The Book-Hunter in London / Historical and Other Studies Of
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The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Book-Hunter in London, by William Roberts This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net Title: The Book-Hunter in London Historical and Other Studies of Collectors and Collecting Author: William Roberts Release Date: September 15, 2007 [EBook #22607] Language: English *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BOOK-HUNTER IN LONDON *** Produced by Suzanne Lybarger, Christine D., Lisa Reigel, and the booksmiths at http://www.eBookForge.net Transcriber's Notes: Greek words that may not display correctly in all browsers are transliterated in the text like this: βιβλος. Position your mouse over the line to see the transliteration. A few typographical errors have been corrected. They have been underlined in the text. Position your mouse over the word to see the correction. A complete list of changes follows the text. THE BOOK-HUNTER IN LONDON. rooster book-plate man examining a book while proprietor of bookshop looks on 'His soul was never so staked down as in a bookseller's shop.' Roger North. THE BOOK-HUNTER IN LONDON Historical and other Studies of Collectors and Collecting WITH NUMEROUS PORTRAITS AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY W. ROBERTS Author of 'The Earlier History of English Bookselling,' 'Printers' Marks,' etc. LONDON ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C. 1895 CONTENTS. PAGE PREFACE xiii INTRODUCTION xv EARLY BOOK-HUNTING 1 BOOK-HUNTING AFTER THE INTRODUCTION OF PRINTING 12 FROM THE OLD TO THE NEW 44 BOOK-AUCTIONS AND SALES 98 BOOKSTALLS AND BOOKSTALLING 149 SOME BOOK-HUNTING LOCALITIES 168 WOMEN AS BOOK-COLLECTORS 259 BOOK THIEVES, BORROWERS, AND KNOCK-OUTS 274 SOME HUMOURS OF BOOK-CATALOGUES 293 SOME MODERN COLLECTORS 299 INDEX 323 opened book standing vertically on a table LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE 'HIS SOUL WAS NEVER SO STAKED DOWN AS IN A Frontispiece BOOKSELLER'S SHOP.'—ROGER NORTH IN A SCRIPTORIUM 2 LAMBETH PALACE LIBRARY 5 ROMAN BOOKS AND WRITING MATERIALS 11 EARL OF ARUNDEL'S BADGE 16 SIR ROBERT COTTON 21 SIR JULIUS CÆSAR'S TRAVELLING LIBRARY 22 ARCHBISHOP USHER 26 WOTTON HOUSE IN 1840 28 MAGDALEN COLLEGE, OXFORD 29 SIR HANS SLOANE'S MONUMENT 30 LITTLE BRITAIN IN 1550 33 CHARLES, THIRD EARL OF SUNDERLAND 37 LONDON HOUSE, ALDERSGATE STREET, 1808 40 ST. BERNARD'S SEAL 43 MR. AUSTIN DOBSON 45 WILLIAM BECKFORD, BOOK-COLLECTOR 48 GEORGE JOHN, EARL SPENCER 51 JOHN, DUKE OF ROXBURGHE, BOOK-COLLECTOR 52 A CORNER IN THE ALTHORP LIBRARY 53 MICHAEL WODHULL, BOOK-COLLECTOR 57 GEORGE NICOL, THE KING'S BOOKSELLER 60 THOMAS FROGNALL DIBDIN, BIBLIOGRAPHER 63 REV. C. MORDAUNT CRACHERODE, M.A., BOOK- 65 COLLECTOR J. O. HALLIWELL-PHILLIPPS 71 CANONBURY TOWER, GEORGE DANIEL'S RESIDENCE 73 SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE 76 LAMB'S COTTAGE AT COLEBROOK ROW, ISLINGTON 77 WILLIAM HAZLITT 78 THOMAS HILL, AFTER MACLISE 79 SAMUEL ROGERS'S HOUSE IN ST. JAMES'S PLACE 81 SAMUEL ROGERS 82 ALEXANDER DYCE, BOOK-COLLECTOR 83 W. J. THOMS, BOOK-COLLECTOR 88 HOLLINGBURY