A UNIQUE display in Hereford Cathedral marks a generous gift by Paul Latcham, owner of Hereford’s last independent bookshop which closed in 1998.
The exhibition, until December 31, displays some of the collection of local history books collected by Paul during his 25 years as owner of the bookshop he and his wife Valerie opened in 1974.
It includes rare and notable books with local connections and interesting histories of ownership, including John Allen Jnr’s Bibliotheca Herefordiensis (1821), which Paul believes is possibly the earliest county bibliography printed in England. Only 25 copies were printed on his father’s printing press in High Town in 1821 and presented to important national and local libraries and well-known book collectors.
The display covers a broad range of subjects of local interest including the River Wye and the picturesque movement, literature, county histories and guides, topography and genealogy, and material concerning Hereford Cathedral itself.
“Our wish is to provide an example to others who may possess books that they could present to the Cathedral Library,” says Paul.
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