destroyed in the Fire of London. The title-page of 1663 has the
portrait, and that of 1664 is without it. Mr. Thorpe, in one of his
catalogues, said that he had “refused £10 for the title of 1663.” Mr.
Quaritch gave £11 for one in 1895 at Sotheby’s.
The following is a list of the prices that some copies have realised:--
B. Worsley (1678), £1, 8s. 6d. Smallwood (1684), 15s. 6d. Richard
Wright, M.D. (1787), £1, 1s. Allen (1795), £6, 6s. Steevens (1800),
£8, 8s. Roxburghe (1812), £35. Stanley (1813), £16, 16s. Broadley
(1832), £11, 5s. William Combes (1837), £5, 7s. 6d. (some leaves
inlaid). Stowe (Duke of Buckingham), 1849, £35 (margin of portrait
mended, title lined). Lord Stuart de Rothesay, £50 (tall copy, with
duplicate titles). Miss Currer (1862), £43, 10s. (original calf).
Addington, £130 (large and fine copy). S. Daniel (1864), £46. H.
Perkins (1873), £105 (1/8-inch taller than Daniel’s copy).
Beresford-Hope (1882), £72, 10s. (portrait and title inlaid). Ouvry
(1882), £116. Earl of Aylesford (1888), £93 (13-1/2 in. by 8 in.).
F. Perkins (1889), £100. Halliwell Phillipps (1889), £24 (title
mounted, portrait, verses, and last leaf mounted). Brayton Ives
(1891), 950 dollars (£190), portrait from fourth edition. Hawley
(1894), £205. Hildyard, 1895 (with two title-pages), £280. Misc.
Coll. (Sotheby’s), 1895, original calf, £350.
FOURTH FOLIO, 1685.
Dibdin says of this that it “has little to recommend it, either on the
score of rarity or intrinsic worth.” Even now the prices are not very
high, and it is only required to complete the set of folios.
The following are some of the prices that this volume has realised:--
Richard Wright, M.D. (1787), £1, 1s. Steevens (1800), £2, 12s. 6d.
Roxburghe (1812), £6, 6s. Broadley (1832), £2, 2s. William Combes
(1837), £2, 5s. Stowe (Duke of Buckingham), 1849, £4, 6s. Daniel
(1864), £21, 10s. H. Perkins (1873), £22. Beresford-Hope (1882),
£24. Ouvry (1882), £28. Choice library of a gentleman (1882), £17,
10s. Chevalier de Chatelain (1882), £7, 5s. (imperfections supplied
in MS.). Addington (1886), £23 10s. (good tall copy). Old Essex
library (Lord Petre), 1886, £31, 10s. (old calf). Earl of Aylesford
(1888), £29 (14-1/4 in. by 9-1/4 in.). F. Perkins (1889), £14
(portrait and last two leaves slightly repaired). Halliwell
Phillipps (1889), £30 (perfect copy, in original calf). Brayton Ives
(1891), New York, 210 dollars (£42). Early English Poetry (Sotheby,
1892), £31. Birket Foster (1894), £25. Alfred Crampton (1896), £42
(14-3/8 in. by 9-1/8 in.).
SEPARATE PLAYS.
_All’s Well that Ends Well_, _Antony and Cleopatra_, _As You Like
It_, _Comedy of Errors_, _Coriolanus_, _Cymbeline_, first
editions in first folio.
_Hamlet_ (Printed for N. L. and John Trundell), 1603, two copies
known.
(1) Duke of Devonshire, purchased of Payne and Foss, 1825 (in
vol. containing twelve early editions of this play), for £250
(wanting last leaf).
(2) British Museum, wanting title-page. Bought by Mr. Rooney of
Dublin in 1856 for small sum, sold to Boone for £70, purchased
of them by Halliwell Phillipps for £120. It was sold
subsequently to the British Museum.
---- (L. R. for N. L.) 1604.
(1) Duke of Devonshire. (2) Earl Howe. (3) H. Huth.
_Henry IV._, Part 1 (P. S. for Andrew Wise), 1598.
---- (S. S. for Andrew Wise), 1599.
Steevens, £3, 10s. Roxburghe, £6, 6s. White Knights, £18, 7s.
6d. Utterson, £14. Halliwell (May 1857), £75. G. Daniel (1864),
£115, 10s.
_Henry IV._, Part 2 (V. S. for A. Wise and W. Apsley), 1600.
Steevens, two copies (Dibdin, “Library Companion,” 805), £3,
13s., £2, 15s. Smyth (1797), £8, 8s. Roxburghe, £2. 4s. Heber
(Part 2), £40. Utterson (1852), £17, 10s. Halliwell Phillipps,
£100--sold to Mr. Huth. F. Perkins, 1889 (Heber’s copy), £225.
_Henry V._, “Chronicle History” (Thomas Creede for T. Millington &
J. Burby), 1600.
Steevens (inlaid), £27, 6s. Kemble, resold (Sotheby, April
1821), £18, 7s. 6d. Heber (Part 2), £24, 3s.--bought by Mr.
Daniel. Bought at Daniel’s sale (1864) for 220 guineas by
Lilly. (Fine copy.)
_Henry VI._, Parts 1 and 2, first editions in folio. Part 3 (“The
true Tragedie of Richard, Duke of York”), P.S. for T.
Millington, 1595.
Chalmers (Part 1), £131.
---- (W. W. for T. Millington), 1600.
Steevens, £1, 16s. Rhodes, £5, 7s. 6d. (one leaf MS.). Jolley,
£10, 10s. Halliwell (1857), £60.
_Henry VIII._, _Julius Cæsar_, _King John_, first editions in
folio.
_True Chronicle Historie of King Lear_ (Nathaniel Butter, St.
Paul’s Churchyard), 1608.
Steevens, £28. Dent, £14, 5s. Strettell, £15. Edwards (1804),
£15, 4s. 6d. Heber (Part 2), £32. Halliwell (1856), £22,
10s.--bought for Mr. Huth. Birket Foster (1894), £100.
There were second and third editions published in the same year
with Butter’s name, but without place.
_Love’s Labour Lost_ (W. W. for Cuthbert Burby), 1598.
Dent, £26. Bindley, £40, 10s. Rhodes, £53, 11s. Heber (Part 2),
£40 (Bindley’s copy); came into the possession of George
Daniel, who valued it at £200. It sold for 330 guineas at
Daniel’s sale. F. Perkins (1859), £70 (headlines cut into, and
last leaf mended). Thomas Gaisford (1890), £140.
_Macbeth_, _Measure for Measure_, first editions in folio.
_Merchant of Venice_ (J. Roberts), 1600.
Steevens, £2, 2s., £2 (two copies, both inlaid). Roxburghe, £2,
14s.; resold to Jadis, £6, 6s.; resold to Holland (1860), £15.
Heber (Part 2), £12. Jolley, £14. Utterson (1852), £16.
Halliwell (1859), £21. F. Perkins (1889), £121. W. H. Crawford
(1891), £111. Sir Cecil Domville, 1897, (fine copy), £315.
---- (J. R. for Thomas Heyes), 1600.
Duke of Grafton, £9, 9s. Bindley, £22, 1s. Roxburghe, £10.
Heber (Part 2), £33, 10s. Field, £13, 15s. Gardner (1854),
£32--bought by Mr. Tite. Halliwell (1856), £37--bought by Mr.
Huth. Daniel, £99, 15s. F. W. Cosens (1890), £270. W. H.
Crawford (1891), £111. Birket Foster (1894), £146.
_Merry Wives of Windsor_ (T. C. for Arthur Johnson), 1602.
Bindley, £18. Steevens, £28--purchased by Malone; resold to
Heber. Heber (Part 2), £40; bought by G. Daniel; sold at his
sale in 1864 for 330 guineas to Lilly. Thomas Gaisford (1890),
£385.
_Merry Wives of Windsor_, for Arthur Johnston, 1619.
Roxburghe, £1, 3s. Steevens, £1, 4s. Dent, £8. Heber (Part 2),
£7. Halliwell (1856), £16--bought by Mr. Tite. Halliwell
(1858), £14. 5s.
_Midsummer Night’s Dreame_ (Thomas Fisher), 1600.
Steevens (part of a leaf wanting), £25, 10s. Bindley, £22, 10s.
Heber (Part 2, very fine), £36--bought by Daniel; sold at his
sale in 1864 for 230 guineas to Lilly. Brayton Ives (New York),
1891, 725 dollars. Birket Foster (1894), £122 (large copy).
---- (James Roberts), 1600.
Boswell, £2, 1s. Roxburghe, £3, 3s. Duke of Grafton, £4, 8s.
Dent, £4, 10s. Heber (Part 4, fine), £7--bought by Daniel; sold
at his sale for £36--bought by Lilly. Gardner (1854), £12, 15s.
Sotheby, 1857 (Berry), £21. F. Perkins (1889), £61 (three
headlines shaved).
_Much Ado about Nothing_ (V. S. for A. Wise and W. Apsley), 1600.
Smyth (1797), £7, 10s. Steevens, £2, 12s. 6d. Roxburghe, £2,
17s. Broadley (1832), £2, 19s. Bindley, £17, 17s.
Heber, Part 2 (finest copy known, with rough edges), £18--bought
by Daniel; sold at his sale (1864) for 255 guineas--Toovey.
Halliwell (1857), £65--bought by Mr. Huth. Halliwell Phillipps
(1889), £50 (several leaves in facsimile). F. Perkins (1889),
£75 (headlines cut into). Thomas Gaisford (1890), £130.
