University of Canterbury Library Provenance

Provenance research is the study of marks of ownership both past and present. Bookplates, inscriptions, illustrations, seller’s tickets, auction markings, binding, gift notes, association copies, stamps, seals, signatures, marginalia and other forms of provenance serve as clues to the history of an item or collection.

The research of provenance provides clues to past owners and the ‘life’ of the book as an object and its function over time. It gives insight to the intellectual and social history of books, collections, owners and institutions.

This resource provides detail of marks of provenance found within the collections of the University of Canterbury Library with an emphasis on bookplates, inscriptions, donations and purchasing from the mid 19th century to the present. The resource will continue to grow as more evidence is discovered.