Admirers of the life and writings of F W Boreham might be interested to learn of the bibliography that was published by Whitley College in 1997 entitled Frank William Boreham (1871-1959): A Select Bibliography.This was written by Dr. Ian F McLaren whose interest in F W Boreham is best explained by appending below the introduction to his book. This bibliography seeks to describe the different books of F W Boreham, including detailed information on the various editions and annotations on special copies. It includes some select publications relating to Boreham and his contributions to newspapers and periodicals. It contains fascinating information about special F W Boreham collections and archives that hold Dr Boreham’s books and memorabilia.
The University of Melbourne’s information on the McLaren Collection indicates the following information:
The personal library of Mr Ian McLaren was acquired by the University in 1976. An enthusiastic bibliographer and former member of Parliament of Victoria, Mr McLaren assembled a large library which reflected his interests in the active world of politics. Initially numbering some 34,000 books, serials, newspapers, pamphlets, parliamentary papers and ephemera, the collection has grown to about 50,000 volumes through generous donations from Mr McLaren and purchases by the library.
The McLaren Collection is an exceptionally rich and comprehensive one, with a particular emphasis on Australian exploration, history, anthropology and literature. It also includes significant material on New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Pacific and Antarctica, and it is organized by Mr McLaren's own unique cataloging system of subject headings. Mr McLaren was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by the University of Melbourne in 1996. He passed away in April 2000.
Here is Ian’s introduction and his tribute to F W Boreham:
INTRODUCTION
In the 1920s, as a schoolboy in my early teens, I lived diagonally across from the Armadale Baptist Church, and regularly attended Rev. F.W.Boreham's fortnightly services on books. So Dr.Boreham could be held responsible for my initial interest in reading and collecting, culminating in the publication of bibliographies of various Australian authors - including John Dunmore Lang, founder of the Australian Presbyterian Church - and of nine volumes of Australian exploration.
This present bibliography was begun long ago, as a "labour of love" rather than with any intention of publication. In 1996, Rev. Dr. Geoff Pound of Whitley College, Melbourne, discovered my collection of Boreham books, and the draft bibliography, in the McLaren Collection in the Baillieu Library, University of Melbourne, and approached me regarding the possibility of completion and publication of the bibliography.
The high regard and appreciation for the works of Dr. Boreham in the United Kingdom and North America is indicated by the wide range of libraries, particularly in U.S.A., holding copies of his works. The McLaren entry on Boreham in Australian Dictionary of Biography is reproduced with permission on page ix.
With my normal optimistic enthusiasm I believed that I could still cope with the time and effort required to complete the work, but only on condition that publication and distribution would be undertaken by Whitley College.
There was still much research needed to provide what I considered an accurate "comprehensive bibliography" to the standard established in my other published works, and, in my eighty-fifth year, I have found it impossible to achieve this to my own satisfaction. However, there is much valuable information in this select bibliography that will be of value and assistance to my successors in the bibliographical field, and to those to whom F.W. Boreham's work will always remain a landmark.
Consequently, this work is presented, as it now stands, in the hope that it may serve as an inspiration for the further research and application needed to compile a truly "comprehensive" bibliography of the works and related publications of Dr.F.W.Boreham.
Ian F. McLaren,O.B.E.,D.Litt.(Melb.) Hon.Bibliographer,
March, 1997 University of Melbourne
Geoff Pound
Image: Armadale Baptist Church, where Ian heard F W Boreham preach and give lectures on authors and their books.