COPSE, THE RESIDENCE OF THE LATE 91 MR. HALLIWELL-PHILLIPPS JOHN DUNTON, BOOK-AUCTIONEER IN 1698 101 SAMUEL BAKER, THE FOUNDER OF SOTHEBY'S 102 SAMUEL LEIGH SOTHEBY 104 MR. E. G. HODGE, OF SOTHEBY'S 105 A FIELD-DAY AT SOTHEBY'S 106 KEY TO THE CHARACTERS IN THE 'FIELD-DAY AT 107 SOTHEBY'S' R. H. EVANS, BOOK-AUCTIONEER, 1812 109 JOHN WALKER, BOOK-AUCTIONEER, 1776 112 STAIRCASE AT PUTTICK AND SIMPSON'S 113 THE LATE HENRY STEVENS, OF VERMONT 115 MR. JAMES CHRISTIE, 'THE SPECIOUS ORATOR' 117 BENJAMIN HEATH, BOOK-COLLECTOR, 1738 123 SPECIMEN OF TYPE OF THE MAZARIN BIBLE 125 A CORNER IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM 127 ALDUS, FROM A CONTEMPORARY MEDAL 129 THE FIFTY-SEVEN ALTHORP CAXTONS 134 FROM 'GAME AND PLAY OF CHESSE,' BY CAXTON 135 SPECIMEN OF THE TYPE OF 'THE BOKE OF ST. ALBANS' 137 SPECIMEN PAGE OF TYNDALE'S TESTAMENT, 1526 138 JOHN MURRAY, OF SACOMB, BOOK-HUNTER 139 TITLE-PAGE OF THE FIRST EDITION OF 'THE COMPLEAT 144 ANGLER' FROM THE 'PILGRIM'S PROGRESS,' PART II. 145 CORNELIUS WALFORD, BOOK-COLLECTOR 152 THE SOUTH SIDE OF HOLYWELL STREET 153 EXETER 'CHANGE IN 1826 154 A BARROW IN WHITECHAPEL 155 A BOOK-BARROW IN FARRINGDON ROAD 158 A FEW TYPES IN FARRINGDON ROAD 159 HENRY LEMOINE, AUTHOR AND BOOKSELLER 161 THE LATE EDMUND HODGSON, BOOK-AUCTIONEER 164 ST. PAUL'S CHURCHYARD, 1606. FROM THE CRACE 169 COLLECTION THOMAS BRITTON, 'THE SMALL-COAL MAN,' 173 COLLECTOR OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND MSS. DUKE STREET, LITTLE BRITAIN, FORMERLY CALLED 175 DUCK LANE CHARLES LAMB, AFTER D. MACLISE 177 OLD HOUSES IN MOORFIELDS 178 JONES AND CO. (SUCCESSORS TO LACKINGTON) 180 INTERIOR OF LACKINGTON'S SHOP 181 LACKINGTON'S HALFPENNY 182 THE POULTRY IN 1550 184 THE OLD MANSION HOUSE, CHEAPSIDE 185 GILBERT AND FIELD'S SHOP IN COPTHALL COURT 186 E. GEORGE'S (LATE GLADDING'S) SHOP, WHITECHAPEL 188 ROAD MIDDLE ROW, HOLBORN, 1865 195 WILLIAM DARTON, BOOKSELLER 197 INTERIOR OF DARTON'S SHOP, HOLBORN HILL 198 JAMES WESTELL'S, 114, OXFORD STREET 200 SALKELD'S SHOP—'IVY HOUSE'—IN CLAPHAM ROAD 203 JOHN BAGFORD, SHOEMAKER AND BOOK-DESTROYER 204 MR. TREGASKIS'S SHOP—'THE CAXTON HEAD'—IN 205 HOLBORN DAY'S CIRCULATING LIBRARY IN MOUNT STREET 207 PATERNOSTER ROW ON A BANK HOLIDAY 209 JOHN EVELYN, BOOK-COLLECTOR 212 NEWBERY'S SHOP IN ST. PAUL'S CHURCHYARD 213 CHARLES TILT'S SHOP 221 BUTCHER ROW, 1798 224 CHARLES HUTT'S HOUSE IN CLEMENT'S INN PASSAGE 226 MR. WILLIAM D. REEVES, BOOKSELLER 227 MESSRS. HILL AND SON'S SHOP IN HOLYWELL STREET 231 MESSRS. SOTHERAN'S SHOP IN PICCADILLY 233 HONEST TOM PAYNE 239 HENRY G. BOHN, BOOKSELLER 243 JOHN H. BOHN 244 MR. F. S. ELLIS 245 A CORNER AT ELLIS AND ELVEY'S 246 WESTMINSTER HALL WHEN OCCUPIED BY 247 BOOKSELLERS AND OTHERS JOHN HATCHARD (1768-1849) 252 JAMES TOOVEY, BOOKSELLER 253 JAMES TOOVEY'S SHOP, PICCADILLY 254 BERNARD QUARITCH, THE NAPOLEON OF 256 BOOKSELLERS QUEEN ELIZABETH'S GOLDEN MANUAL OF PRAYERS 262 (FRONT COVER) QUEEN ELIZABETH'S GOLDEN MANUAL OF PRAYERS 263 (BACK COVER) THE FRONTISPIECE TO 'THE LADIES' LIBRARY' OF 266 STEELE ELIZABETH PINDAR'S BOOKPLATE 267 THE ESHTON HALL LIBRARY 269 'EARNING HIS DINNER' 275 THE KING'S LIBRARY, BRITISH MUSEUM 276 'STEALS