_Othello_ (N. O. for T. Walkley), 1622.
Steevens (with MS. notes), £29, 8s. Gilchrist, £19, 10s. Dent,
£22. Bindley, £56, 14s.; resold Heber (Part 2), for £28; bought
by Daniel; sold at his sale for £155 to Lilly. William Combes
(1837), £15, 5s. F. Perkins (1889), £130.
_Pericles_ (H. Gosson), 1609.
Steevens, £1, 2s. Roxburghe, £1, 15s.
Heber, Part 2, £18--bought by Daniel; sold at his sale for £84.
F. Perkins, 1889 (Steevens’s copy, with his autograph), £60.
Halliwell Phillipps (1889), £30 (title reprinted, and two leaves
wanting).
J. T. Frere, 1896, £171.
_Richard II._ (Valentine Simmes for Andrew Wise), 1597.
Daniel’s was the first copy brought to auction. Bought by Lilly
(1864) for 325 guineas.
---- (Val. Simmes for Andrew Wise), 1598.
Steevens, £4, 14s. 6d. Roxburghe, £7, 7s. White Knights, £10.
Heber, £4, 14s. 6d. Bright (1845), £13, 10s. Daniel (1864), 103
guineas--Halliwell.
_Richard III._ (Valentine Sims for Andrew Wise), 1597.
Nixon (1818), £33; resold to Heber. Heber (Part 2), £41, 9s.
6d.; bought by Daniel; sold at his sale for 335 guineas to
Lilly.
_Romeo and Juliet_ (John Danter), 1597.
Heber, Part 2 (wanting title, and cut into the text), £1, 1s.
Kemble gave Stace the bookseller £30 for his copy, now in the
library of the Duke of Devonshire.
_Romeo and Juliet_, second or first complete edition (T. Crede for
C. Burby), 1599.
Steevens, £6. Roxburghe, £7, 10s. White Knights, £10, 10s.
Heber, £5, 15s. 6d. Daniel, £52, 10s. F. Perkins (1889), £164
(headlines cut into, and title mounted).
_Taming of the Shrew_, _Tempest_, _Timon of Athens_, first editions
in folio.
_Titus Andronicus_ (Edward White), 1611.
Daniel (1864), £31, 10s.
F. Perkins (1889), £35 (margin of title repaired).
_Troilus and Cressida_ (G. Eld for R. Bonian & H. Walley), 1609.
Boswell, 13s. Steevens, £5, 10s. Roxburghe, £5, 5s. Heber (Part
2), £16. Daniel (1864), 109 guineas; this fine copy, with
second title, cost him £50. F. Perkins (1889), £30 (headlines
cut off).
_Two Gentlemen of Verona_, _Winter’s Tale_, first editions in
folio.
_Venus and Adonis_ (Richard Field), 1593.
Malone gave £25 for his unique copy, now in the Bodleian.
---- (Richard Field), 1594.
Jolley (1844), £106 (close cut, and mended); now in the
Grenville Library. Daniel (1864), £240--Lilly; finest copy
known.
_Venus and Adonis_ (R. F. for John Harrison), 1596.
Sir W. Bolland (1840), £91--Bright; Bright’s sale (1845), £91,
10s.--Daniel; Daniel’s sale (1864), 300 guineas--Boone.
_Lucrece_ (Richard Field for John Harrison), 1594.
Baron Bolland (1840), £105. Bright, £58 (top margin repaired).
Daniel (1864), 150 guineas--Lilly. W. H. Crawford (1891), £250.
Mr. Holford is said to have given £100 for his copy. F. Perkins
(1899), £200 (small hole burnt in two leaves).
_Sonnets_ (G. Eld for T. T.), 1600.
Steevens, £3, 19s.; this copy cost Narcissus Luttrell 1s.; at
Daniel’s sale (1864) it realised 215 guineas. Edwards (1804),
£8. Longman’s Catalogue, £30. Roxburghe, £21. Chalmers (1841),
£105. Halliwell (1856), £41--bought by Mr. Tite. Halliwell
(1858), £154, 7s.--bought by Mr. Huth.
_Poems_ (Thomas Cotes), 1640.
Collins (1683), 6d. Lloyd & Raymond (1685), 6d. Field, £2, 5s.
Nassau, £3, 13s. 6d. Bindley, £5, 15s. Longman’s Catalogue, £8,
18s. 6d.; another copy, £10, 10s. Stowe, £7, 10s. Bright, £15.
Daniel (1864), £44. F. W. Cosens (1890), £61.
FOOTNOTES:
[58] Steevens’s remarks, given in another page of Dibdin’s “Library
Companion,” are worth quoting here, more particularly as that
Shakesperian commentator gives his opinion of what was a high price
for the first folio: “I have repeatedly met with thin flakes of
pie-crust between the leaves of our author. These unctuous fragments,
remaining long in close confinement, communicated their grease to
several pages deep on each side of them.... Most of the first folios
now extant are known to have belonged to ancient families resident in
the country. Since our breakfasts have become less gross, our
favourite authors have escaped with fewer injuries.... I claim the
merit of being the first commentator on Shakespeare who strove with
becoming seriousness to account for the present stains that disgrace
the earliest folio edition of his plays, which is now become the most
expensive single book in our language; for what other English volume
without plates, and printed since the year 1600, is known to have
sold, more than once, for £35, 14s.?”
[59] “Talk about Autographs,” by George Birkbeck Hill, London, 1896,
p. 69.
CHAPTER XI
PRICES OF VARIOUS CLASSES OF BOOKS
In this chapter some account will be given of a few of the various
classes of literature which have not previously been alluded to; but to
give a general idea of some of these books which bring a high price, it
will be necessary to be brief.
Oldys refers to the sale of a book which he supposes to have been
erroneously valued, but he was not quite correct in his statement. He
wrote, “The atheistical book of Giordano Bruno sold at Paul’s
Coffee-house for £30 in 1709; it has scarcely sold for so many pence
since.”[60]
The book referred to was--Giordano Bruno, _Spaccio de la Bestia
Trionfante. Parigi_ (Londra: T. Vautrollier 1584), the sale of which is
commented upon in _The Spectator_, No. 389. The sale at which this book
occurred was that of Charles Bernard in 1711, and the amount was really
£28. The purchaser was Walter Clavel, and this copy was successively in
the possession of John Nichols, John Ames, Sir Peter Thompson, and M. C.
Tutet. At the sale of the latter’s library in 1786 it was bought by
Samuel Tyssen for seven guineas. Another copy, which had formed part of
the library of Mr. P. Le Neve, was sold at Dr. Mead’s sale (1754) for
four or five guineas.[61] The price has not gone down, as Oldys supposed
it would, for at the Dunn Gardner sale (1880) a copy brought £20, 15s.,
and another, at the Duke of Hamilton’s sale (1884), sold for £18, 10s.
There is a larger circle of bibliophiles in France than in England, and
they are more willing to pay high prices for out-of-the-way books. The
early editions of Molière and Rabelais, like those of Shakespeare, are
sold for large sums, and early French literature generally, like our
own, has greatly advanced in price of late years.
Two instances of the great advance that has occurred may be given:--
Perrault, _Contes de ma Mere Loye_, 1697, wanting leaf of errata, a fine
copy, in blue morocco by Bauzonnet, sold at Charles Nodier’s sale for
112 francs. The same copy at the Duke of Hamilton’s sale brought £85.
Gringoire, _Les Fantasies de Mere Sote_ (Paris, 1516), a copy in blue
morocco by Padeloup, sold at Hibbert’s sale for nine guineas. The same
copy brought the large sum of £180 at Beckford’s sale. One can
understand such high prices as these, which arise from the revived
interest felt in this kind of book, but the high price of _Le Pastissier
François_ (Amsterdam: L. & D. Elzevier, 1655) seems absurd. Such a book
can be of little interest to English buyers, although certainly Mr.
Andrew Lang grows enthusiastic over it in his “Books and Bookmen.” In an
early edition of his _Manuel_ (1821) Brunet wrote--
“Till now I have disdained to admit this book into my work, but I
have yielded to the prayers of amateurs. Besides, how could I keep
out a volume which was sold for one hundred and one francs in 1819?”
The book has greatly increased in value since then, and, as a
consequence, copies not hitherto known have come into the market. Berard
only knew of two copies. Pietiers, writing on the Elzevirs in 1843,
could cite only five, and in his _Annales_ he had found out but five
more. Willems, on the other hand, enumerates some thirty, not including
Motteley’s.[62] Mr. Lang himself calculates the number of _Pastissiers_
now existing at forty, and gives a good many prices to show how the book
has increased in value. A copy was sold in 1780 for 4 francs. Sensièr’s
copy sold for 128 francs in 1828, and for 201 francs in 1837. It was
afterwards bound by Trautz-Bauzonnet, and sold with Potier’s books in
1870 for 2910 francs. At the Benzon sale (1875) it fetched 3255 francs,
and was sold again in 1877 for 2200 francs. Mr. Lang further says that a
copy was marked in Bachelin-Deflorenne’s catalogue at £240, and that
Morgand and Fatout sold an uncut copy for £400. The Earl of Orford’s
copy sold in 1895 for £100.
