Evert Jan van Leeuwen Identifies Manuscript Leaf in Bodleian Godwin Collection
Recently, Evert Jan van Leeuwen was able to identify an “unknown” manuscript leaf in the William Godwin Papers of the Abinger Collection at the Bodleian Library (Oxford), while sitting at his desk in Van Eyckhof 4 (Leiden).
The previously unidentified leaf is a transcription of Thomas Dekker’s extended “head is a house” metaphor in Chapter 3 of The Guls Horne-Booke (1609).
Dr. Van Leeuwen hit upon this manuscript leaf while researching Godwin’s interest in the creative imagination and Romantic supernaturalism. With the generous assistance of Dr. B.C. Barker-Benfield (of the Department for Special Collections & Western Manuscripts at the Bodleian Library) and Dr. Matthew Sangster (of the British Association for Romantic Studies), Van Leeuwen was able to publish the following note on his discovery in the “Archive Spotlight” section of the BARS-Blog.