A Short History of Collecting: Gallery of Book Collections

This gallery highlights the bibliophile's passion for early manuscripts, incunabula, and other rare books, including first editions and finely bound volumes. Such works, especially collection catalogues or thematic book collections, are found throughout the TC; here, however, the focus is on books valued for their literary significance or collected primarily for their physical qualities. Many of the books presented here were once selected and curated by some of the most distinguished figures in bibliophily: Jean Bigot (medieval manuscripts); the Duke of Roxburghe, whose library sale sparked one of the earliest documented instances of bibliomania; notable 19th-century French bibliophiles such as Baron Pichon and the Duc d'Aumale; and renowned rare-book dealers including A.S.W. Rosenbach and Bernard H. Breslauer. More recent collecting trends are also represented, including celebrated comic book collections (e.g., the White Mountain pedigree), authors of special interest within the collecting world (e.g., Lovecraftiana, Potteriana), and, of course, rare or even unique book-collection catalogues.

Book collecting during the 20th Century

TEXT COMING LATER

Potteriana

Photograph of J.K. Rowling at the 2007 Sotheby's pre-sale event, by photographer James Peltekian.

The Harry Potter saga by J. K. Rowling stands as the publishing phenomenon of the turn of the twenty-first century. Few works of modern literature have achieved comparable global reach, cultural impact, or commercial success. It is unsurprising that rare Harry Potter material, such as first editions, their early printings, manuscripts, and associated ephemera, has entered major collections. Chief among these is the first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, published by Bloomsbury in 1997. The first printing of the hardback edition, limited to just 500 copies (of which roughly 300 were sent to libraries), has become the definitive modern collectible; even severely worn ex-library copies command extraordinary sums. The corresponding first-edition first-printing paperback, produced in a larger printing of approximately 5,150 copies, is likewise coveted as the earliest widely circulated form of the text. Both can reach stratospheric prices, with association copies at the very top of the market. Later printings remain desirable when they bear early signatures or substantial inscriptions by Rowling, written before she achieved global celebrity. Such copies capture a moment when the author's fame was still local and literary rather than universal, and they function as documentary artifacts of the series' nascent years. A decade after the publication of the first novel, and shortly after concluding the series with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in July 2007, Rowling undertook a remarkable afterword to the saga. Having referred within the narrative to a wizardly book of fairy tales, she decided to write The Tales of Beedle the Bard in reality, producing seven individually handwritten and illustrated manuscript volumes. Six were given as personal gifts to individuals most closely connected to the creation of Harry Potter; the seventh was designated for auction to raise funds for The Children's Voice charity. On 13 December 2007, after a prolonged and highly publicised bidding war, the manuscript sold at Sotheby's for £1.95 million, setting a world record for both a modern literary manuscript and a children's book. The auction itself has since become part of the collecting history, and the Sotheby's sale catalogue has emerged as a collectible object in its own right

Newspaper clipping of article titled Fairytale ending as JK's charity book makes £2m by J. Mills (2007). Notice the Sotheby's auction catalogue in the hands of J.K. Rowling.

A Rare Piece of Harry Potter Ephemera on the 2007 World-Record Sale of 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard'

The Tales of Beedle the Bard... The Property of J. K. Rowling..., by Sotheby's
London, UK: Sotheby's, 2007

Description: Sotheby's (2007), The Tales of Beedle the Bard, A Collection of Wizarding Fairy-Tales. The Property of J. K. Rowling, sold on behalf of the Children's Voice. London, Thursday, 13th December 2007. First edition, only printing. Small octavo. Original white wrappers, spine lettered in white, front wrapper lettered in blue, wrappers with design embossed in blue – The souvenir auction catalogue includes many photographs of the manuscript and a short introduction by the author. As part of pre-sale publicity, there was a party held on 10 December 2007. During the event, the author was kept busy greeting guests and also read one of the stories. Despite these demands on her time, a small number of copies of the souvenir catalogue were signed for a few guests:
(i) Inscribed by the author on the first page: "to Monique, J. K. Rowling". Accompanied with a pictorial badge "I have seen Beedle the Bard...", 40 mm diameter with pin. Together with a newspaper clipping (see above) and two photographs, each 230 x 151 mm. of J.K. Rowling (and one with presumably, Monique - not shown) at the event, signed by the photographer James Peltekian on verso (see above).
(ii) Signed by J.K. Rowling to one of the journalists present during the auction. Accompanied with a pictorial badge.