This is one of the very few books that are absolutely valueless, except
in regard to such value as it gains from its rarity and association with
a great firm of printers; yet Mr. Lang says that “there are at least
four thousand people who would greatly rejoice to possess a
_Pastissier_, and some of these desirous ones are very wealthy.” This is
amazing, but I suppose it would scarcely be polite to refer to Carlyle’s
verdict as to what the mass of people are.
Another scarce book, which is stupid, and of no interest in itself, is
Horace Walpole’s “Hieroglyphic Tales” (1785). The British Museum does
not possess a perfect copy, but it has some of Walpole’s own corrected
proofs bound up in a volume. The Earl of Orford’s copy, interleaved and
bound in morocco by Roger Payne, sold in 1895 for £37.
County histories vary in price, but they must always hold their ground
and sell well, on account of the value of the information contained in
their pages, which cannot easily be found elsewhere. They may be
considered as eminently safe property. The following are the prices of a
few of these:--
Atkyns’s (Sir R.) _Gloucestershire_, folio, 1712. Large paper
(first and best edition).
Bryant (1807), £17, 17s. Dent (1827), £14, 14s. Sykes, £16.
Nassau, 15 guineas. H. Perkins (1873), £29. Comerford (1881),
£41. Beresford-Hope (1882), £38. Beckford (1882), £52.
Aubrey’s _Surrey_, 5 vols., 1719. Large paper.
Dent, £19, 5s. H. Perkins (1873), £32, 10s.
Blomefield’s _Norfolk_, 5 vols., 1739-75.
Comerford (1881), £160 (illustrated). Earl of Gosford (1884),
£87 (drawings by Cotman inserted). William Brice, &c. (1887),
£20.
Drake’s (T.) _Eboracum_, _History of the City of York_, 1736. Large
paper, proof-plates coloured, in red morocco by Kalthoeber.
H. Perkins (1873), £25. Beckford (1882), £63.
Dugdale’s (Sir W.) _Antiquities of Warwickshire_, 1656. First
edition, and the only one admitted as evidence in a court of
law.
Bindley, £10, 10s. Sykes, £11, 11s. Comerford, £12, 10s.
Beckford (1882), £20. Sunderland (1882), £15.
Dugdale’s _Warwickshire_, 2 vols., 1730. Large paper.
Dent, £33. Sykes, £39, 8s. Heath, £64, 1s. Nassau, £33.
Willett, £52, 10s. H. Perkins (1873), £84 (red morocco by
Derome).
Gough’s _Sepulchral Monuments_, 5 vols., 1786-96.
Fonthill, £92, 8s. Beckford (1882), £31. (Same copy.)
Loggan (D.), _Oxonia illustrata_, 1675.
Beckford (1882), £14 (old red morocco).
---- _Cantabrigia illustrata_, 1688.
Beckford (1882), £11 (old red morocco).
Nichols’s _Leicestershire_, four vols. in eight, 1795-1815. Large
paper (original edition of vol. iv., part 1), russia extra.
H. Perkins (1873) £260. Earl of Gosford (1884), £275.
Ormerod’s _Cheshire_, 3 vols., 1819. Large paper.
H. Perkins (1873), plates in three states-etchings, proofs, and
proofs on India paper, morocco extra by Lewis, one of six
copies, £155.
Plot’s _Oxfordshire_, 1677. Large paper.
Beckford (1883), £8, 15s. (old red morocco).
---- _Staffordshire_, 1686. Large paper.
Beckford (1883), £40, 10s. (old black morocco).
Thoroton’s _Nottinghamshire_, 1677.
Heber (part 9), £11, 5s. Beresford-Hope (1882), £11. Beckford
(1883), £14, 10s.
First editions of our English classics have increased
greatly in price of late years. Many of
Defoe’s works are very scarce, and bring good prices.
The late Mr. James Crossley had a fine collection
of these, but his library was in such poor condition
that the books did not sell well. The British
Museum bought at his sale, June 20, 1885, the autograph
manuscript of Defoe’s “Compleat English
Gentleman,” which had never been printed until
Mr. Nutt issued it to subscribers in 1890. The
manuscript remained in the possession of Defoe’s
relations, the Baker family, for more than a hundred
years, as Dawson Turner bought it in 1831 from
the Rev. H. D. F. Baker, the descendant of Henry
Baker, son-in-law of Defoe, for £69. In 1859, at
the sale of Turner’s MSS., Crossley bought the
book for £75, 8s.
_Robinson Crusoe_, first edition, 2 vols., 1719.
Roxburghe (1812), £1, 4s. Sotheby’s (1846), £4, 16s. (with
“Serious Reflections,” 3 vols., 1719-20).
Alfred Crampton, 1896 (3 vols.), £75.
Sir Cecil Domville, 1897 (part 1), £45, 10s.
Walton’s _Angler_, 1653, first edition.
Rev. J. Brand (1807), £3, 3s. (fine copy). Hunter (1813), £7,
10s. Utterson (1852), £11, 15s. Beckford (1883), fine copy in
green morocco, £87--Bain. Gibson-Craig (1887), £195 (morocco).
Gibson-Craig (1888), £23 (imperfect, sold with all faults). G.
Wood (Sotheby, 1891), £310 (clean, in original sheepskin).
Sotheby (December 1895), £415.
Goldsmith’s _Vicar of Wakefield_, 1766, first edition.
Mansfield-Mackenzie (1889), £67. T. B. T. Hildyard (1895), £56
(original calf). Alfred Crampton (1896), £65 (morocco extra by
Bedford). Rare Books and MSS. (Sotheby, March 1897), £60
(original calf).
BOOKS ON VELLUM
Collectors have always had a fancy for these very choice books, and that
the taste has not yet died out is seen from the fact that the late
William Morris printed copies of the beautiful books issued from the
Kelmscott Press on vellum, and was particularly careful in the selection
of the skins, which he obtained at first from Italy. A complete set of
all the books on vellum (including Chaucer), forty-nine volumes, were
offered at the Kelmscott Press for £650, and have been sold at that
price.
We can understand the early printed books being struck off upon vellum,
as the printers appreciated that material on account of its use by the
scribes in the production of the beautiful manuscripts of a former age,
but it is surely infinitely more convenient to have a book printed on
good paper rather than on such a refractory material as vellum. Some
collectors have been so infatuated as to confine their libraries to
books printed on vellum, and the French Marshal Junot was one of them.
Modern books were printed for him on this substance; but when they came
to be sold it was found that the public did not care much for his books,
and more than half of them were bought in. One of the lots illustrates
in a remarkable manner the advance in prices at the present time. The
book was Longus’s _Pastoralia_, printed by Didot in 1802. One copy only
was pulled on vellum for the Marshal, and this volume contained the
original drawings of Proudhon, and a set of proof impressions of the
engravings. At the Junot sale in 1816 this book only realised £37, 10s.;
at the Beckford sale it brought £900. One of the most charming of
Junot’s books was the Didot _Horace_ of 1799 folio, a volume which
contained the original drawings from which the copperplate vignettes
were executed. This was bought by George Hibbert for £140.
Of old books, mention may be made of the dedication copy to James V. of
John Bellenden’s translation of Hector Boece’s “Cronikles of Scotland”
(1536), which was printed on vellum, and which, in a fine old binding,
realised at the Duke of Hamilton’s sale (1884), £800.
Dibdin styled this hobby of collectors the fifth symptom of the
bibliomania, and he gave a list of the vellum-printed books in Count
MacCarthy’s and James Edwards’s libraries. In the latter collection was
a copy of Martin Luther’s German Bible (Augsburg, 1535, two vols.
folio), which sold for the reasonable price of £52, 10s. These copies on
vellum were printed at the charge of John Frederick, Elector of Saxony.
Edwards employed Bodoni to print for him six copies of the edition of
the “Castle of Otranto” (Parma, 1791) on vellum, and his own copy, made
up with a selection of the best sheets, sold at his sale in 1815 for
£29, 8s.
At Watson Taylor’s sale Pope’s “Essay on Man” (1819), printed on vellum,
sold for £10.
Mention has already been made of the grand copies on vellum of the
earliest productions of the printing-press--the Mazarin Bible, &c.
ILLUSTRATED BOOKS
Good illustrated books, which are an ornament to any library, are now
high priced, and are not likely to fall in value. Such books as Dibdin’s
bibliographical works, Rogers’s “Italy” and “Poems,” and many other
books of a like kind, must always be a delight to the æsthetic
collector.
Collections of engraved portraits have realised great prices, such as
Holland’s _Basili?gia_ (1618), which sold for £600 at Christie’s in
1811; and his _Her?ologia_ (1620), which sold for £17 at the Beckford
sale, £28, 10s. at the Earl of Crawford’s sale (1887), and £19, 15s. at
W. H. Crawford’s (Lakelands) sale (1891); and the superb series of
Vandyck’s etchings, which sold for £2850 at the Beckford sale.
Great prices have also been paid for extra illustrated books; but it is
useless to record the prices given for them, unless a list of the
contents is given also. Grangerising has been ridiculed with much
justice, and some of the bulky works which have been produced, such as
the illustrated Bibles and Shakespeares, are instances of a very absurd
mania. Dr. Hill Burton gave an amusing and by no means exaggerated
sketch in his “Book Hunter” of how the compiler set about his work. Now
in England Grangerising is mostly confined within the limits of
illustrating topographical works with views and historical books with
portraits, but in the United States the old plan is said to be still in
force.
