Frank Wild Reed, the Antipodean Alexandrian: a study of a book collector

Abstract

In this thesis the object is to examine the life of Frank Wild Reed as a collector of the works of Alexandre Dumas père, and describe how and why he amassed from New Zealand, the largest collection of books and manuscripts by and about Dumas outside of Paris. On examining Reed's activities as a book collector, some background information on the older English tradition of book collecting and that of the younger "colonial" experience in New Zealand was deemed essential. Chapters one and two follow this historical approach, and provide both a brief overview on the history of book collecting, as well as an important contextual basis in which Reed, as a collector based in New Zealand, can be placed. In trying to position Reed in this book collecting tradition, brief biographical details have been provided, especially of his early childhood in England. Factors that are seen as crucial to his development as a book collector include the influence of his family, all of whom were readers, the presence of a family library, Reed's own propensity towards the activity of reading, especially in the areas of history and literature, and a happy chance reading of a novel by Alexandre Dumas. Chapter three also includes Reed's later childhood in Whangarei, New Zealand. Consolidation is the focus of chapter four. Reed is the busy pharmacist who consolidates his position within the profession, and the book collector, who, although not driven to collect in any one area, buys books, and gathers information and details on four areas of interest, namely, the Arthurian Legend, Italian stories and their plots, memoirs, particularly those French, and Alexandre Dumas. The receipt of Glinel's Alexandre Dumas et Son Oeuvre from the Dumasian authority R.S.Garnett forced Reed to make a decision. It was a significant one; signalling the beginning of his specialization in Dumas, and his entry into the world of translation. Chapter five details the extent of Reed's translating activities during the years 1919 to 1953. It covers Reed's first tentative steps as a translator to the times when he was confident in translating Dumas' poetry and prose. This chapter is particularly important in that mention is made of Reed's translation of three of Dumas' works that relate to New Zealand. These works, Captain Marion, The Whalers and The Journal of Madame Giovanni, represent Reed's personal contribution to the literature of New Zealand. Reed's bibliographical works on Dumas can be seen as the direct result of both his book collecting and translations. Chapter six covers the gradual accumulation of bibliographic information on Dumas by Reed, his many first attempts at listing the many works of the French Romancer, the publication of his Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas père in 1933 (a publication that was to gain him world-wide recognition), and his subsequent bibliographic discoveries relating to works such as The Three Musketeers and Christine. This bibliographic work, in particular, the publication of the pioneering Bibliography, was Reed's major, and most significant contribution to Dumasian scholarship. Reed was very lucky in establishing useful contacts in the book world. These contacts, many of whom became friends, helped and encouraged Reed in his collecting activities. Their influences, and the way they assisted Reed in his collecting, are dealt with in chapter seven. In order to convey some idea of the wealth of the Reed-Dumas Collection, a brief description of some of the items is given in chapter eight. The description extends from the many manuscript items, including those by Dumas, to the numerous printed biographies on Dumas and his contemporaries. The final coda contains passages from Reed's own writings on why he liked Alexandre Dumas. Admissions such as these are important in that they aid understanding of why Reed devoted his life to collecting the works of this French Romancer. It is equally important, and certainly fitting, that it is Reed, who, as the collector, has the last say on his man Dumas.