Notre Dame to Acquire Chesterton Library

(photo courtesy of the University of Notre Dame)

The University of Notre Dame’s London Global Gateway has announced plans to acquire the G.K. Chesterton Library. The collection includes books, personal effects, art and other items related to the 20th Century English writer. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

The library is currently housed at the Oxford Oratory and will be transferred to the London Global Gateway, which Notre Dame says will provide increased access to researchers and Chesterton enthusiasts. It was compiled by Aidan Mackey, who the university describes as one of the foremost Chesterton experts.

Chesterton, according to the university, is best known for his novel "The Man Who Was Thursday," the Father Brown mystery series and various short stories, poems and essays. The collection will serve as a scholarly resource, but also will have a public access exhibit for Chesterton fans visiting London.

"Among the things in G.K.’s bedside table and in his pockets after he died, what moved me most was his rosary," Mackey said. "I had a special frame constructed to ensure that it is clearly on view, and had it so done that, with permission, people might touch it."

You can learn more about the library and Chesterton by clicking here.