San Jose State University SJSU ScholarWorks Master's Theses Master's Theses and Graduate Research 2009 The sheaf catalogs of George John Spencer Larissa C. Brookes San Jose State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses Recommended Citation Brookes, Larissa C., "The sheaf catalogs of George John Spencer" (2009). Master's Theses. 3639. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31979/etd.zrp8-k6ky https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses/3639 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Master's Theses and Graduate Research at SJSU ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of SJSU ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE SHEAF CATALOGS OF GEORGE JOHN SPENCER A Thesis Presented to The School of Library and Information Science San Jose State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Library and Information Science by Larissa C. Brookes May 2009 UMI Number: 1470960 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI UMI Microform 1470960 Copyright 2009 by ProQuest LLC All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 ©2009 Larissa C. Brookes ALL RIGHTS RESERVED SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY The Undersigned Thesis Committee Approves the Thesis Titled THE SHEAF CATALOGS OF GEORGE JOHN SPENCER by Larissa C. Brookes APPROVED FOR THE SCHOOL OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE AIUH^L ^9^.^^ > 3//z. /a 1 Dr. Debra L. Hansen, School of Library and Information Science Date ^--.xrrv&KX V\CXJJC> -iUoL^ Dr. Linda Main, School of Library and Information Science Date* \,(iJ)^ l,)l/L,?,4^- .?//Jof APPROVED FOR THE UNIVERSITY r ts/«>/6<7 Associate Dean Office of Graduate Studies and Research Date ABSTRACT THE SHEAF CATALOGS OF GEORGE JOHN SPENCER By Larissa C. Brookes This thesis discusses two library catalogs once owned by George John, the second Earl Spencer (1758-1834). A consummate bibliophile and book collector, Spencer amassed an unparalleled private library of first editions, incunables, and other coveted books. Spencer used several manuscript (i.e. handwritten) catalogs to access and manage his extensive libraries. One of these catalogs was in sheaf format, a compact physical form that foreshadows the more well-known card catalog format. Spencer's sheaf catalog is now in the collection of the Grolier Club in New York. He owned a second nearly identical sheaf catalog, now at the John Rylands University Library of Manchester. While this thesis examines both sheaf catalogs, it focuses on the catalog now held by the Grolier Club. As this thesis explains, Spencer's sheaf catalog carries a wealth of information regarding the evolution of library catalogs. Examining cataloging history demonstrates that Spencer's sheaf catalog occupies a unique position; it may be the first compact catalog used for a private library. The sheaf catalog also reveals a hidden side of Spencer, the celebrated book collector. Spencer is best known for applying his intellect and fortune to finding and buying books; however, his sheaf catalog demonstrates that Spencer also devoted himself to ensuring that he and other readers could find the books and information they sought in his vast library. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I thank Eric Holzenberg for first suggesting Spencer's sheaf catalogs as a thesis topic. He and Fernando Pefia allowed me liberal access to the sheaf catalog and related items in the Grolier Club's collection as well as to the Grolier Club's library. The Special Collections staff of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester was similarly generous with their collections and time. I also thank the Bibliographical Society (U.K.) for awarding me a minor grant to fund my research. Finally, I could not have written this thesis without generous intellectual and psychological support. I thank my thesis advisor, Debra Hansen, who has worked tirelessly to help me produce and refine this thesis. Most especially, I thank my supportive and patient partner for enduring endless discussions about library cataloging and George John Spencer. v Table of Contents List of Figures iv CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 Spencer's Sheaf Catalogs 1 What Is a Sheaf Catalog? 