George N. Meissner Collection

George N. Meissner (1872-1960), a local St. Louis businessman, spent his retirement pursuing civic and collecting interests. During the 1930s and 1940s, he assembled the collection of approximately 2500 printed and 350 manuscript items, which his family donated to Washington University along with funds for the construction of Special Collections’ original reading room and storage space.

Four books with beautifully intricate designs etched into the leather book covers. — Fine leather bindings from the Meissner Collection.

The rare books in Meissner’s collection represent fine books from the 15^th to 20^th century, including medieval illuminated manuscripts and early printed books. Meissner focused on first editions of literary works, works signed by their authors, and beautiful books in fine bindings. Literary works in his collection include many works by Mark Twain, St. Louis native Eugene Field, and Charles Dickens. Meissner’s collection consists of some of the most beautiful bindings in the department, including jeweled bindings, fore-edge paintings, Cosway bindings that feature paintings set into leather, and Kelliegram bindings with intricately cut leather mosaics.

The interior spread is lush with color, gold leaf, and artwork. The top half of the left page has a small cottage on a tree-lined country lane where two figures are feeding chickens; the bottom half of the page features gilded lettering of the book title (The Deserted Village) surrounded by decorative flowers and vines. The bottom half of the right page has a figure with a bindle walking down a dirt lane with a closeup depicting of a birds nest with four eggs (three within, one on the grass nearby) amidst a blackberry bush; the top half of the page has a gilded, historiated initial S to begin the text of the book, the first line of which is "Sweet Auburn!" — Oliver Goldsmith’s *The Deserted Village*, ca. 1910

In addition to the printed books in his collection, Meissner collected medieval and modern illuminated manuscripts, literary manuscripts, and an extensive autograph collection. The manuscript collection includes manuscripts, documents, and correspondence from authors, statesmen, every President of the United States to Woodrow Wilson, and Michelangelo.