BINDINGS
In no class of books have prices more conspicuously advanced than in the
case of bindings, and in many sales that have taken place of late years
fine specimens have been brought to the hammer; but no sale could
compare with that of the Beckford library in this respect. Good examples
of the libraries of Margaret of Valois, Maioli, Grolier, Thuanus, and
Canevari are eagerly sought after, and the following prices of some of
the choicest of these bindings will give readers an idea of the current
values of these charming books:--
_Marguerite de Valois._ Carmina illustrium Poetarum Italorum, 1579,
2 vols. Old brown morocco, covered with the arms and devices of
Marguerite de Valois.
Beckford (1882), £242.
_Diane de Poictiers._ Le Livre des Statuts et Ordonances de l’Ordre
de Sainct Michel (Paris, 1550), printed on vellum. A beautiful
specimen of the library of Diane de Poictiers, in old brown
morocco, ornamented with the arms of Henry II. of France, the
crescent, bows and quivers of Diana, and fleurs de lis.
Beckford (1882), £155.
_Grolier._ I. Aurelius Augurellus (Venetiis: Aldus, 1505). Brown
morocco, beautiful specimen of Grolier’s library.
Beckford (1882), £250.
---- Lucanus cura Aldi Romani (Venetiis: Aldus, 1515). Grolier’s
copy, covered with scroll tooling.
Beckford (1882), £290.
---- Another copy, _veau fauve_, with Grolier tooling, £120.
_Grolier and Thuanus._ Lucanus de Bello Civili (Lutetiæ: R.
Stephanus, 1545). Brown morocco, covered with Grolier tooling;
apparently bound for Grolier, and subsequently possessed by
Thuanus.
Beckford (1882), £135.
---- Franchini Poemata (Romæ, 1554). Red morocco, covered with
Grolier tooling, and monogram of the Marquis de Menars on back,
from the libraries of Grolier and Thuanus.
Beckford (1882), £230.
_Grolier and Thuanus._ Buchanani Psalmorum Paraphrasis Poetica
(apud H. et R. Stephanum, s.a.). Olive morocco, sides and back
covered with gold tooling in the Grolier style, the first arms
of Thuanus forming the centre ornament.
Beckford (1882), £310.
_Louis XIII. and Anne of Austria._ Sainct Johan Zebedee
L’Apocalypse, Mystère (Paris, 1541). Blue morocco, richly
ornamented with gold tooling and the crowned cyphers of Louis
XIII. and Anne of Austria, by A. Ruette.
Beckford (1882), £255.
_Demetrio Canevari, Physician to Urban VIII._ Tirante il Bianco
(Vinegia, 1538). A perfect specimen of Canevari’s library, in
Venetian red morocco, with his device.
Beckford (1883), £111.
_Du Fresnoy._ Lucanus de Bello Civili (Lugd. Bat., 1658). Red
morocco, richly ornamented with gold tooling, with arms and
monogram of H. Petit Du Fresnoy stamped on the sides and back,
by Boyet.
Beckford (1882), £84.
_Marguerite de Montmorency, Dame de Fosseteau._ Duchesne, Histoire
genealogique de la maison de Montmorency et de Laval, 2 vols.
in 1 (Paris, 1624). Old olive morocco, the sides and back
covered with the MF and device (the Marguerite) of Marguerite
de Montmorency.
Beckford (1882), £120.
A few instances of the work of the great French binders follow, and it
will be seen that the work of no binder is more appreciated by
collectors than that of Monnier:--
_Clovis Eve._ Coloured Drawings of Maps and Plans of places in
France, executed in 1602 and 1603 for Henry IV.’s own use.
Olive morocco, covered with fleurs de lis, the King’s arms
forming the centre ornament, with his crowned H at each corner.
A magnificent specimen of Clovis Eve’s art.
Beckford (1882), £375.
_Boyet._ In the second portion of the Sunderland library there was
a small volume in old crimson morocco (Cicero, _De Officiis_,
Amst. ex off. Elzeviriani, 1677), which was not specially
described, nor the title printed in capitals. It did not look
worth many pounds, but Mr. Quaritch obtained it after an
exciting contest with Mr. Morgand for £120. The cause of the
excitement was this: from the character of the end papers it
was judged that the book had been bound by the French binder
Boyet. Specimens of his handiwork are very rare, and hence the
great price.
_Deseuil_ (or _Du Seuil_). In the second portion of the Beckford
library was a copy of the Leyden edition of Macrobius (1670),
bound in red morocco doublé by Deseuil. This fetched £39, while
another copy in vellum only realised 16s.
Here is another instance of the increased value of a copy of a
book bound by a good binder. A copy of Montaigne, _Essais_, 3
vols. 8vo (Amst.: Elzevir, 1659), bound in red morocco double
by Deseuil, brought £200, while another copy, bound by Roger
Payne in red morocco, only sold for £12, 10s.
A small duodecimo volume bound by Deseuil (Longus, Les Amours
Pastorales de Daphnis et Chloe, _Paris_, 1788) was sold at G.
Daniel’s sale in 1864 for £92.
_Monnier._ Decor Puellarum (Venetia: N. Jenson, 1471). Girardot de
Prefond’s copy, a magnificent specimen of Monnier’s binding, in
blue morocco, ornamented with flowers worked on variegated
leathers, and stamped in gold.
Beckford (1883), £530.
---- De l’Imitation de Jesus Christ traduction nouvelle (Paris,
1690). Large paper. Citron morocco, magnificent specimen of
Monnier’s binding.
Beckford (1882), £356.
---- Corneille, Rodogune. Au Nord [Versailles], 1760. Madame de
Pompadour’s own copy, printed under her eyes in a northern
apartment of the Palace of Versailles, in yellow morocco; fine
specimen of Monnier’s binding.
Beckford (1882), £325.
It has hitherto been the fine French and Italian bindings that have
fetched the high prices, but now some of the beautiful English bindings
of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries are coming in for their
share of consideration. At the Earl of Orford’s sale (1895) R. Wood’s
“Essay on Homer” (1785), bound by Roger Payne by order of Wood’s widow
for presentation to Horace Walpole, sold for ten guineas. There is an
interest in this book as having fallen into the hands of Goethe when his
powers were first developing themselves, and it strongly interested
him. Robert Wood was Under-Secretary of State in 1762, and he related an
affecting anecdote of Lord Granville, a statesman known now only to the
few. Wood was directed to wait upon the President of the Council (Lord
Granville) a few days before he died with the preliminary articles of
the Treaty of Paris. “I found him,” he continued, “so languid that I
proposed postponing my business for another time; but he insisted that I
should stay, saying that it could not prolong his life to neglect his
duty,” adding a quotation from Homer, which may be found in Mr. Matthew
Arnold’s discourses on Homeric translations.
EARLY EDITIONS OF MODERN AUTHORS
The last five-and-twenty years has seen the rise of a new taste in early
editions of the works of modern authors, and a new class of
bibliographers has arisen to describe these books.
Mr. J. H. Slater (the editor of “Book Prices Current”) has published a
useful guide to this subject, entitled “Early Editions: a
Bibliographical Survey of the Works of some popular Modern Authors.
London, 1894.”
I have taken some particulars from this book, and supplemented them with
a note of the prices realised at the remarkable sale of Mr. Alfred
Crampton’s collection in 1896. I have also added a few books sold since
that date.
Among the first of modern books to sell for high prices were the
illustrated novels of Dickens and Thackeray, and to be valuable these
must be in perfect condition, with the original wrappers, &c. After
these come the other books illustrated by Cruikshank, “Phiz,” Leech, and
others, viz., Ainsworth’s and Lever’s novels, Surtees’ Sporting
novels--“Sponge’s Sporting Tour,” “Jorrocks’s Jaunts,” “Handley Cross,”
&c.
Of poets, Shelley’s pieces were among the first to attain high prices,
and Byron’s among the last.
_Arnold._--Matthew Arnold’s “Strayed Reveller. By A.,” 1849, and
“Empedocles on Etna,” 1852, have long been classed among the rare books.
The former was published at 4s. 6d., and its usual price now is £4, but
a copy has fetched £7. The latter was published at 6s., and is now
valued at from £3, 10s. to £6.
Beckford, _Poetical Sketches_.
Gaisford (1890), £40.
Blake (W.), _Songs of Innocence and of Experience_ [1789].
Engraved and coloured by Blake, in green morocco by Lewis.
Sir W. Tite, £61. Lord Beaconsfield, £85. Beckford (1882),
£146.
---- _Milton: a Poem._ Engraved throughout, and ornamented with
designs by Blake, blue morocco by Mackenzie.
Beckford (1882), £230.
_Browning._--Robert Browning’s first publication, which appeared when
its author was in his twenty-first year, is a great rarity.
“Pauline; a Fragment of a Confession. ‘Plus ne suis ce que j’ai été, Et
ne le sçaurois jamais être.’--_Marot._ London: Saunders & Otley, Conduit
Street, 1833.”
Mr. Slater says that there are about eight copies known, and that it was
supposed to be worth £40 or £50. A copy, with an autograph note by the
author, was sold at Alfred Crampton’s sale for £145. Mr. Thomas J. Wise
printed a facsimile reprint in 1886, which has been used by the forger
to deceive. Mr. Slater had seen a “doctored” copy of this reprint, in
which Wise’s title and prefatory note were removed, the paper was rotted
to make it porous, and the leaves were smoked to give them a mellow
appearance. Mr. Wise’s paper is thicker than the original, and Mr.
