The Library Association: Recollections of Tedder and MacAlister Available to Purchase

HENRY R. Tedder was an outstanding example of the extraordinary hold the Association has had on the devotion and affection of its workers. From 1877 to his death he was actively engaged in its service, first as a joint honorary secretary with Nicholson, and afterwards (from 1899) as honorary treasurer, except for the year (1897) in which he was president; that was the year in which an annual meeting and the second international conference were held in London. As treasurer Tedder was careful and conscientious, but he had no imagination. Treasurers rarely have, and perhaps it is a dangerous gift for persons to possess who have charge of other people's money! MacAlister, when in association with Tedder as honorary secretary, had too much for Tedder's peace of mind. “Safety first!” was always Tedder's motto in administering the Association's financial affairs, and many promising developments—promising at all events from the promoters' point of view—were disposed of by Tedder's proverbial “can't afford it.”