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19th and 20th Century Philosophy in Perspective

A painting of Lady Welby on the left sat down, with William Welby-Gregory stood on her right.

Lady Victoria Welby-Gregory’s Annotated Personal Library, 1856-1911

[E]very one of us is in one sense a born explorer: our only choice is what world we will explore, our only doubt whether our exploration will be worth the trouble.
Lady Victoria Welby-Gregory, Philosopher

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Learn about key debates and schools of thought in 19th and early 20th century Western philosophy

In the background is an extract from a book, annotated by Lady Welby. In the foreground on the top left, is an oval image of Lady Welby.

Lady Victoria Welby-Gregory (1837-1912) was an English noblewoman and self-taught musician, artist, and philosopher of language. Welby-Gregory is most well-known for developing the theory of significs, which she defined in a 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article as “the science of meaning or the study of significance.” Significs was closely related to other theoretical trends of the time, such as semantics, semiotics, and semiology. 

Curated in association with Senate House Library, 19th and 20th Century Philosophy in Perspective contains 54 original monographs from Welby-Gregory’s personal library. It includes works by the likes of William James, Mary Everest Boole, Sir Henry Jones, and Henri Bergson on subjects as diverse as philosophy, theology, and philology. Many of the books feature substantive annotations made by Welby-Gregory herself.

The collection therefore provides students and researchers with an overview of several key debates in 19th and early 20th century Western philosophy, as well as an insight into the inner life of a pioneering female intellectual. 

Contents

19th and 20th Century Philosophy in Perspective...

Lady Victoria Welby-Gregory’s Annotated Personal Library, 1856-1911

Discover 
An extract from a book. The title reads 'Chapter II The Law of Differentiation'.

Highlights

Section of a document titled Lecture II, What Pragmatism Means.

Licensed to access 'Pragmatism, a New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking' by William James

William James (1842-1910) was an influential American philosopher and psychologist. Published in 1907, this book outlines the key tenets of pragmatism.
Section of a document titled Logic Taught by Love, Chapter 1: In the Beginning was the Logos.

Licensed to access ‘Logic Taught by Love’ by Mary Everest Boole

Much like Lady Welby-Gregory, Mary Everest Boole (1832-1916) was a self-educated philosopher and mathematician. In Logic Taught By Love, Boole argues for a holistic approach to knowledge, teaching, and learning.
Section of a document titled The Philosophy of Lotze, Chapter 1: The Main Problem of Lotze's Philosophy.

Licensed to access ‘A Critical Account of the Philosophy of Lotze’ by Sir Henry Jones

Sir Henry Jones (1852-1922) was a Welsh philosopher and proponent of idealism. In this 1895 book, Jones evaluates the work of Herman Lotze, a 19th century German logician.
Section of a document written in French, titled Chapitre Premier, De l'évolution de la vie. - Mécanisme et finalité.

Licensed to access ‘L'évolution Créatrice’ by Henri Bergson

Henri-Louis Bergson (1859-1941) was a French philosopher and recipient of the 1927 Nobel Prize in Literature. In L'évolution Créatrice (Creative Evolution), Bergson posits an innovative theory of the history of philosophy based on the “problem of Being.”

Insights

  • Lady Welby-Gregory’s personal library, which is held by Senate House at the University of London, contains approximately 1,500 books and 1,000 pamphlets on a wide variety of topics.
  • These items were donated by Welby-Gregory’s son, Sir Charles Welby-Gregory, in 1913, shortly after her death.
  • Many include Welby-Gregory’s extensive annotations, highlighting the philosophical origins of significs specifically and the evolution of her thinking more generally.
  • They also illuminate some of the major trends in 19th and early 20th century theology, philosophy, economics, education, science, and philology.
  • This collection comprises a carefully curated selection of books which are intended to provide students and researchers with an understanding of all three.
  • The books were published during the period 1856-1911.
  • They have been organised into six intuitive volumes: General Philosophy and Miscellaneous, 1880-1911; History, 1889-1909; Metaphysics, 1887-1909; Morality and Ethics, 1881-1907; Philosophy of Language, 1856-1906; and Religion and Theology, 1883-1906. This classification is informed by the original archival catalogue.
  • Important works by William James, Mary Everest Boole, Sir Henry Jones, Henri Bergson, and Andrew Lang are all included.
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