Duncan-Hughes Collection
Key items in the collection
The Duncan-Hughes Collection contains around 6,200 books, mostly published between 1880 and 1960. Its main strength lies in English literature, with a focus on poetry, plays, editions of letters and literary criticism.
Other strong subject areas include:
- Greek and Roman classics
- French, German and Russian literature
- British and European history
- Political and military history
- European art and classical music
- Travel writing
Duncan-Hughes also had a particular interest in private press editions. His collection includes 87 titles (103 volumes) from notable presses such as:
- Golden Cockerel Press (1922–39)
- Nonesuch Press (1922–39)
- Alphonse Lemerre (1923)
- Scholartis Press (1927)
- Shakespeare Head Press (1927)
- Cresset Press (1929)
- The Folio Society (1951)
The collection includes a small number of Australian works, some written by Duncan-Hughes’ friends and contemporaries, including FW Eggleston, WK Hancock and CAS Hawker.
About John Duncan-Hughes
John Grant Duncan-Hughes (1882–1962) was an Australian politician, soldier and barrister with a strong interest in foreign affairs and public service.
Early life and education
Born at ‘Hughes Park’ near Watervale, South Australia, he was the son of Sir John Duncan, a wealthy pastoralist. His surname was changed to Duncan-Hughes in honour of his great-uncle, Sir Walter Hughes. He was educated at St Peter’s College in Adelaide, Cheltenham College in England and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple in 1907 and the South Australian Bar in 1908.
Military service and early public life
Duncan-Hughes served in the Royal Field Artillery during World War I, seeing action in France and Belgium from 1915 to 1918. He was awarded the Military Cross for his service. In 1920 he became aide-de-camp and later private secretary to the Governor-General.
Political career
At the 1922 general election, Duncan-Hughes was elected to the House of Representatives for the seat of Boothby, initially standing as a Liberal. He soon aligned with the Nationalist Party. After his defeat in 1928, he returned to federal politics in 1932 as a Senator for South Australia. He chose not to contest the 1937 election but successfully stood again in 1940, this time for the seat of Wakefield. He lost the seat in the 1943 election.
Later life and legacy
In his later years, Duncan-Hughes divided his time between his Watervale property and Adelaide. He remained active in philanthropic and church affairs, and maintained a deep interest in foreign policy. He was a member of the Round Table and the Australian Institute of International Affairs.
Background to the collection
The Duncan-Hughes Collection was presented by Gertrude Duncan-Hughes, the wife of JG Duncan-Hughes, in 1963.
The Duncan-Hughes Collection has been kept together as a formed collection, with the exception of the private press imprints, which are housed in the Rare Books collection. They are arranged alphabetically by the name of the author. The call numbers have the prefix DH. About half of the books have entries in the Library's catalogue.
The sets of journals owned by JG Duncan-Hughes are held in the Barr Smith Library in the University of Adelaide.
This guide was prepared using these references:
- Oliver, Bobbie, Duncan-Hughes, John Grant (1882-1962) in The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate, edited by Ann Millar, vol. 2, Melbourne, Melbourne University Press, 2004, pp. 268-72
Continue your journey
