Bracken’s Farriery Vol 2.

by Henry Bracken (1697-1764)

This book was published in London for J Rivington in 1772, and is currently in MSU’s special collections under the call number SF955.B8 1772. The contents of this book discuss the care and management of horses, while criticizing many of the methods of care that were popular at the time, as well as going into detail about medical care of the animals.1 The author of this book, Henry Bracken, was an apprentice to a physician, and then later a pupil at a hospital. After his time at the hospital, he continued to study medicine and earned the title of M.D.. He began his own practice and soon became a well renowned surgeon and author. Bracken was well loved in his home town of Lancaster; in fact, he was elected for mayor twice. He wrote many books on horses, and it was likely that his knowledge came from a combination of his medical knowledge and his love of horse-racing.2

Bookplate of Gurdon and Virginia Dimoc

The most fascinating thing about this particular book is how the provenance allows us to follow the path of ownership. The main points of provenance are in the endpapers of this book. In the front endsheets, there is a small orange sticker towards the bottom of the book that reads “B & J.F. Meehan Export Booksellers, 32 Gay Street, Bath.” This bookseller was was located in England.

While it can not be known where the book was prior to this book seller, or immediately after, after sometime it reached the library of Virginia and Gurdon Dimoc of Kalamazoo, Michigan according to the book plate inside the front cover. The couple presumably got married between 1895 and 1915, before Gurdon’s death in 1916.3

Sticker from B & J.F Meehan Export Booksellers in England

In early 1921, Virginia Dimoc donated around 500 books on equestrianism to the Kalamazoo Public Library from her collection. This shows us that the Dimocs had an interest in horses and farriery.4 In the back endpapers of the book, there is a label depicting the call number, and the same number is written in pencil at the preface of the book, as well as the second line of the call number. The second line of the call number is also pencilled in on pages throughout the book. The name of the library is dotted in on a few pages across the book, as if it was done with a thumb tack.

Sources

  1. Attwood, Diana. “Welcome to Infopet.co.uk.” Infopet. Accessed October 18, 2018. hhtps://infopet.co.uk/index.php/31-animal-care-and-behaviour/horses/51-henry-bracken-s-farriery-improved-or-a-compleat-treatise-upon-the-art-of-farriery-a-milestone-in-equine-veterinary-medicine.
  2. Bracken, Henry (1697-1764). Accessed October 17, 2018. hyyps://www.idref.fr/117879096.
  3. Ferrara, Joe. Kalamazoo County Directories. Accessed October 18, 2018. http://kalamazoogenealogy.org/Directories/Dia-Dio.htm.
  4. “Bi-Weekly Revew.” The Indicator(Detroit), February 11, 1921.
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