John Small (1828 – 20 August 1886) was
librarian
A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users.
The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...
of
Edinburgh University Library
Edinburgh University Library is the main library of the University of Edinburgh and one of the most important libraries of Scotland. The University Library was moved in 1827 to William Playfair's Upper Library in the Old College building. The ...
. He was a member of the Smalls of
Dirnanean
Dirnanean House is part of a private, traditional Highland estate located near Enochdhu in Moulin parish, Blairgowrie and Rattray, Blairgowrie, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, 10 miles ENE of Pitlochry. The Dirnanean estate is situated adjacent to ...
.
Life
Small was born in 1828 in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
to Margaret (née Brown) and John Small. He was educated at the
Edinburgh Academy
The Edinburgh Academy is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, is now part of the Se ...
and the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
where he graduated with an
MA in 1847. In the same year he succeeded his father, who was acting librarian of the university library until his death.
In 1854 he obtained the full status of a librarian, with an official residence. He held the office, also in succession to his father, of acting librarian to the
College of Physicians (Edinburgh), for which he prepared a catalogue in 1863. He also served for many years as an assistant clerk to the
Senatus Academicus and editor of the ''University Calendar.'' He was president of the
Library Association
The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, since 2017 branded CILIP: The library and information association (pronounced ), is a professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge management, knowle ...
in 1880, and on 21 April 1886 the University of Edinburgh awarded him a
LLD
Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation#Plural forms, abbrev ...
. He was for some time treasurer of the university musical society.
Small devoted his leisure time to literary work. His first larger publication was a volume, ''English Metrical Homilies … Edited, with an Introduction and Notes,'' Edinburgh, 1862. He was the chief associate of
Cosmo Innes
Cosmo Nelson Innes FRSE (9 September 1798 – 31 July 1874) was a Scottish advocate, judge, historian and antiquary. He served as Advocate-Depute, Sheriff of Elginshire, and Principal Clerk of Session.
He was a skilled decipherer of ancient S ...
in editing the ''Journal of
Andrew Halyburton
Andrew Halyburton or Haliburton (before 1490 – 1507) was a Scottish merchant.
Conservator of Scottish trading privileges
Andrew Halyburton was stationed at Middelburg in Flanders where he was 'Conservator of the Scottish Staple,' or 'Conservat ...
,'' published in 1867. Thereafter his chief labour was expended on editing, with careful glossaries and indices, the works of early
Scottish poets
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
, viz. ''The Poetical Works of
Gavin Douglas
Gavin Douglas (c. 1474 – September 1522) was a Scottish bishop, makar and translator. Although he had an important political career, he is chiefly remembered for his poetry. His main pioneering achievement was the ''Eneados'', a full and fai ...
,'' 4 vols. Edinburgh, 1874;
Sir David Lyndesay's ''Monarchie'' for the
Early English Text Society
The Early English Text Society (EETS) is a text publication society founded in 1864 which is dedicated to the editing and publication of early English texts, especially those only available in manuscript. Most of its volumes contain editions of ...
(1865–6), and ''The Poems of
William Dunbar
William Dunbar (born 1459 or 1460 – died by 1530) was a Scottish makar, or court poet, active in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. He was closely associated with the court of King James IV and produced a large body of work in ...
'' for the Scottish Text Society (1884–1892). In 1885 he re-edited
David Laing's ''
Remains of Early Scottish Poetry,'' prefixing a bibliographical notice of his predecessor. To the ''
British and Foreign Evangelical Review'' he sent an elaborate article on the authorship of the ''
Ode to the Cuckoo
An ode (from grc, ᾠδή, ōdḗ) is a type of lyric poetry. Odes are elaborately structured poems praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally. A classic ode is structured in three majo ...
'', and he contributed numerous papers to the ''Transactions'' of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...
and the
Society of Antiquaries. He also gave assistance to
Sir Alexander Grant in writing the ''History of Edinburgh University'' (1884).
Small's brother-in-law was
William Purdie Dickson
William Purdie Dickson DD LLD (1823–1901) was a Scottish minister and theologian. He was Professor of Divinity at the University of Glasgow from 1873 to 1895. The William Dickson Prize is named in his honour.
Early life
William Purdie Dicks ...
, (1823-1901), a Scottish Professor of Divinity at the
University of Glasgow
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, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
from 1873 to 1895. The William Dickson Prize
is named in his honor.
Small's nephew was
Andrew Munro, (1869-1935), a Scottish fellow, lecturer in mathematics and bursar at
Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, colloquially referred to as the "light s ...
from 1893 to 1935. The Munro scholarships and studentships at Queens' College, Cambridge are named in his honor.
After a long illness John Small died unmarried in Edinburgh on 20 August 1886, and was buried in the
Grange Cemetery
The Grange (originally St Giles' Grange) is an affluent suburb of Edinburgh, just south of the city centre, with Morningside and Greenhill to the west, Newington to the east, The Meadows park and Marchmont to the north, and Blackford Hil ...
in Edinburgh.
In 1924, the estate of John Small's sister, Jemima, left £5,000 to establish a fund in the name of both her father and her brother for the purchase of books and to subsidize general purpose expenses within the library.
Works
Besides the works mentioned above, Small wrote:
* ''Some Account of the Original Protest of the Bohemian Nobles,'' 4to, Edinburgh, 1861.
* ''Historical Sketch of the Library of the Royal College of Physicians,'' 4to, Edinburgh, 1863.
* ''Biographical Sketch of Dr. Adam Fergusson,'' 4to, Edinburgh, 1864.
* ''Biographical Sketch of Patrick Fraser Tytler,'' 8vo, Edinburgh, 1864.
* ''A Hundred Wonders of the World in Nature and Art,'' 8vo, Edinburgh, 1876.
* ''On Serfdom in Scotland,'' 4to, Edinburgh, 1878.
* ''The Castles and Mansions of the Lothians,'' 2 vols. Edinburgh, 4to, 1878.
* ''Queen Mary at Jedburgh in 1566 …'' 4to, Edinburgh, 1881.
Small edited the following works:
* ''The Indian Primer,'' by
John Eliot, 12mo, Edinburgh, 1878
* ''The Image of Ireland,'' by
John Derricke, 4to, Edinburgh, 1883
* ''A Description of the Isles of Orkney,'' by
James Wallace, Edinburgh, 1883
References
External links
*
John Small and Son, University of Edinburgh Portrait
;Attribution:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Small, John
1828 births
1886 deaths
Scottish librarians
People educated at Edinburgh Academy
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Scottish poets