There is an absolute wealth of material for any classicist, ancient historian or classical archaeologist in the SRR
Previously housed in Old College and David Hume Tower, the Sellar and Goodhart collection moved to its current home in the Old Medical School in 2010. The Collection is named after successive Professors of Humanity (Latin) at the University of Edinburgh at the end of the 19th century.
William Young Sellar (1825–1890) was born in Sutherland in Scotland. He studied at Oxford with other noted classicists, including the poet, Matthew Arnold. Having worked at Durham, Glasgow and St. Andrews, Sellar took up the role of Professor of Humanity at Edinburgh in 1863. His works include Horace and the Elegiac Poets and The Roman Poets of the Augustan Age (available in the SRR). You can spot a picture of him in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery on Queen Street.
Harry Chester Goodhart (1858-1895) studied and worked at the University of Cambridge, before taking up the post of Professor of Humanity at Edinburgh in 1890. A man of many talents, he worked as tutor to the Duke of Clarence, published a critical edition of the 8th book of Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War (available in the SRR), and played football for England (albeit for a mere 35 days)! He died aged only 36.
The collection has grown over the years thanks to the donations of various academics. As the largest collection in the School, the Sellar and Goodhart collection takes up the entire lower floor of the SRR. From books on Greek particles or Umbrian inscriptions to works on garden lore in Athens or curse tablets and binding spells in Rome, this is certainly a collection worth exploring if you’re interested in the ancient world.
Many of the older books from the collection can be found in the glass cabinets. Some of these should definitely be counted as historical artifacts themselves – they provide a totally different reading experience to the online texts available to classicists today! Look out for works like A.E. Housman’s edition of Lucan’s Civil War, or an 1846 edition of Aristophanes’ Comedies. There is also a large collection of Oxford Classical Texts – perfect for any Honours student or postgraduate who wants to check the apparatus criticus of Catullus or practice their unseen skills with a few pages of Cicero!
To see the Sellar and Goodhart catalogue, follow the link here:https://www.ed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/atoms/files/sellar_and_goodhart_collection_2016_pdf.pdf
