"Something for my Native Town" celebrates new research on one of the finest collections of manuscripts and rare books in the North West of England, the R.E. Hart Collections of the Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery. Leading scholars from the fields of art history and history of the book examine anew the internationally important manuscripts and rare printed books in Hart’s collection. They also analyze the practice of collecting itself in the context of the waning of industrial revolution. Copiously illustrated with color prints, this volume marks R.E. Hart’s achievement as a collector—one who collected for himself and for his community in posterity.