William McIntyre Elkins (1882–1947) was an American collector of rare books and Dickensiana.

Early life

He was born September 3, 1882, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

into the wealthy Elkins family. He was the son of George W. Elkins and grandson of

William Lukens Elkins William Lukens Elkins (May 2, 1832 – November 7, 1903) was an American businessman and art collector. He began his working career as a grocer in Philadelphia and became a business tycoon with financial interests in oil, natural gas and transpor ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

who made his fortune in oil and gasoline. William M. Elkins attended Harvard University, graduating in 1905. He spent much time in his early days with his cousin,

Harry Elkins Widener Harry Elkins Widener (January 3, 1885 – April 15, 1912) was an American businessman and bibliophile, and a member of the Widener family. His mother built Harvard University's Widener Memorial Library in his memory, after his death on the founde ...

, who was lost in the ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...

'' disaster in 1912. William McIntire Elkins was best known as a collector of rare books and art. He was elected chairman of the board of trustees of the Pennsylvania Museum of Art in Philadelphia in 1933 He also acted as director of the Pennroad Corporation, affiliated with the Pennsylvania Railroad Company from 1932.

Book collector

From his early days at Harvard he purchased books from rare book sellers. He eventually specialized in two areas: early Americana and the works of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

. He collected not only rare editions of Dickens's books, many in their original publications as periodical series, but also various ephemera such as speeches, addresses, original illustrations, mementos, and letters. Elkins also owned a desk that Dickens used, along with his postal scale and pen tray, his pocket compass, travelling lantern, and a bedside candlestick. In terms of rarity, the collection contains the Pickwick Papers in parts, of which Dickens inscribed the first fourteen to his young sister-in-law, Mary Hogarth. He was active in The Book Table Club, a group founded in 1931 by New York antiquarian booksellers. In 1935 Elkins had printed a small publication in cooperation with

A. Edward Newton Alfred Edward Newton (1864–1940) was an American industrialist better known as an author and avid book collector. He is best known for his book ''Amenities of Book Collecting'' (1918) which sold over 25,000 copies. At the time of his death, ...

called "Eddie Newton's Ride, or the Diverting History of A. Edward," whose proceeds were given to The Book Table Club.

Death and legacy

He died on June 5, 1947, at his home, Briar Hill, in

Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania Whitemarsh Township is a Home rule municipality in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It retains its former classification of "Township" in its official name despite being a home rule municipality. The population was 17,349 at the 20 ...

, which he had had built by the architect

Horace Trumbauer Horace Trumbauer (December 28, 1868 – September 18, 1938) was a prominent American architect of the Gilded Age, known for designing residential manors for the wealthy. Later in his career he also designed hotels, office buildings, and much of ...

. Trumbauer, Horace, William M. I. Elkins, and Lisa N. H. Elkins. "Briar Hill", Residence of Mr. & Mrs. William M. Elkins, Whitemarsh, Pa: Scale Drawings Presented to the Free Library of Philadelphia. Philadelphia, 1930. He bequeathed his entire rare book collection to the Free Library of Philadelphia. When it came time to transfer the collection, his heirs requested that the library room and all of its furnishings also be transferred, so the room with the collection was re-created in a space in the library.

Bibliographies and lists

*The Collections of William M. Elkins in the Free Library of Philadelphia: A Brief Description. Philadelphia: The Free Library, 1949. *Shaffer, Ellen, and Howell J. Heaney. Portrait of a Philadelphia Collector, William Mcintire Elkins (1882–1947): With a Check-List of the Elkins Americans, 1493–1869, Now in the Free Library of Philadelphia. Philadelphia: Free Library of Philadelphia, 1956. *Elkins, William McIntire. The Life and Works of Charles Dickens, 1812-1870. An Exhibition From the Collection of William M. Elkins, of Philadelphia, Held at the Free Library, June–July, 1946. 58 p. Free Library of Philadelphia, 1946.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elkins, Will 1882 births 1947 deaths Charles Dickens American book and manuscript collectors Harvard University alumni