Slater gives a hint how to distinguish the two:--
“On the final page (71) appear the words--‘Richmond, October 22,
1832.’ If the word ‘October’ is printed in _thin_ italics the book
is without doubt a reprint. So far as I am aware, there is no other
difference between Mr. Wise’s excellent reprint and the original
(the paper excepted).”
_Burns._--The most amazing price ever realised for a modern book was
that of £572 for “Poems chiefly in the Scottish dialect. By Robert
Burns. _Kilmarnock_, 1786.” The original price of this octavo volume was
three shillings. The history of the very fine copy sold in Edinburgh in
February 1898 is traced back about eighty years by a writer in
_Literature_. In 1870 it was sold for six guineas to G. B. Simpson, of
Dundee, who sold it in 1879, with some other books, to A. C. Lamb for
£124. The price of the Kilmarnock Burns has steadily advanced from £3,
10s. in 1858 to £111 in 1888, and then it made the immense leap to £572.
_Byron._--“Poems on Various Occasions” (Newark, 1807, 8vo) sold at
Alfred Crampton’s sale for £45. “The Waltz” (1813, pp. 27), published
without a wrapper at 3s., sold at the same sale for £55. Mr. Slater says
that an uncut copy has been sold by auction for £86.
_Meredith._--A fine uncut copy of George Meredith’s Poems, 1851, sold at
a sale of Rare Books and Manuscripts (Sotheby, March 1897) for £17, 10s.
Another copy with alterations in the author’s autograph (Sotheby, June
1897) sold for £25.
_Morris._--The beautiful issues of William Morris’s Kelmscott Press
advanced in price in many instances before publication, and are likely,
now that the supply has ceased, to advance still more; but they vary
very much according to the literary rank of the books. The edition of
Keats, published at 30s., was sold lately for £12. Shelley’s Poetical
Works, in three volumes 8vo, was sold at Sotheby’s early in 1898 for £8.
Chaucer’s Works, folio, is out of print, and was marked by Messrs. J. &
J. Leighton at £30.
_Rossetti._--The first printed work of Dante G. Rossetti is of great
rarity. The poet was thirteen years old when the lines were composed,
and fifteen when they were printed. The title is “Sir Hugh the Heron: a
Legendary Tale, in four parts. G. Polidori’s Private Press, 15 Park
Village East, 1843. Private Circulation only,” pp. 24. A copy was sold
at Sotheby’s in 1890 for £16. Miss Christina Rossetti’s first poems,
privately printed at the same press, have brought seven guineas.
_Ruskin._--“Poems by J. R., collected in 1850 for private circulation
only,” a foolscap octavo volume of 283 pages, is valued at £50 or £60.
The value of his sumptuous books, “The Stones of Venice,” the “Seven
Lamps of Architecture,” and “Modern Painters,” is known to all, and when
in good condition they look their value. The original editions of the
first, 1851 to 1853, are valued at from £12 to £15. The first edition of
the “Seven Lamps,” 1849, at £4, and the second edition, 1855, at £4,
10s. The “Modern Painters,” 5 vols., early editions, from £20 to £25.
_Shelley._--The early editions of Shelley’s Poems and Prose Treatises
were amongst the first of this class of books to attain high prices.
Some may be noted here in chronological order:--
“Zastrozzi: a Romance,” 1810, was published at 5s. Bound and cut copies
have sold for £5, 15s., and £12, 5s. An uncut copy, in calf, fetched
£12, 5s. in 1890, and an uncut copy in morocco brought fifteen guineas
in 1897 (Sir C. S. Forbes).
The most interesting of these pamphlets is the one which was the cause
of its author being expelled from University College, Oxford.
“The Necessity of Atheism. Worthing. Printed by E. & W. Phillips. Sold
in London and Oxford,” n.d. [1811] f. 8vo, pp. 13.
Nearly all the copies were destroyed by the printers, and Mr. Slater
values a clean copy at about £20, but probably it would realise much
more than that.
“St. Irvyne,” 1811, morocco uncut, Sir C. S. Forbes, 1897, £16, 10s.
“An Address to the Irish People” (Dublin, 1812) was published at 5d.,
and Mr. Slater values a copy at £8 to £12, but one was sold at Alfred
Crampton’s sale, 1896, for £42.
“Queen Mab,” 1813, in the original boards, was sold in 1891 for £22,
10s.
“The Refutation of Deism,” 1814, fetched £33 at an auction in 1887.
The largest price, however, given for one of these pamphlets was £130
for “Œdipus Tyrannus,” 1820, at Crampton’s sale. The entire impression
was destroyed except seven copies, only two or three of which are known
to exist, but a reprint on vellum appeared in 1876. The British Museum
possesses a copy, presented by Lady Shelley.
_Tennyson._--The first editions of Tennyson’s Poems bring high prices,
and the scarcest is the famous “Poems by Two Brothers,” 1827, published
for 5s., and large paper for 7s. The present value of the former is
about £15 to £10.
The original MS. was sold in December 1892 to Messrs. Macmillan & Bowes
of Cambridge for £480. After a facsimile had been taken, it was resold
to an American collector.
_Dickens._--“Sunday under Three Heads” was one of the first of the
novelist’s works to sell for a high price. As it is a very small book,
it is not saying much to describe it as selling for its weight in gold;
in point of fact, it sells for more. Mr. F. C. Kitton gives the market
value of the various novels in his “Novels of Charles Dickens,” 1897.
The first edition of the “Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi” sold in July 1897
at Sotheby’s (Jack, Halliday, &c.) for £8, 17s. 6d.
_Thackeray._--Thackerayana is very high priced, and the following two
instances of sales in 1897 show that the tendency is still upwards:--Two
incomplete sets of “The Snob,” ten numbers and thirteen numbers,
1829-30, fetched at Sotheby’s (Parlane & Dasent) £89. The eleven numbers
complete, with seventeen numbers of the “Gownsman,” sold at the
Mansfield-Mackenzie sale, 1889, for £25.
“The Fox and the Cat,” final proof-sheets of a story apparently intended
for the _Cornhill Magazine_, but never published, revised by the author,
with numerous corrections and additions in his autograph, sold by
Sotheby’s in March 1897 (Rare Books and MSS.) for £45, bought by Messrs.
Smith, Elder, & Co.
The price of the first editions of Sir Walter Scott’s novels have been
long in rising, but good fresh copies fetch a good price now.
The most remarkable price for a three-volume novel was obtained in July
1897 at Sotheby’s (Jack, Halliday, &c.), when the first edition of “Jane
Eyre” sold for seventeen guineas.
The question naturally occurs, Will such prices as this continue? but it
is a question very difficult to answer. All that can be said is, that in
this class of books there is the most uncertainty as to the high prices
being sustained.
Depreciation is a factor which must be taken into consideration, but it
is not at present very widespread. It is quite easy to understand why
editions of the classics and Thomas Hearne’s editions of “Chronicles,”
&c., have gone down in price, because the publication of superior texts
has partially superseded them; but one can scarcely explain why the set
of “Byzantine Historians” should fall so much in price, for these
ponderous volumes have not been superseded. At the Hamilton sale in 1884
a fine large paper set of these “Historians,” 1645-1777, eighteen
volumes in red morocco by Ruelle, and five in calf, only brought £4,
10s.
Mezeray’s _Histoire de France_, 3 vols. folio, bound in blue morocco by
Derome, which sold formerly for £105, only sold for £33 at the Beckford
sale.
A large paper set of Hearne’s Works, bound in red morocco, was bought at
Mead’s sale for fifty guineas by an ancestor of Meerman the
bibliographer. It continued at the Hague with Meerman’s library until
the sale of the latter in 1822, when it was bought by a London
bookseller for £200. Pickering purchased it, and sold it to Hanrott for
£500; at his sale in 1836 it was bought by the Duke of Buccleuch for
£400. At Watson Taylor’s sale a set fetched £200. At the Beckford sale,
the set of Hearne’s Works were all on small paper, with the exception of
“Camden,” “Annales,” 1717, “Fordun’s Scoticronicon,” 1722, and “History
and Antiquities of Glastonbury,” 1722. The twenty-seven lots only
brought altogether £41, 10s.
* * * * *
In conclusion, there remain two points to lay stress upon and to
reiterate--
(1) That price depends largely upon condition. This every one connected
with book-buying knows, but the fact is almost entirely overlooked by
those who know but little of books. Constantly when a very high price is
announced in the papers some person finds that he has a copy of the
identical book, for which he expects to obtain an identical price, and
he cannot understand when he is told that his copy is practically
valueless, because it is in bad condition.
If a book is unique, he who wants it must take it as it is, and make the
best of the missing leaves, the worm-holes, or the stained pages; but if
several copies still exist, it will be found that the price of the bad
copy bears no proportion to that of the good one.
(2) The forger is abroad whenever prices rule high. We have seen how
facsimiles have been sold as the originals, and bindings have often been
doctored, Maioli’s and Grolier’s being manufactured for the ever greedy
demand. Fortunately, however cleverly the frauds may be produced, the
expert is pretty sure to notice something that makes him suspicious, and
suspicion will soon be turned to certainty; but the public are easily
gulled by that to which they are unaccustomed.
Groliers may be imitated to deceive even the expert, but in respect to
more elaborate toolings, such as those of Le Gascon, we are safe,
because to imitate these successfully would cost so great an expenditure
of time, that the forgery would be worth almost as much as the
original.
FOOTNOTES:
[60] “Memoir of William Oldys,” 1862, p. 104.
[61] Nichols’s “Literary Anecdotes,” vol. i. p. 593.
