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Winners of the 2021 Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize announced
12 July 2021
Because the standard of applications was particularly high this year, the panel made the exceptional decision to award two prizes.
This year’s winner is Daniel Haynes (MA Library & Information Studies) for his collection ‘The money earned by herself’: women artists of the Roycroft Press. Daniel’s collection focuses on books that contain evidence of women illuminators, highlighting the contributions made by artists whose role has often been overlooked.
Daniel will receive a cash prize and the opportunity to work with a member of staff to select a new item for UCL Special Collections. He will also be entered into the national book collecting competition that is organised by the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association.
The runner-up winner is Erick Jackaman (MSc Digital Humanities) with their collection Read My Genders: A Trans for Trans Collection. They collect a wide range of contemporary material that is published by trans people for trans people, including self-published novels, zines and leaflets.
Erick will also receive a cash prize and the opportunity to select a new item for UCL Special Collections.
They said:
““The whole experience of applying for the Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize has been such a joy for me. When I started writing my application back in March, it didn’t occur to me how valuable the application process itself would be or how much I would learn throughout. Speaking [to the panel] filled me with a sense of wonder for the potential of my collection.”
The pink spines in Erick’s collection.
The other finalists
The other finalists were:
- Humphrey Price for his collection of works by Clare Leighton.
- Howard Kordansky for his collection of books and pamphlets on the role of the German Jewry in the First World War.
- Jemma Stewart for her collection of floriography or the language of flowers.
Presentations
Join us for special sessions of the 2021 UCL Rare Books Club Online to hear some of the finalists speak about their collections and show some of the items. These lunchtime sessions are free to attend and open to all.
- Tuesday, 29 June 2021 13:05 BST: Read My Genders: A Trans For Trans Collection.
- Tuesday, 3 August 2021 13:05 BST: Women writers pre-1750 & Victorian flower-books.
- Tuesday, 17 August 2021 13:05 BST: Women illustrators of the Roycroft Press.
About the Prize
The prize, which is generously funded by Anthony Davis, aims to encourage collectors who are at an early stage of collecting books, printed materials or manuscripts.