Shearers reading Shakespeare : how unique was Brancepeth Station Library in the late 1800s?

Abstract

The sheep station, known as Brancepeth Station, provided a library for the recreational benefit of its employees during the late 1800s and early 1900s. This essay compares Brancepeth Station Library with that of two other similar libraries, Maraekakaho and Glenross Libraries, to establish whether Brancepeth was indeed unique. All three libraries of this study were situated on large sheep stations in the Hawke's Bay and Wairarapa regions of the North Island. Printed library catalogues provided the main evidence for comparison between these three library collections. Although not examining the full "literary content" of each collection, the essay examined each collection and compared the representation of popular authors in each. It was found that Brancepeth Library was unique in the providing a most comprehensive collection of fiction. This collection resulted from a collaboration of subscriber suggestions and a knowledgeable library selection committee who ordered the station library's books. Very little has been previously written about this collection of books, which is now at the Victoria University of Wellington's J.C. Beaglehole Room. This collection of 1800s books offers further study into a fascinating period of our not too distant colonial past.