Williams Collection

Harold Stannett Williams (1898–1987) was born in Melbourne. He attended Trinity Grammar School and Melbourne High School, worked in the Commonwealth Laboratory and then studied medicine at the University of Melbourne. In 1919 he visited Japan and, almost unintentionally, found himself engaged as an assistant by the Scottish mercantile and agency firm of Findlay Richardson & Co. in Yokohama. In the following year he was transferred to Kobe and he decided to remain in Japan permanently. In 1926 he became manager of the silk firm of Cooper & Co.

Pearce Collection

Harry Hastings Pearce (1897–1984) was born in Creswick, Victoria, and educated at Hollinwood State School. After trying gold prospecting, assisting a veterinary surgeon and working in various agricultural jobs, he came to Melbourne in 1919. He found a position with the Hume Brothers Cement Iron Company (later the Hume Pipe Company) at Maribyrnong and managed its factories in Tasmania, Queensland and New Zealand. In 1938 he returned to Melbourne and remained with the company until his retirement in 1965.

Mauritius Collection

André de Chapuiset Le Merle (1898–1966) was born at Beau Champ Sugar Estate in Mauritius. He worked on a sugar estate called Bénarès, in the south of Mauritius, and later on an estate at Vallon, Ferney. He was a member of the Society of History of Mauritius.

Acquisition

The Library purchased the Mauritius Collection in 1968 John Lawson of the English antiquarian booksellers, E.M. Lawson & Co. The owner was the widow of La Merle.

Kashnor Collection

Leon Kashnor (1880–1955), who was born in London, was the son of a Russian émigré. In 1901 he opened a second-hand bookshop in Museum Street, close to the British Museum. The Museum Book Store changed premises a few times in its early years, but from 1910 to 1949 it was located at 45 Museum Street. It then moved to Devonshire Street, Marylebone. Kashnor was the sole proprietor for a long period, but in the 1940s he was joined by his brother David. Following their deaths, the Museum Book Store continued to operate for several more years under the direction of Leon Kashnor’s daughter.

Ferguson Collection

Sir John Alexander Ferguson (1881–1969), who was the son of a Presbyterian minister, was born in Invercargill, New Zealand. His family moved to Sydney in 1894 and he was educated at the William Street Superior School and the University of Sydney. He was admitted to the Sydney Bar in 1905. He developed an active practice in most branches of the law, but gradually he came to specialise in industrial law. He appeared in appeal cases in the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the High Court and chaired a number of wages boards.

Federation of Australia

The idea of a federation of the six Australian colonies was occasionally debated among Australian politicians, officials and others from about 1850 onwards. There was support for the idea in official circles in Britain, especially after the Canadian colonies federated in 1867. The first practical step towards federation was the creation of the Federal Council of Australasia in 1885. It met several times between 1886 and 1899, but it had no executive powers, New South Wales remained aloof, and it was generally ineffective.

Fainsod Collection

Merle Fainsod (1907–1972) was educated at Washington University in St Louis and Harvard University, where he gained his doctorate in 1936. He taught at Harvard from 1933 until his death. He was Professor of Government in 1946–64, Director of the Russian Research Center in 1959–64, and Carl H. Pforzheimer Professor Director of Harvard University Library in 1964–72. He also served on a number of public bodies and was Price Executive for the Office of Price Administration in 1941–42. Most of his writings were in the area of Russian history and government.

British Foreign Office Confidential Prints

From the sixteenth century onwards, Britain’s relations with foreign countries were the responsibility of the Sovereign and the two Secretaries of State. After 1640 their work was divided on a geographical basis, with a Northern Department and a Southern Department. Neither Secretary of State was concerned exclusively with foreign affairs, as they each dealt with various domestic matters, especially law and order. This arrangement came to an end in 1782, with the creation of the Foreign Office and the Home Office, each headed by a Secretary of State.

L.F. Crisp Collection

Leslie Finlay Crisp (1917–1984), known as Fin Crisp, was born in Melbourne and educated at Black Rock State School and Caulfield Grammar School. In 1930 his family moved to Adelaide and he completed his schooling at St Peter’s College. He attended the University of Adelaide and in 1938 won a Rhodes Scholarship. He went to Oxford University in 1939, but the War interrupted his studies and he did not return to Oxford until 1947–48.

Malcolm Ellis Collection

Malcolm Henry Ellis (1890-1969) was born at Narrine station, near Dirranbandi, Queensland. After finishing his schooling at Brisbane Grammar School, he joined the staff of the Brisbane Daily Mail in 1907. He transferred to the Brisbane Courier in 1910 before returning to the Mail as leader-writer and commercial editor. In 1917 he managed the National Party’s Senate campaign in Queensland.