A Sho rt History Th e L i br a ry C o m p a n y o f P h i l a d él p h i a om e om the Minutes to ethe w th C pil d fr , g r i some personal remin iscences George M au rice Abbot Librarian and Treasurer Publi shed by order of The B oard o f Di rectors This attempt to tell the story of the Library Comp any in a ’ Words been few , has read before the Philadelphia Booksellers A t also ssocia ion, for Whom it was prepared, and before The i b Pennsylvan ia L brary Clu . M A. 1 1 G. November, 9 2 THE LI BRAR" CO MP AN " OF P HILADELP HIA HE beginning of the Lib Com any of Philadel )hia ’ a ] fou ndecl was l rge owing to the unto, a club by Ben armn ran khn a scientific j for liter ry and discussion, al the reading of original essays, poems, and so forth, c led a “ ” r n in Club of Mutual Improvement. F a kl says in his autobiograph “ ' A s l t bout t time, our c ub mee ing, not at a tavern, but in ’ t Mr. a li tle room of Grace s set apart for that purpose, a propo ’ sition our referr was made by me, that since books were often d t to in our disquisi ions upon the queries, it might be con venient o s for to have them together where we met, that upon occasions they might be consulted ; and by thus clubbing our ’ we we lik books to a common library, should While d it keep o s them together, have each of the advantage of usin the all ul a books of the other members, which wo d be ne r y as ’ fi i was lik bene c al as if each owned the Whole . It d and agreed ’ we fill d we to, and one end of the room with such books as w could best spare . The number as not so great as we ex ’ ected in p ; and tho they had been of great use, yet some a convenience occuring for want of due c re of them, the col c was le tion , after about a year, separated, and each took his A fir t books home again . n d now I set on foot my s project of r . I a public nature, that for a subscription libra y drew up ro osals p , got them put into form by our great scrivener, Brockden m , and by the help of friends of the Junto, pro cured fifty subscribers of forty shil ings each to begin With and car fift was ten shillings a for y years, the term our company a m u to continue . e afterwards obt ined a charter, the co pa being increased to one hundred ; this was the mother of l A . the North merican subscription libraries, now so numerous A was u 1 1 73 1 The Instrument of ssociation dated J ly , , 1 74 an d between that date and 2, when they obtained their - t five A . second charter, eigh y signed the rticles was rankl n The first to sign Robert Grace, described by F i “ i a tu as be ng, a young gentlem n of some for ne, generous, l an t d . ively, Wit y ; a lover of punning and of his friends was m The second Tho as Hopkinson , father of Francis Hop kinson , one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence . The share passed from father to son for four generations and finall c y be ame the property of Christ Church , in which name d five it now stan s, having been in but names in one hundred and eighty years . The third signer was Benjamin Fran klin ; a ranklin his sh re descended to Benjamin F Bache, William r. Duane, , Franklin Bache, and is now in the name of ewson Thomas Bache . Other original shares are still owned by the descendants of h who first A t ose signed the Articles of ssociation . “ ” As was few m the Junto composed of but me bers, the greater part of the subscribers were not those associated With the W i . 4 original club . ill am Rawle acquired share No 2 in 1 732 ; a first A he appe rs to have been the merican donor, having pre “ 1 2th a 1 733 sented on the of M rch, , six volumes of the works ” Mr of . Edmund Spencer and the Minute recording this gift with great simplicity says “the famous old English poem ’ ” F w called Spencer s airy Q ueen is included in these orks. The Wi lliam Rawle share is now in the name of William . 67 1 7 6 a . 3 Brooke Rawle Samuel Co tes had share No , in , Which descended to Dr. Benjamin Hornor Coates and is now owned by Jose h Hornor Coates, having been in the name of - Coates for one undred and seventy six years . By one interested in such matters quite a long list might be made of original shares comin down in the same family to i the present t me, in fact one of t e most interesting books in “ the Library is A Chronological Register of the names of ” a 1 839 Z Members, prep red in by achariah Poulson, one of n i . the Directors, and co tinued to the present t me — ' The first Board of Directors was as follows z Ben amin m a Franklin, Thomas Hopkinson , Willia P rsons, Philip yng, r. i A J , Thomas God re nthony Nicholas, Thomas Cad W la er a d r. a , John Jones, , Robert Gr ce, and Isaac Pennington, first was Treasurer William Coleman , and the meeting held on 8 m 1 73 1 the evening of the th of Nove ber, , at the house of Nicholas Scull . The Minutes of the Company begin as “ — M me Brein tnall follows The inutes of , Joseph , Secretary to the Directors of the Library Company of Philadelphia, with such of the Minutes of the same Directors as they order me to 8 1 73 1 . B make . Begun the th Day of November, y virtue of the Deed or Instrument of the said Company dated the first ” Day of July last. Several meetings were held at the house of Nicholas Scull and much discussion took place as to When the first im ortation of books should be made and what books At 29th 1 73 should e ordered . a meeting held March , 2, “ it was thought best to meet for a private conversation , Thomas Godfrey at this meeting informed us that Mr. Logan had let him know he would willingly give his advice of the choice of the books he was desired to return the thanks ofi er—an d of the Committee to Mr. Logan for his generous the Committee esteeming Mr. Logan to be a Gentlemen of a r universal le rning, and the best judge of books in these pa ts, w e ordered that Mr. Godfrey should ait on him and requ st him ” At to favour them with a catalogue of suitable books. a “ 3 l st 1 732 meeting held March , , Robert Grace, to expedite the ’ afi air ofl ered , to draw on his own correspondent in London for such a sum sterling as would answer the money in the ’ ” A ort Treasurer s hands . ccordingly a Bill of F y Five Pounds Sterling, on Peter Collinson , Mercer in Gracious Street, Lon don , payable to Thomas Hopkinson, together with a list of Mr . was . the books wanted, sent to Hopkinson It is of interest to know what books were on this list as showing the tastes and wishes of the readers of that time and it is also of interest to know that at the present time ( 1 9 12 ) a number of the books then ordered are still on the shelves of the Library. 3 l st 1 73 Books ordered March , 2 CATALOGUE OF BOOK S ’ ’ Pufi d f en or s In tro u 8 vo . on . d c a . Hayes upon Flux i s ’ ’ Dr. owe i o H l s H st ry of ye K e il s Astronomical Lectures . W ’ or . 3 o F . s . o ld v l D rake s An atomy . ’ a in s i m sto of n an . i on o rn nt R p H ry E gl d S dn ey G ve e . ’ 1 vo s. 8 vo 2 l . Cato s Letters . ’ a mon s Mo ern to m o e s . eur u ort o a ra ssa S l d Hi ry Si s D P R y l l ys. ’ ’ Vertot u io s e o t n s. o i R v l Cro usay s Art f Th nking . ’ u h tarc s ves in sma vol . ectator Pl Li ll Sp . ’ tan e s ves of h o uar ian S l y Li ye P il G d . he so rs . p Tatler. ’ n na s of Tac tu s or on . Pufi en dorf s a s o f N ature m w 8 . A l i by G d L , [5] ’ W r i Collection of Voyages. 6 vols. Addison s o ks n 1 2mo .