4 Purpose of This Thesis 6 Literature Review 7 Second Earl Spencer 7 "The Bibliomania" 20 History of Sheaf Catalogs and Card Catalogs and Related Aspects of Cataloging History 21 Methodology 26 A Systematic Sampling of Catalog Slips 26 Research in Manchester, England 28 Organization of This Thesis 30 CHAPTER TWO: FROM CLAY TABLETS TO THE CARD CATALOG: THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LIBRARY CATALOG 32 Background and Terminology 32 The Inner Form 33 The Outer Form 47 The Contribution of Spencer's Sheaf Catalog to Library History 68 CHAPTER THREE: THE SECOND EARL SPENCER, HIS LIBRARY, AND ITS LEGACY 69 A Highly Functional Bibliomaniac: An Introduction to George John Spencer 69 The Bibliomania 69 Spencer's Friendships with Literary Figures 78 Spencer and Dibdin 78 Spencer and Gibbon 82 Earl Spencer and His Library 85 A Brief Look at the Life of George John, the Second Earl Spencer 85 The Libraries Spencer Formed 87 George John's Descendants and the Fate of the Spencer Libraries 96 The "Rescue" of the Spencer Library 104 Spencer's Bibliographic Legacy 108 CHAPTER FOUR: SPENCER: A LIBRARIAN IN DISGUISE 109 The Second Earl's Ingenious Cataloging System 109 VI The Grolier Club Catalog Ill The Chest Ill The Sheaves 116 The Rylands Sheaf Catalog 121 The Chest 121 The Sheaves 123 Who Prepared the Catalogs? 125 The Grolier Sheaf Catalog 125 The Rylands Catalog 129 When Were the Catalogs Created? 129 The Mobility of Spencer's Sheaf Catalogs 131 Locations of the Sheaf Catalogs 134 The Grolier and Rylands Slips 144 Methodology 144 The Grolier Slips 146 Accession Numbers 147 Slip Organization and Typical Content 149 A Group Effort 151 Physical Description Abbreviations 153 Other Symbols and Abbreviations 156 Some Answers and Questions for Future Research 162 CHAPTER FIVE: PRIVATE LIBRARY CATALOGS OF SPENCER AND OTHER EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY BOOK COLLECTORS 164 Many Books, Many Catalogs 164 Spencer's Other Catalogs 165 Numerical Index 165 Catalog of the Early Printed Books in the Library of Lord Spencer, Arranged under Printers 169 Class Catalogue of the Books at Althorp 171 Catalogue of the Library at Althorp 175 Catalog of Fifteenth Century-Printed Books 178 Catalogue of Books at Althorp, Printed in the XV Century but Not Described in Bibliotheca Spenceriana 181 Contemporaneous Catalogs 184 Earl of Galloway 184 William Elliot 189 Bertram Ashburnham 192 The Significance of Spencer's Many Catalogs 197 CHAPTER SLX: CONCLUSION 199 The Sheaf Catalogs as a Historical Record 199 The Sheaf Catalogs and Cataloging History 200 The Sheaf Catalogs and Spencer as Collector, Reader, and Librarian 204 Bibliography 207 vn List of Figures Figure 2.1. Illustration from Brown's Manual of Library Economy 61 Figure 4.2. Grolier sheaf catalog, three-quarter view 112 Figure 4.3. Grolier sheaf catalog, front view 112 Figure 4.4. Grolier sheaf catalog with first three drawers extended 114 Figure 4.5. Grolier sheaf catalog, third drawer 115 Figure 4.6. Rylands sheaf catalog, first drawer 115 Figure 4.7. Grolier sheaf catalog, fourth drawer 116 Figure 4.8. "Aristox. - Ash." sheaf from the Grolier sheaf catalog 117 Figure 4.9. Grolier sheaf catalog, view of sheaves in first drawer 118 Figure 4.10. Three-quarter view of the Rylands sheaf catalog 123 Figure 4.11. Grolier sheaf catalog slip, showing Tommaso de Ocheda's handwriting. 126 Figure 4.12. Slip for Arthur of Brytayn, Grolier sheaf catalog 128 Figure 4.13. Detail of Rylands sheaf catalog hairline crack 132 Figure 4.14. Illustration of the Rylands sheaf catalog, August 1892 135 Figure 4.15. Arthur of Brytayn cross-reference slip, Grolier sheaf catalog 150 Figure 4.16. Slip for "Morte d'Arthur," filed under "Arthur" 151 Figure 5.17. Cover view, Earl of Galloway catalog 187 Figure 5.18. Galloway catalog, page 17 188 Figure 5.19. Cover view, William Elliot catalog 190 Figure 5.20. Page from the William Elliot catalog 191 Figure 5.21. Page from William Elliot catalog, showing "Z" entry 192 Figure 5.22. Ashburnham catalog, first volume 194 vm Figure 5.23. "Charles Abbot" slip, Ashburnham catalog 194 Figure 5.24. "Adimari" slip from Ashburnham catalog 195 IX CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Spencer's Sheaf Catalogs One of the many treasures owned by the Grolier Club, the oldest and largest U.S. bibliophile society, is an elegant four-drawer mahogany chest. This piece at first appears to be a handsome, antique dresser, but in fact it is a unique artifact: it contains one of the earliest known sheaf catalogs created for a private library. Indeed, it is one of the first compact catalogs - in card, sheaf, or slip format - used in any library, institutional or private. This catalog and its chest were made for George John, the second Earl Spencer, a book collector and bibliophile who amassed an unparalleled private library of first editions of the Bible, Latin and Greek classics, European literature and history, and other works, hundreds of them from the inclinable period.1 Spencer typified the wealthy, focused, and eager book collectors who helped propel the wave of bibliomania that occurred during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.2 Spencer's collection was so extraordinary that Augustin Renouard, the accomplished nineteenth-century 1.