Select a thumbnail to view its caption.

A 1999 Inscribed Copy of 'The Philosopher's Stone' from the Collection of Adam Houston, Signed at a Turning Point in the HP Phenomenon

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, by J.K. Rowling
London, UK: Bloomsbury, 1997 (paperback ed.)

Description: First English edition, twenty-seventh printing, paperback. slight nick to the base of the spine and a very minor water mark to the bottom of the half title page, otherwise in stunning fine, unread condition. Inscribed by J.K. Rowling to the dedication page in blue ballpoint pen at the 1999 Hay Literary Festival to the daughter (Lily, age 8) of illustrator Ian Beck: "To Lily∼ you will know that I love your name because I used it for Harry's mum! JK Rowling" (1999 variation of Rowling's signature). Housed in custom made quarter leather clamshell box with bespoke gold lettering to the spine. Ian Beck knew the publicity and editorial team at Bloomsbury who introduced him to J.K. Rowling who was happy to inscribe this book for his daughter. The book was kept until 2022 when it was sold to Harry Potter collector Adam Houston, the Harry Potter specialist. Accompanied by detailed CoA by Adam Houston, the handwritten letter of Ian Beck and a printout of a detailed email from Ian Beck to Adam Houston dated 22 Nov. 2022. The email ends: "[after the signing] ...I left with Helen [Cooper, fellow author] and we noticed a very long queue of parents and children stretching from the entrance of the school and back way into the main part of the town. At that point we realised something huge was brewing".

Provenance: Adam Houston, the Harry Potter specialist (2022-2024)

Select a thumbnail to view its caption.

The Bibliographical Collection of Bernard H. Breslauer: Bibliotheca Bibliographica Breslaueriana

Bernard H. Breslauer (1918-2004) was a rare-bookdealer and collector renowned for his expertise in illuminated manuscripts, early printed books, and historic bookbindings. Born into one of Europe's great bookselling families, he had scarcely begun his career when his Jewish family was forced to leave Germany to escape the Nazis. With the help of a former client, they re-established the business in London, where his father was later killed in the Blitz. After the war, Bernard Breslauer resumed his work as a bookseller. He opened premises in the City of London in 1947 and moved the family business to Fifth Avenue in New York in 1977. In 1992, the Pierpont Morgan Library mounted an exhibition titled The Breslauer Collection of Manuscript Illuminations. Featuring more than one hundred manuscripts, it showcased one of the world's largest private collections (The Book Collector, 1998, 47(4), 467-507). Over the course of his career, Breslauer devoted increasing attention to assembling a private collection of bibliographies, book catalogues, and literature on bookbinding, all in fine, historic, or artistic bindings. This collection, known as the Bibliotheca Bibliographica Breslaueriana (BBB), gained international renown through exhibitions such as those held at the Bibliotheca Wittockiana, 11 October-22 November 1986 (Breslauer et al., 1986), and at Houghton Library, Harvard, 20 February-23 March 1991 (Stoddard, 1991). The exhibitions presented a selection of 75 and 73 of his books, respectively, most of which unite special printing (e.g. large-paper copies), distinguished bindings, and illustrious provenance. The duc de Chartres large-paper copy of Bibliotheca Petrarchesca, the 1826 catalogue of Antonio Marsand (see below), is one such example. Michel Wittock wrote in 1986: "Mr Breslauer has attempted to obtain for his library as many special copies as possible of such works: author's own and annotated copies, presentation copies, copies printed on vellum, on large and fine paper or in out-standing bindings". As noted by the Harvard Curator of Rare Books in 1991, Breslauer "has built a collection like no other". The Bibliotheca Bibliographica Breslaueriana was auctioned at Christie's in 2005 (Christie's, 2005), including both his remarkable collection of fine pedigreed bindings and his reference library. It constituted one of the major bibliophilic events of the new millennium.