[62] Lang’s “Books and Bookmen,” p. 13.
INDEX
Adam the royal goldsmith, 58
Æsopus (1485), 185
Albani Missal, vicissitudes of, 75
Alchorne (Stanesby), his library, purchased by Lord Spencer, 154
Allen (Thomas), his library, 144
Althorpe library purchased by Mrs. Rylands, 16
Americana, growth in value, 221
Anacreon, 1554, 185
Apponyi (Count Louis), his library, 173
Ariosto (1516), 190
Aristoteles (1483), 185;
copy on vellum, 143
Arnold’s (Matthew) poems, 256
“Arthur (King),” 1557, 216
Ashburnham (Earl of), sale of his library, 174, 176;
Ashburnham MSS., 70
Ashmole’s (Elias) library, 9
Ashwell (Rev. George), sale of his library, 119
Askew (Anthony), sale of his library, 138;
MSS., 141
Astle (Edward), his library, 156
Atkyns’s ‘Gloucestershire,’ 244
Aubrey’s ‘Surrey,’ 244
Auchinleck library, 173
Auction, use of the word, 105
Auction sales:
In the seventeenth century, 104-125
In the eighteenth century, 126-146
In the nineteenth century, 147-178
Auctioneer, print of, by Nicholls, 45
Auctioneers, 37-48
Augustinus, ‘De Civitate Dei,’ 192
Aungerville (Richard) = Richard de Bury, 3
Authors, remuneration of, 2, 14
Averages of book sales, 177
Aylesford (Earl of), his library, 171, 176
Bacon’s Henry VII., price, 94
Baker (Samuel), auctioneer, 134
Ballard (Thomas), auctioneer, 128, 130
Bancroft’s (T.) epigrams (1639), 216
Barnes’s (Juliana) ‘Treatyse of Fysshynge,’ 216
Barnfield’s (R.) ‘Lady Pecunia’ (1598), 216
Barrois collection of MSS., 72
Bateman (Lord), his library, 174
Bateman heirlooms, 173
Beauclerk (Topham), sale of his library, 140
Beaumont and Fletcher’s works, 221
Beckford (William), sales (1823) 158, (1882-3) 166, 175
‘Poetical Sketches,’ 256
Bedford Missal, 75
Bedford (Francis), his library, 170
Beloe (William), 20
Bentley (T.), auctioneer, 118
Bent’s ‘General Catalogue,’ 93
Beresford-Hope (Rt. Hon. A. J. B.), his library, 170
Berri (Jean Due de), inventory of his library, 56
Berri (Duchesse de), her library, 159
Bernard (Charles), sale of his library, 127
Bernard (Dr. Francis), sale of his library, 119, 126
Berwick (Lord), his library, 162
Bible:
‘Biblia Sacra Latina,’ Gutenberg & Fust, price of, 182
‘Biblia Sacra Latina,’ Fust & Schoeffer, price of, 182
Latin version of the Psalms, Fust & Schoeffer (1459), price of, 182
‘Biblia Latina,’ N. Jensen, 183
In English, by Coverdale (1535), 183
Tyndale’s New Testament (1526), 183
Complutensian Polyglot (1514-17), 142, 183
Plantin Polyglot, 184
Walton’s Polyglot, 185
(Alcuin’s), at the British Museum, 74
(Eliot), 222
Bindings, sale of, 111;
specimens of, 250-255
Bindley (James), his library, 157, 175;
his portraits, &c., 158
Blake’s poems, 256
Blew (Rev. W. J.), his library, 174
Block books, price of, 181
Blomefield’s ‘Norfolk,’ 245
Boccaccio, 190;
Valdarfer edition (1471), 154
Boece’s ‘Cronikles,’ translated by Bellenden, on vellum, 248
Bohn (Henry G.), bookseller, 35;
sale of his ‘Epoch,’ 176
Bolland (Baron), his library, 162
Book-collecting as an investment, 19
Book sales in the nineteenth century which have realised
over £10,000, 175
Book trade _circa_ 1525, 85
Books:
Imported into England, 81
Not to be sold at too high a price, 82
Sellers of, 26-48
Borromeo (Count), his library, 157
Botticelli’s drawings in illustration of Dante, 69
Boucher (Rev. Jonathan), his library, 151
Boyet, specimens of his binding, 253
Brabourne (Lord), his library, 173
Bradshaw (Henry), ‘St. Werburghe’ (1521), 216
Bradshaw (Henry), Notes on Dorne’s Day-Book, 84
Brand (Rev. John), his library, 151
Bridges (John), sale of his library, 111
Bright (B. H.), his library, 163
British Museum:
Library of the kings and queens of England, 6
Manuscript collections at, 67
Britton (Thomas), sale of his books, 128
Broadley (John), his library, 160
Brontë’s ‘Jane Eyre,’ 262
Browne (Sir Thomas) on the increase of books, 10
Browning’s (Robert) ‘Pauline,’ 256
Bruno (Giordano), ‘Spaccio de la Bestia Trionfante,’ 241
Brydges (Sir Egerton), his list of book prices (1564), 88
Buccleuch (Duke of), his library, 172
Buckingham (Duke of), Stowe library, 163, 175;
MSS., 163
Buckley (Rev. W. E.), his library, 173
Bullord (John), auctioneer, 44, 121;
confused with Ballard by Nichols, 44
Bunbury (Sir E. H.), his library, 174
Burgess (Fred), his library, 173
Burney (Dr. Charles), purchase of his library for the British Museum, 67
Burns, Kilmarnock edition of his Poems (1786), 257
Burton (J. Hill) on collecting as an investment, 19
Bury (Richard de) and his ‘Philobiblon,’ 2-5
Bute’s (Earl of) botanical library, 144
Butler’s ‘Hudibras,’ published price, 98
Byron’s Poems, 258
Bysshe (Sir Edward), sale of his library, 111
Byzantine historians, 262
‘Cæsar,’ edited by Dr. Samuel Clarke, large paper, fall in price, 181
Campbell’s (Colin) ‘Vitruvius Britannicus,’ published price, 95
Canevari (Demetrio), specimen of binding from his library, 252
Carr (Samuel), auctioneer, 117
Cassano library bought by Lord Spencer, 15
Castell (Dr. Edmond), sale of his library, 117;
his ‘Lexicon Heptaglotton,’ 14
Catalogue (monthly) of books, 100
Caxton:
Changes in the value of the productions of his press, 193-214
Chaucer’s translation of Boethius, 109
‘Golden Legend,’ its original price, 83
Caxtons, 137, 140;
at Dr. Francis Bernard’s sale, 121
Chalmers (George), his library, 162
Chaucer’s ‘Canterbury Tales,’ 2, (Caxton) 199, (Pynson) 217,
(Wynkyn de Worde) 217;
subscription for Urry’s edition, 100
Chiswell (Richard), auctioneer, 43, 109, 111, 113
Christie and Manson, auctioneers, 48
Church books, 86
Cicero:
‘Opera Omnia’ (1483), 185
‘Epistolæ ad familiares’ (1467), 185
‘Epistolæ’ (1471), 186
‘Orationes’ (1472), 186
Clare (Earl of), his library, 166
Clarke (Dr. Hyde), his library, 174
Classics, _editiones principes_ of the, 185;
fall in the price of other editions, 180
Claudianus (1482), 186
Clavel’s (R.) catalogue of new books, 93
Cock (Mr.), auctioneer, 130, 132
Colard Mansion, a scribe before he turned printer, 67
Coleridge (Lord), his library, 174
Collins (Anthony), sale of his library, 131
Comerford (James), his library, 160
Cooper (William), first English auctioneer, 37, 104, 117
Copland’s (R.) reference to the price of books, 85
Corser (Rev. T.), his library, 165, 175
Cosens (Frederick William), his library, 172
Crampton (Alfred), his library, 174, 255
Crauford (Rev. C. H.), his library, 165
Crawford (Earl of), his library, 171, 175
Crawford (W. H.), Lakelands library, 173, 176
Crofts (Rev. Thomas), sale of his library, 140
Crossley (James), his library, 170
Currer (Miss Richardson), her library, 164
Cutwode’s (T.) ‘Caltha Poetarum,’ 217
Daly (Right Hon. Denis), his library, 144
Dampier’s (Bishop) library bought by the Duke of Devonshire, 16
Daniel (George), sale of his library, 164, 175
Dante, 190;
‘Divina Commedia’ illustrated by Botticelli, 69
Davis (Charles), auctioneer, 130
Davis (Richard):
‘Auctio Davisiana,’ 37
Sale of his stock, 117
Defoe’s ‘Robinson Crusoe,’ 246
Delisle (Léopold), his claim for stolen MSS., 72
Dent (John), his library, 159, 175
Deseuil (or Du Seuil), specimens of his binding, 253
D’Ewes’s (Sir Symonds) MSS. bought by Harley, 11
Diane de Poictiers, specimen of binding from her library, 251
Dibdin (Dr. T. F.), 21, 32
Dickens’s Novels, &c., 255, 261
Digby (Sir Kenelm), sale of his library, 112
Dillon (John), his library, 165
Domville (Sir Cecil), his library, 174
Dorne’s (John) Day-Book, 84
Drake’s ‘Eboracum,’ 245
Drummond of Hawthornden’s ‘Forth Feasting,’ 218
Du Fresnoy (H. Petit), specimen of binding from his library, 252
Dugdale’s ‘Warwickshire,’ 245
Dunsmore (John), 109, 111
Dunton’s (John) account of the booksellers of his time, 29
D’Urfey’s (T.) ‘Pills to Purge Melancholy,’ published price, 99
Dyneley (R. D.), his library, 172
Dyson (Humphrey), sale of his books, 115
East, destruction of MSS. in the, 55
Ebesham (William), 61
