William Thomas Smedley

This article is known to be incomplete.

William Thomas Smedley (1851-1930), a resident of London and Bath, was a noted bibliophile, collector of Elizabethaniana, and Baconian. In 1924, he sold a large portion of his library to Henry Clay Folger; the Folger Library collection today includes at least 1,460 volumes formerly owned by Smedley.

Notable items now at the Folger

Full citations with links to Luna or Hamnet for exceptional items from the former owner's collection now at the Folger.

Items owned by Smedley can be found in Hamnet by searching for "Smedley former owner" in the Name Browse search.

Smedley's bookplates

Smedley used at least two distinct bookplates in his collection: a plain text bookplate reading "Ex Libris W.T. Smedley," and a more elaborate illustrated bookplate, featuring a knight on a charging horse and three banners, reading, respectively, "Forward," "ACS," and "Ex Libris W.T. Smedley."

Signatures and manuscript marks

Images of the former owner's signature or distinctive manuscript marks (e.g. a well-known manicule) should go here, along with citation of the book they are found in, with page number if at all possible.

Other methods of indicating provenance

This last category is particularly useful for indicating a former owner's association with a particular bookbinder, information found in the Folger's collection of sales catalogues, etc.