1929, it was reputed to be the most comprehensive collection on Daniel Defoe
and his writings in the world. Fully 80% of the pamphlets attributed to Defoe in John Robert
Moore’s Checklist of the Writings of Daniel Defoe are found in this collection. Some of the
rarest titles in the collection, include: Brief Explanation of the Shortest Way with Dissenters
(1703), the publication that sent Defoe to the pillory for three days; Fifteen Comforts of a
Scotchman (1707), attributed to Defoe; a manuscript copy of Balcarre’s Account of the Affairs in
Scotland (1714), the preface contributed by Defoe; and an attack on Defoe entitled Stockings
out of Heels (1703). In addition, there are hundreds of unique pamphlets, as well as numerous
sole copies extant of Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders, and Roxana.
2. Pre-eminent among libraries and cultural institutions: Trent worked on the life and writings
of Daniel Defoe (1661?-1731) for decades. In addition to the multiple editions, issues, and
states of the major works, and hundreds of pamphlets ascribed to Defoe, Trent gathered
thousands of pamphlets by his contemporaries during the times of William and Mary, Queen
Anne, and George the First. Many of the monographs have Trent’s notes concerning authorship
and scarcity on the title page and wrappers. The collection also includes works by John Dunton,
Jonathan Swift, John Oldmixon, and John Toland; numerous tracts dealing with the Sacheverell
controversy; and a long run of pamphlets concerning the Dissenters or Nonconformists. The
Lilly Library at Indiana University and the British Museum hold the other great Defoe
collections.
3. Historical significance that reflects the long-term BPL commitment to the collection,
buttressed by the past and current generosity of individuals: English literature from the time
of Shakespeare to the modern era is an enormous strength throughout the BPL. The
announcement of the acquisition of the Trent Collection in More Books, IV, p. 21 stated: “The
fame of the Barton, Ticknor, Prince, Bowditch and other special collections of the Library has
long been world-wide; the acquisition of this unrivalled Defoe collection will materially add to
Susan Glover, Keeper of Special Collections
Revised 2/4/14
21
Collections of Distinction
the assemblage of rare and unique books in the institution.” The Library continues to add to
this collection on a regular basis when items become available that are not already in the
collection.
4. Central to the history of the City of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the
communities therein: N/A
5. Resonates with communities of scholars and makes the BPL the destination for scholarship
in a particular subject: Because of its comprehensive nature, the Trent Collection is in high
demand by students and scholars. In recent years, it has twice been the focus of study for a
graduate English class from the University of Massachusetts/Boston, with two resulting
exhibitions drawing from class research using the Trent Collection: Crooks, Rogues and Maids
less than Virtuous: Books in the Streets of 18th Century London (December 2006-May 2007) and
The Imaginative Worlds of Daniel Defoe: Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders, and the Early Novel
(February – August 2013).
Editors for the various Defoe bibliographies have historically drawn heavily upon the Trent
Collection, attracted by the comprehensive nature of the collection due to the multitude of
states of Defoe’s writings in the collection, as well as the numbers of unique titles found in no
other libraries.
6. Universality of subject matter and furthers the purpose of the BPL by contributing to a
democratic education: The scope of the Trent Collection attracts students from undergraduate
through graduate classes. The subject matters found in the collection, as well as the good
physical condition of the volumes, lend themselves to exhibitions that further the education of
the public at large.
Provenance: The collection was acquired from Professor William P. Trent in 1929. The Library
continues to add to the collection through purchases and gifts.
Access: A published catalog of the collection is available online at the Internet Archive.
Additionally, G.K. Hall published A Catalog of the Defoe Collection in the Boston Public Library in
1966.
Languages: English
Related Collections: N/A
Funding Support: No specific funding is dedicated to this collection.
Susan Glover, Keeper of Special Collections
Revised 2/4/14
22