Barry Ono, Penny Dreadful Collector

In the US there were giants in the popular fiction collecting field — such as Charles Bragin, Albert Johannsen, and nowadays Joe Rainone, who may have bested them all with the astonishing extent of his holdings. In England up through the 1930s, Barry Ono gathered an extensive collection and a deep knowledge of British popular fiction publications.

Ono — which was actually his stage name from his career as a variety theatre star — lived from 1876 to 1941. His collection was bequeathed to the British (Museum) Library. In this 1937 Pathé film, Barry Ono presents some of his favourite items and talks about the culture they existed within. The film is a remarkable window into a collector’s passion and the world of Victorian popular fiction.

Ono’s collection survives intact in the British Library’s holdings — one of the few large bequests of nineteenth-century popular fiction held by a national institution rather than scattered across private hands. For anyone working in the period, it is a touchstone.