3 Andrew Marvell, Miscellaneous Poems, 1681

Lord Brotherton bought this first edition of miscellaneous poems by Andrew Marvell in 1922. He was inspired to do so after failing to acquire the medieval manuscript of the Towneley Mystery Plays (also known as the Wakefield Cycle) at auction.

The posthumous collection is the source of most of Marvell's poetry. Marvell had been brought up in Hull, and later became its Member of Parliament. Marvell's verses often glorified his Fairfax family patrons and their lands, so this book was particularly appropriate in a local dignitary's library.

The purchase was to form the start of Brotherton's collection of rare books and manuscripts. He engaged the professional guidance of J Alexander Symington as his librarian. Together they rapidly assembled a huge and varied collection with English literature their first priority. On Lord Brotherton's death in 1930 the collection was bequeathed to the University, where it formed the foundation of Special Collections. Many of Brotherton's initial collecting interests continue to shape Special Collections today.