Nelson & His World

This morning's Times carries an interesting article on page 4 about the forthcoming auction tomorrow of the diary of George Hodge, a lower deck seaman in Nelson's navy. The handwritten record is accompanied by drawings and paintings of naive charm. And what a fitting name! Could there be a more English name (apart from Tommy Atkins, perhaps) than Hodge? (Dr Johnson's cat was called Hodge.)

You can read Simon de Bruxelles's account here:

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4535185.ece

There is also a spirited comment by the Literary Editor of the Times, the erudite and urbane Philip Howard (I'm his number 1 fan). 'Here is the true grog and hard tack from one of the men below decks who ruled the waves and waived the rules to build the British Empire......these tales and pictures from the lower deck fill in a hole below the waterline in Britain's triumph. These are copper-bottomed history of hard pounding, gentlemen and romance. The right place for them is the British Library.'

See www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/article4535154.ece

But will the British Library be bidding? I expect the diary will go for much more than the £26,000 suggested. Is it too late to start a Fighting Fund? My pen is poised over my chequebook.

I have just checked the Howard link and it does not seem to work. Hmm. Just Google 'Times on line George Hodge Philip Howard' and you can read the piece.

I'm afraid my hand is staying firmly in my pocket.

What will the British Library do with the document? Put in on a shelf where it is available to a handful of people each year who can afford the time and expense of visiting the British Library in person?

It is outrageous that a publicly funded body should be allowed to do that in the 21st Century. They should not be allowed to spend another penny of our money on a single manuscript until they commit to digitising each newly acquired manuscript and making it widely available to the public.

I appreciate that digitising the current collection is a mammoth task, but the obvious place to start is with each new acquisition. The BL does have a Digitisation Policy, but it seems to consist of not much more than platitudes and I cannot see any firm commitments. They have undertaken a number of digitisation projects, but the result seems to be a handful of high profile items, and some seem to be more of a technology demonstration or PR exercise than a real attempt to make complete manuscripts available.

When will their current collections of Nelson manuscripts be digitised? There is no hint of any plan, let alone a commitment.

In the meantime perhaps they could provide an affordable copying service. Unless I have misunderstood, to order a digital image of a manuscript costs around £30 per image - i.e. £30 per page!

Why, Why, Why - do we and our half-baked Government allow it?

Hi Tony,

Re digitisation in the BL, I contacted them a while back in the hope of getting a copy of a rare book. They scanned the whole book (about 67 pages) and mailed a CD to me in Canada for about £27, which I thought was pretty reasonable. So it is always worth emailing them to ask for a quote.

Charles

Tony:

Digitisation apart - a splendid idea, I agree - I still think it's worth trying to keep unique treasures like this here in Britain. Otherwise, the work might go to a rich institution overseas which would make access even more of a problem for people in this country; or into the hands of a private collector - Hodge's record has already been in private hands, lost to public knowledge and view for many a long year - who could deny access totally if he/she were so minded.

I agree that it could be hugely contentious to spend public money on something like this - that's why I suggested an appeal for contributions from individuals who felt it was worthwhile to try and raise the money to buy it for the BL. I personally think it is and would be willing to put my money where my mouth is, though I fear it's too late now.

I'm very sorry Tycho, that my rant distracted from your proposal for a fundraising appeal. I'm afraid I rather assumed that as the auction is tomorrow, it was already a lost cause.

It would of course be very much better for the diary to be in the British Library, digitised or not, than somewhere else less accessible.

I don't agree that it would be contentious to spend public money on this diary. It is exactly the sort of acquisition the BL should make. The BL spends millions on acquisitions, and receives millions for that purpose. There is a very high powered team of directors, almost all of whom are paid six figure salaries, but I think they are far too focussed on providing commercial services to business rather than widening public access.

This news has appeared in the press only a couple of days before the auction. Surely the BL or the NMM have been aware of the forthcoming sale for some time? If they were unwilling or unable to bid, I am surprised they did not bring it to the attention of the public in good time to make an appeal for funds from the public.

Though we don't know that they don't intend to bid! Maybe Hodge will come home in triumph tomorrow - though I should have liked to make a contribution. I gave five shillings of my pocket money to save the Leonardo cartoon many years ago and I always feel, when I go to see it in the National Gallery, that one millionth of a square millimeter of it is MINE!

Has anyone any news of the sale price? I have Googled to no avail today. Tony - you are the arch-Googler: any discoveries about the fate of lot 950?

Sold to somebody with very deep pockets at the price of $128,000 including premium.

Many thanks for the information, Tony.

I don't suppose there's any news of who bought it? It would be sad to think that it might disappear from view into a private collection, though one must wish the buyer joy of such a treasure. Maybe we can hope for a facsimile edition?

I must say the literary and historical sub-genre of letters, journals, diaries etc. which give such an immediate and close-up insight into individual experience is, for me, an enthralling aspect of this (or any) period in history.

PS: I met three friends for coffee this morning and all three had brought a newspaper clipping of the sale for me!

Came across a little more information (not much) on the buyer for Hodge's diary today.



With the premium added, that's less than the price of a Mazerati sports car! Surely a bargain.

Fuller details at: www.antiquestradegazette.com/news/6829.aspx