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A few minutes’ walk away from the British Museum in Bloomsbury, charmed by its vibrant atmosphere of students, is the University of London’s Senate House Library. When library construction began in 1932, almost a century ago, a British actor by the name of Crofton donated 500 little books to the collection. Few people in London would probably know his name. Crofton left the theater world while relatively young and passed away at age of 76. His obituary was published in The Era, a national newspaper at the time as follows:
 
Cecil Crofton […] was the player of many parts of widely differing characters. Before he joined the profession he had often acted as an amateur, his first appearance on the regular stage being at the Princess’s Theatre, under the Wilson Barrett regime in “The Lights of London.” A part in “The Merry Duchess” at the Royalty was his next London appearance. A lengthy period of touring, interspersed with occasional engagements in town, followed, these latter including important parts in “Jim the Penman,” “The Middleman,” “Dr. Bill,” and “The Professor’s Love Story.”
 
The article appeared in the newspaper shortly after Crofton’s death in late November 1935, only two years following his donation of the books when the library was still under construction. Crofton spent many years collecting little books and displaying them on his bookshelf. He may have sensed his end approaching and prepared himself for death, putting closure on his life story.
 
This book shines a small light on an actor who remains unknown in British theater history. Let us take a look at the scrapbooks he left behind. These diaries are collaged with a variety of items, including postcards, graffiti, notes, photographs, dance cards, letters, newspapers, magazines, posters, and flyers. A close look into these various materials may help us follow his footsteps along the pathway of his life.
 
The little books he collected consist of English and French literature published from the 16th to 19th centuries, classics, poetry, and plays. Their cover designs showcase a diverse range of styles that are similar to ballroom dances. These vibrant-colored, leather-bound books display exceptional bookmaking craftsmanship, including techniques such as gilding and dyeing with colored paints. From the standpoint of bookmaking history research, the book collection has a distinctive composition and features numerous book designs from the Industrial Revolution era in England and publications from during the French Revolution. These periods are typically overlooked in research.
 
Opening a book from his collection, an Ex Libris on the front paste-down paper states a Latin proverb, Dici beatus ante obitum Nemo supremaq; funera debet. This phrase originates from Solon, an Athenian philosopher, and is referenced in Herodotus’ work, The Histories. The bookplate depicts a beautiful illustration of a reading room lined with bookshelves. In the center of that room is a man seated comfortably in an armchair, engrossed in a little book. At the far end of the room, a wide-open window reveals a view of the seashore. Is this man’s house by the sea? What does the man see from his window? Let us hope that the actor with a book in his hands returns to take a seat on the stage in front of us as readers.
 

(Written by NOMURA Yuri, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology / 2024)