A passion for knowledge and understanding...
Books and book collecting
"...Bob's first intellectual passion was book collecting, primarily focused upon South Australian history. He told me of a small bookshop in Rundle Street where he bought his first antiquarian book, aged 14 or 15, something he saved for, securing it at a price which, even at that tender age, he was able to negotiate downwards. He maintained that interest throughout his life, and was still acquiring significant works in his 80's.
His early reading made him aware of the Aboriginal prehistory of the Adelaide Plains and led him to an informed awareness of the archaeological record. He began recognising the main types of stone tools still evident on the family farm along the Sturt Creek.
His curiosity drew him to seek more information about these objects at the South Australian Museum, and before long he had made contact with archaeologists and anthropologists for whom the Museum was a research base - Thomas Draper Campbell, Charles Mountford and Norman Tindale. Both Mountford and Campbell took Bob under their wing. Bob accompanied them on field trips, becoming familiar with rock engravings in the north-east of South Australia, and surface archaeological sites in the south-east, for example.
He read extensively in the anthropological and historical literature, collecting books as he did so, and so, by the time of Norman Tindale's retirement in 1965 (October), he had transformed himself into the front-runner as his successor."
From: Philip Jones. Eulogy for Bob Edwards, St Mary's Church, 14 June 2023.
Books and book collecting
"Over my life as an antiquarian bookseller one of the great pleasures has been meeting charming and wise people. The shared interest in historically important books, paintings and manuscripts has always helped to form a link that bridges countries and cultures and makes conversations flow easily. Such exchanges have been deeply enriching for me and none more so that the long friendship I have enjoyed with Bob Edwards.
Bob's gentle demeanour veils a strong character; he is an intelligent collector and an insightful man. Over the decades we have been friends, our shared bookshop cups of tea have always been accompanied by wide-ranging and fascinating discussions - anthropology, Aboriginal art, museum exhibitions, development of new museums and galleries, books, politics and our families - nothing has been too big or too small for us to discuss. Bob has a open mind and a generous spirit and I have been fortunate to see him at times when he has been taking small breaks from his hectic work life.
Like all good collectors Bob considered his library central to his own development, in his career as a public figure in the Australian fine arts world. His books have been his road maps: not only did they chart historical events, but they showed him a way forward on his personal journey. For Hordern House now to have the honour of offering his fine antiquarian collection to a wide audience brings me great pleasure. We hope that this catalougue, and the catalogues to follow, will help ensure that Bob's lifetime passion for rare books is justly celebrated."
Anne McCormick
Hordern House
From: McCormick, Anne. "Introduction." The Collection of Robert Edwards AO. Sydney: Hordern House, 2012.