Edwards (James), his library, 149
Ellis’s (F. S.) stock, sale of, 176
Evans (Robert H.), bookseller and auctioneer, 34, 154
Eve (Clovis), specimen of his binding, 253
Fabyan’s ‘Chronicles,’ 218
Fagel (Greffier), his library, 148
Farmer (Richard), D.D., sale of his library, 145
Fashion in the prices of books, 17
Fastolfe’s books (1459), 57
Fielding’s (Henry) library, 135
Flavel’s (Rev. John) Works, published price, 95
Fletewode (William), sale of his library, 138
Folkes (Martin), sale of his library, 135
Fonthill Abbey sale, 158
Forbes (Sir Charles Stewart), his library, 174
Foster (Birket), his library, 173
Foxe’s ‘Acts and Monuments,’ 218
Frere (John Tudor), his library, 174
Frobisher’s ‘Three Voyages,’ 218
Froissart’s ‘Cronycles,’ 218
Gaisford (Thomas), his library, 172
Gardner (Cecil Dunn), his library, 166
Gellius (Aulus), 1469, 186;
1472, 186
Gennadius (John), his library, 173
Gibson-Craig (James T.), his library, 171, 175
Godolphin (John), sale of his library, 109
Goldsmith (Oliver):
Sale of his library, 138
‘Vicar of Wakefield,’ 247
Gordon (Sir Robert), Gordonstoun library, 156
Gosford (Earl of), his library, 170, 175
Gosset (Isaac), his library, 155
Gough, Richard:
His library, 152
‘Sepulchral Monuments,’ 245
Gramont Memoirs, published price, 97
Grangerising, 250
Greenhill (Thomas), sale of his library, 108
Greenwood (Jonathan), auctioneer, 43
Gringoire, ‘Les Fantasies de Mere Sote,’ 242
Grolier, specimens of binding from his library, 251
Guilford (Earl of), his library, 159, 175
Gulston (Joseph), sale of his library, 141, 166
Gurney (David), his library, 166
Hailstone (Edward), Walton Hall library, 173
Hakluyt’s ‘Navigations,’ 219
Halliwell-Phillipps (J. O.), his library, 177
Hamilton Palace MSS. sold to the German Government, 69, 169, 176
Hamilton’s (Duke of) library, 169, 175
Hampton (Lord), his library, 166
Hanrott (P. A.), his library, 160, 175
Hardwicke (Lord Chancellor), his library, 172
Harleian MSS. bought for the British Museum, 12
Harley library bought by T. Osborne, 13, 30
Harriot (T.), ‘Merveilleux et estrange Rapport,’ 219
Hartley (Leonard L.), his library, 171, 175
Haslewood (Joseph), his library, 160
Hawkins (Rev. W. B. L.), his library, 174
Hearne (Thomas):
His remuneration, 15
Diaries sold for a hundred guineas, 129
Editions, original subscription, 101;
depreciation in price, 260
Heath (Rev. Benjamin, D.D.), his library, 152
Heathcote (Robert), his library, 148
Heaton (Beresford R.), his library, 174
Heber (Richard):
Collection of early sale catalogues, 112
Sale of his library, 160, 175
Henley (‘Orator’), sale of his library, 136
Henry VIII., Act respecting importation of books, 81
Hibbert (George), his library, 159
Hildyard (T. B. F.), his library, 174
Hill (Thomas), his library, 162
Hoare (Sir Richard Colt), his library, 170, 175
Holland (Henry):
‘Basili?logia,’ 249
‘Her?ologia,’ 249
Holmes’s ‘Life of the Queen,’ enhanced price, 102
Homerus (1488), 186
Homer’s ‘Iliad’:
MS., 68
Subscription for Pope’s translation, 101
‘Batrachomyomachia’ (1486), sold in Maittaire’s library, 133
Hope (Adrian), his library, 174
Hopetoun (Earl of), his library, 172
Horatius (1470), 186;
printed by Didot (1799), on vellum, 248
Home (Rev. T. Hartwell) on MSS., 53
Howell (John), auctioneer, 119
Hunt’s (John) inventory of books (1483), with prices, 84
Hunter (John), his library, 155
Hurd (Philip), his library, 159
Hutchinson (Joshua H.), his library, 173
Illustrated books, 249, 250
Italian classics, 190
Jacomb (Dr. Thomas), sale of his library, 118
James I. as a book collector, 6
Jersey (Earl of), Osterley Park library, 171, 175
Johnson (Dr. Samuel):
His work on the ‘Bibliotheca Harleiana,’ 31
English Dictionary, published price, 96
Sale of his library, 141
Johnson’s (Michael) address prefixed to an auction catalogue, 46
Jonson’s (Ben) Works, 221
Junot (Marshal), his library, 156
Justinus (1470), 186
Juvenalis et Persius, 187
Kidner (Thomas), sale of his library, 107
Kirton (Joseph), bookseller, ruined by the Fire of London, 28
Kloss (Dr.), his library, 161
Knight (Charles), pioneer in the cheapening of good literature, 28
‘Knocks-out,’ dishonesty of, 124
Lacy’s (T. H.) stock, sale of, 176
Laing (David), his library, 165, 175
Lakelands library, 173, 176
Lang (Andrew) on collecting as an investment, 20
Langford, auctioneer, 137
Lansdowne (Marquis of), sale of his library, 150;
MSS., 137, 150
Larking (J. Wingfield), his library, 173
Larpent (Baron), his library, 174
Lawrence (Edwin H.), his library, 173
Leicester (Eleanor de Montfort, Countess of), pocket lectionary
made for her (1265), 57
Leland (John) saved MSS. from destruction, 55
Libraries of the Middle Ages, destruction of, 5
Libri sales, 164, 175;
collection of MSS., 71
Lilly’s stock, sale of, 176
Linschoten’s ‘Voyages,’ 219
Livius (1469), 187,
(1470) 187
Lloyd (Bishop), sale of his library, 121
Lodge’s (T.) ‘Rosalynde,’ 219
Loggan’s ‘Oxonia,’ 95, 245;
‘Cantabrigia,’ 95, 245
Lok’s (H.) ‘Ecclesiastes,’ 219
London’s (William) ‘Catalogue of Vendible Books,’ 93
Longus, ‘Pastoralia,’ on vellum, 248
Lort (Michael, M.D.), sale of his library, 144
Louis XIII. and Anne of Austria, specimens of binding from their
library, 252
Lucanus (1469), 187
Lucianus (1496), 188
Lyte (Rev. H. F.), his library, 163
Mackenzie (J. M.), his library, 172
Macready (W. C.), his library, 165
Madan (Falconer):
Account of the Thomason Civil War Tracts, 6
Account of an historical mass-book, purchased for the Bodleian
Library at a cheap price, 76
His edition of Dorne’s Day-Book, 84
On cost of MSS., 59
On collections of MSS., 67 (_note_)
Madox’s (Thomas) ‘History of the Exchequer,’ 14
Maitland (Dr. S. R.) on prices of books in the Middle Ages, 53, 58
Maittaire (Michael), sale of his library, 132
Malmesbury MSS. destroyed, 54
Malone (Edmond), his library, 157
Manton (Thomas), sale of his library, 108
Manuscript books, prices of, 49-78
Manuscripts in public libraries, 67 (_note_)
Marche (Richard du), illuminator, 57
Margaret (St.) of Scotland, her historical mass-book, 77
Marguerite de Montmorency, specimen of binding from her library, 252
Marguerite de Valois, specimen of binding from her library, 251
Marshall (Frank), his library, 172
Martialis (1471), 188;
‘Apud Vindelinum Spirensem,’ sold in Maittaire’s library, 134;
original MS. copies of epigrams, sold for 3s. 6d., 1
Mason (George), his library, 145
Maunsell’s (Andrew) Catalogue of English Books, 90
Mead (Richard, M.D.), sale of his library, 134, 139
Meredith’s (George) Poems, 258
Merly library, 155, 175
Mezeray, ‘Histoire de France,’ 262
Middleton (Prof. J. H.) on MSS., 51, 58, 61, 63, 78
Millington (Edward), auctioneer, 37, 113, 117;
elegy, 40
Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost,’ 219;
published price, 96;
‘Comus,’ 220;
Poems, 220
Minsheu’s Dictionary, published by subscription, 100
Molière’s Works, published price, 99
Monasteries as producers of books, 2
Money, change in the value of, as a factor in the prices
of books, 50, 63
Monnier, specimens of his binding, 254
Moore’s (Bishop) library, 10;
epigrams on its presentation to Cambridge University, 11
Moore’s (Thomas) Poems, profitable sale, 96
More (Sir William) of Loseley, his library, 87
Morris’s (William) Kelmscott Press publications, 247, 258;
his collection of illuminated MSS., 73
Nassau (George), his library, 158
Niccolo Niccoli, book collector, 64
Nicholl (J. B.), his library, 165
Nichols’s ‘Leicestershire,’ 245
Nicol (George), bookseller, 34
Noailles (Comte de), his library, 161
North (John), his library, 158, 175
Ogilby’s (John) lottery of books, 94
Oliver (Mrs. Elizabeth), sale of her library, 119
Omar Khayyam, translated by Fitzgerald, 103
Orford (Earl of), his library, 174
Ormerod’s ‘Cheshire,’ 246
Osborne (Thomas), bookseller, 13
Purchase of the Harley library, 30
Charge of over-pricing the books unjust, 32
