This collection was formed in the latter part of the 19th century by Thomas Henry Ivey, a ship's joiner and twice Mayor of East Ham. It was inherited by his son, Wearne Ivey, who maintained his father's enthusiasm for timber and who added some samples to the collection; he is the author of the lecture sold with the present lot. Although the volumes do not complete the letters of the alphabet, there is no suggestion that any are missing as no missing volumes are referred to in the two notebooks sold with the lot, which provide a numerical and an alphabetical index respectively.