A BOOK, PLACES IT IN A NOVELETTE, AND 280 WALKS AWAY' 'HE HAD PLACED THE BOOK IN HIS POCKET. SOMEONE 282 HAD RELIEVED HIM OF IT' THE LATE HENRY HUTH, BOOK-COLLECTOR 300 MR. HENRY H. GIBBS, BOOK-COLLECTOR 302 MR. R. COPLEY CHRISTIE, BOOK-COLLECTOR 303 THE LATE FREDERICK LOCKER-LAMPSON 312 PORTRAIT BOOKPLATE OF MR. JOSEPH KNIGHT 313 'AN ORDER FROM MR. GLADSTONE' 315 PORTRAIT BOOKPLATE OF MR. H. S. ASHBEE 316 MR. T. J. WISE, BOOK-COLLECTOR 317 MR. CLEMENT SHORTER'S BOOKPLATE 318 MR. A. BIRRELL, BOOK-COLLECTOR 319 FACSIMILE OF TITLE-PAGE, 'PILGRIM'S PROGRESS,' FIRST 321 EDITION Roman Book-box. Roman Book-box. PREFACE. ' HE Book-hunter in London' is put forth as a contribution to the fascinating history of book-collecting in the metropolis; it does not pretend to be a complete record of a far-reaching subject, which a dozen volumes would not exhaust; the present work, however, is the first attempt to deal with it in anything like a comprehensive manner, but of how far or in what degree this attempt is successful the reader himself must decide. The task itself has been an exceedingly pleasant one to the author, and it only remains for him to thank, collectively, the large number of friends and acquaintances who have so cordially favoured him with advice and information on so many points. In only a couple of quite unimportant instances has he experienced anything approaching churlishness. The geniality and courtesy of the book-collector are proverbial, but specimens of a different type are evidently to be found here and there. As regards the chapter on Modern Collectors, the author's object has been to deal with a representative selection of the bibliophiles of to-day. To aim at anything like completeness in this section of the book would be highly undesirable, having regard to a proportionate representation of the subject as a whole. Completeness, moreover, would be an impossibility, even in a volume devoted entirely to modern men. The greatest possible care has been taken to prevent inaccuracy of any kind, but whilst freedom from error is a consummation which every author desires, it is also one of which few can boast. The reader will be doing the author a favour by informing him of any mistake which may be detected in the following pages. An omission in the account of Stewart, the founder of Puttick's, may be here made good: he had the privilege of selling David Garrick's choice library in 1823. The author regrets to learn that Purcell (p. 165), a very intelligent bookseller, died some months ago. 'The Book-hunter in London' is the outcome not only of material which has been accumulating for many years past, from published and unpublished sources, but also of a long and pleasant intercourse with the leading book-collectors and booksellers in London, not to mention a vigorous and constant prosecution of one of the most pleasant and instructive of hobbies. The author has freely availed himself of the information in the works of Dibdin, Nichols, and other writers on the subject, but their statements have been verified whenever possible, and acknowledgements have been made in the proper places to the authorities laid under contribution.