Ouvry (Frederick), his library, 169
Ovidius, 188
Oxford, book-sales at, 38
Paine (Cornelius), his library, 172
Paper, deterioration of, 24
Papillon’s (David) purchase of books, 13
Paris de Meyzieux, sale of his library, 142
Pastissier (Le) François (1655), 242
Paston (John), books sold by his executors to King’s Hall, Cambridge, 56
‘Paston Letters,’ extracts from, respecting cost of MSS., 60, 61
Patents for books, 89
Paterson (Samuel), auctioneer, 44, 136, 137, 138, 140, 148
Payne (J. T.), his library, 165
Payne (Roger), specimen of his binding, 254
Payne (Thomas), bookseller, 33
Payne & Foss’s stock, sale of, 176
Pearson (Major Thomas), sale of his library, 142
Pellet (Dr. Thomas), sale of his library, 131
Penn (Granville), his library, 164
Penrhyn (Lord), his library, 152
Pepys (Samuel):
On the increased price of books after the Fire of London, 28
Subscriber to Ogilby’s lottery, 94
Original published price of the Diary, 97
Perkins (Frederick), his library, 172
Perkins (Henry), his library, 165, 175
Perrault, ‘Contes de ma Mere Loye,’ 242
Petrarca, 191;
‘Opere’ (1514), 143;
his library, 54
Phillipps (Sir Thomas), his collection of MSS., 73, 174
‘Philobiblon,’ editions of, 3
Pickering (William), his private library, 164, 175
Pinelli library, 142
Pitt (Moses), 110
Plato (1513), 188
Plautus (1472), sold in Maittaire library, 134
Plays, published price of, 96
Plinius, 188
Plot’s ‘Oxfordshire,’ 246;
‘Staffordshire,’ 246
Poems printed in quarto, 96
Pole (Sir W.), his library, 174
‘Poliphili Hypnerotomachia,’ 191
Pollard (Alfred W.):
On collecting as an investment, 20
On English book-sales, 106
Pope’s ‘Essay on Man,’ on vellum, 249
Porson (Richard), his library, 152
Price (Sir Charles), his library, 165
Prices:
Vicissitudes of, 16
Causes of increase of price, 18, 21
Cautions respecting price, 263, 264
Depreciation, 262, 263
Of early printed books, 179-192
Of early English literature, 193-222
Of Shakespeare’s Works, 223-240
Of various classes of books, 241-264
County histories, 244-246
English classics, 246, 247
Books on vellum, 247-249
Illustrated books, 249, 250
Bindings, 250-255
Early editions of modern authors, 255-262
Prust (John), Canon of Windsor, 58
Psalmanazar’s (George) ‘Formosa,’ published price, 98
Published prices, 79-103
Publishers and stationers, 27
‘Purchas his Pilgrimes,’ price, 94, 220
Putnam (G. H.), his works on the history of bookselling, 26, 79
Puttick & Simpson, auctioneers, 47
Quaritch (Bernard), 21, 36;
his remarkable catalogues, 36;
catalogues of MSS., 68
Quintilianus (1470), 189
Ranew (Nathaniel), auctioneer, 110
Ratcliffe (John), sale of his library, 139
Rawlinson (Richard), sale of his library, 135
Rawlinson (Thomas), sale of his library, 126, 128
Reed (Isaac), his library, 152
Rees’s ‘Cyclopædia,’ published price, 97
Reid (H. G.), his library, 173
Revicksky’s (Count) library bought by Lord Spencer, 15
Reynbold (John), scribe, 59
Rhodes (Hugh), ‘Boke of Nurture,’ 220
Richard III., Act respecting importation of books, 81
Ricraft’s ‘Oriental Languages,’ 220
Rodd (Thomas), bookseller, 34
Rogers (Thorold) on the prices of books, 55, 86
Roscoe (William), his library, 157
Rose (J. Anderson), his library, 173
Rossetti (Dante G.), ‘Sir Hugh the Heron,’ 258
‘Roxburghe Ballads,’ 142
Roxburghe sale, an epoch in book collecting, 17, 147, 153, 175
Ruskin’s (John) plea for the purchase of the Hamilton MSS., 69;
his Works, 259
Russell (Rev. J. F.), his library, 171
Russia, libraries in, bought by the yard, 14
‘St. Albans, Chronicle of,’ 214;
‘Boke of,’ 215
St. Paul’s Cathedral library, loss of MSS., 6
Sallustius (1470), 189
Salmond (W. D.), his library, 172
Sangar (Gabriel), sale of his library, 110
Scot’s ‘Discoverie of Witchcraft,’ 220
Scott’s (Sir Walter) Novels, 261;
published price of his Poems, 96
Seaman (Lazarus), sale of his library, 105
Seillière (Baron), his library, 171, 175
Selsey (Lord), his library, 165
Shakespeare’s Works:
Prices of, 223-240
First folio, 223-229
Second folio, 230-232
Third folio, 232
Fourth folio, 233
Separate plays, 234-239
Published price of separate plays, 94-96
Poems, 239, 240
Shelley’s Poems and Prose Treatises, 259
Shrewsbury (Earl of), his library, 164
Silius Italicus (1471), 189
Smalridge (George), ‘Auctio Davisiana,’ 37
Smith (Consul Joseph), his library bought by George III, 136;
his second library sold by auction, 136
Smith’s (Capt. J.) ‘Virginia,’ 221
Smith (Richard), sale of his library, 113
Smollett’s ‘History of England’ published by subscription, 102
Solly (Edward), his library, 171
Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, auctioneers, 47
Southby (T. H.), his library, 172
Spencer (Earl), purchase of Revicksky and Cassano libraries, 15;
sale of Althorpe library, 16
Spenser’s ‘Faerie Queene,’ 221
Stanley (Colonel), his library, 154
Stationers in the time of Henry VIII., 80
Stationers’ Company, 89
Steevens (George), his library, 148
Stevens (Henry), 21
Stourbridge Fair, sale of books there, 117
Stourhead heirlooms, 170, 175
Stowe collection of MSS., 70
Strawberry Hill sale, 162
Stuart (William), his library, 174
Sullivan (Sir Edward), his library, 172, 176
Sunderland library, 12, 166, 175
Sussex (Duke of), sale of his library, 162, 175
Sykes (Sir Mark Masterman), his library, 158, 175
Syston Park library, 170, 175
Talleyrand (Prince), his library, 156
Taylor (Baron), his library, 164
Taylor (George Watson), his library, 158
Tennyson’s Poems, 260
Thackerayana, 261
Thackeray’s Novels, 255
Thomas (Ernest) on Richard de Bury, 3
Thomas, the limner, 60
Thomason’s (George) Collection of Civil War Tracts, 6-9
Thorold (Sir J. H.), Syston Park library, 170, 175
Thoroton’s ‘Nottinghamshire,’ 246
Thorpe (Thomas), bookseller, 34;
his catalogues, 35
Thuanus, specimens of binding from his library, 251
Tite (Sir William), his library, 165, 175
Tooke (J. Horne), his library, 155
Toovey’s stock, sale of, 176
Towneley (John), his library, 155;
drawings, &c., 155
Towneley Hall library, 170;
MSS., 170
Townshend (Marquis of), his library, 154
‘Tristan,’ 192
Trithemius, his objections to printing, 66;
scolds his monks, 66
Turner (Dawson), his library, 164
Turner (R. S.), his library, 172, 176
Utterson (E. V.), his library, 164
Valerius Maximus (1471), 189
Vellum, books printed on, 247-249
Vespasiano di Bisticci, book producer, 64
‘Vigilles des Mors,’ 192
Vincent (Dr.), his library, 156
Virgilius, 189
Vossius (Isaac), sale of his library, 12
Walford (B.), auctioneer, 118
Walpole’s (Horace) ‘Castle of Otranto,’ on vellum, 249;
‘Hieroglyphic Tales,’ 244;
library, 162
Walton (Brian), Bishop of Chester, sale of his library, 117;
his Polyglot Bible published by subscription, 100
Walton’s ‘Angler,’ published price, 98;
present price, 247
Wanley (Humphrey) on the sale of Bridges’ library, 130
Warwick (Earl of), sale of his library, 110
Way (G. L.), his library, 166
Weever’s ‘Funeral Monuments,’ 221
West (James), sale of his library, 137;
his MSS. sold to Lord Shelburne, 137
Willett (Ralph), Merly library, 155, 175
Wills (Howard), his library, 173
Wimpole library, 172
Wodhull (Michael), his library, 171, 175
Wolf (John), a pirate bookseller, 89
Wood’s ‘Essay on Homer,’ 254
Woodhouse (John), his library, 149
Wordsworth’s ‘Excursion,’ published price, 97
Worsley (Benjamin), sale of his library, 109
Wren (Sir Christopher), sale of his library, 132
Wycliffe, unique tracts, 221
York (Duke of), his library, 159
Young (Alexander), his library, 172
THE END
Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO.
Edinburgh & London
* * * * *
Transcriber's Note:
Punctuation in the text has been standardised, and typographical errors
have been silently corrected. Variations in hyphenation and obsolete or
variant spelling have all been preserved.
Superscripted characters are preceded by the ^caret symbol.