  • Breslauer, B.H., ed., Wittock, M., intro., Toulet, J., foreword (1986), Historic and Artistic Bookbindings from the Bibliotheca Bibliographica Breslaueriana. Brussels: Bibliotheca Wittockiana, 167 pp. [in coll.: Inscribed: "To Charles Ryskamp from Bernard Breslauer" - C. Ryskamp collected drawings and prints, and headed both the Frick Collection and the Pierpont Morgan Library].
  • Christie's (2005), Bibliotheca Bibliographica Breslaueriana. The First Portion: 150 Important Manuscripts, Association Copies, Fine Bindings, Mon. 21 March 2005. Christie's, 227 pp.; The Second Portion: Antiquarian Catalogues, Tue. 22 and Wed. 23 March 2005, 363 pp.; The Third Portion: Books Printed on Vellum, Bibliography, Books about Books, Manuscripts and Bookbinding, Mon. 27 and Tue. 28 Jun 2005, 339 pp. [in coll.: Softcover, Robert S Pirie Reference Library bookplate on the three volumes, first volume priced throughout, a few prices and dog-eared pages on first two volumes]
  • Stoddard, R.E., foreword (1991), Bibliotheca Bibliographica Breslaueriana. Harvard College Library, 52 pp. [in coll.: Exhibition guide accompanied with its postcard]

One of the 75 Most Precious Books from the BBB, exhibited at Bibliotheca Wittockiana & Harvard College Library

R. d'ORLEANS COPY - Bibliotheca Petrarchesca..., by A. Marsand
Milan, Italy: Paolo Emilio Giusti, 1826

Description: MARSAND, Antonio (1826), Bibliotheca Petrarchesca, formata, posseduta, descritta et illustrata dal Professore Antonio Marsand. Milano: printed privately by Paolo Emilio Giusti, 1 p.l. (errata), XXXVIII, [2] (blank), 280 pp. Large paper copy (quarto, 305 x 193 mm tbd) printed on wove paper, with vast margins. No. 15 of 150 copies. Bound for Robert d'Orléans, duc de Chartres, by Antoine Chatelin, London, c. 1865 (stamp-signed on verso of front free endpaper), in hazel brown crushed levant morocco, the sides decorated with gilt and blind rules intertwined with laurel branches, fleurons at the corners and the Duke's crowned arms with his monogram in the centre. In a modern tan linen clamshell lined with felt, red morocco label to spine, two snap closures (one of them defective). Description slip from Christie's 2005 sale laid in at front - This is the copy bound for the grandson of the monarch who tried to preserve the collection on which this bibliography, Marsand's collection catalogue, was based.

Provenance: Robert d'Orléans, duc de Chartres • ... • Bernard H. Breslauer. Robert d'Orleans, duc de Chartres (1840-1910), second son of Ferdinand-Philippe d'Orléans, eldest son of King Louis-Philippe, was a soldier, historian and book collector. His collection contained some 5,000 works. After the February Revolution of 1848, his family was forced to flee to England, which included his uncle Henri d'Orléans, Duke of Aumale, noted bibliophile.

References: BBB Wittockiana no. 36 of 75 (one page description p.84, full-page illustration p.85); BBB Harvard no. 28 of 73, p.16; Christie's (2005:lot.97) - The same books were displayed at both exhibitions (with the exception of two) and were chosen for their remarkable and aesthetically pleasing bindings ("the choix devenu définitif a privilégié les exemplaires dont les reliures contribueraient le plus au plaisir et à l'information du visiteur" - J. Toulet). It is listed in the Christie's auction catalogue of the first portion of the BBB, which contained "most of Dr. Breslauer's favorite books".

Select a thumbnail to view its caption.

The Silver Age Comic Book Collection of Kennett Neily: the White Mountain Pedigree

The White Mountain collection was one of the earliest Silver Age comic book pedigrees. Built over several decades beginning in the late 1940s by Kennett Neily (?-?), in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the collection came to prominence in the early 1990s when a substantial portion was sold through Sotheby's first-ever auction dedicated to rare comic books. It made history, with several of its Silver Age comic books achieving unprecedented prices (Sotheby's, 1991; Overstreet's, 1991; TC's 1992 Weist letter). The story leading to this historic sale is recounted by detective27.com: "In 1984, a man walked into a comic book store named The Million Year Picnic in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He had with him twelve comics he was looking to sell. Upon inspecting the comics, Jerry Weist, one owner of The Million Year Picnic, found them to be of superior quality, with extraordinarily white pages and colors. The man claimed to have many more just like them and wanted to sell them off piecemeal..." The scope and scale of what would become a legendary collection remained somewhat mysterious to insiders, who gained access only to portions of the material gradually released by Neily to Weist over the following years, prior to the first Sotheby's auction. Manuscript lists of comic books intended for sale by Neily to Weist, held by the TC (see below), offer a glimpse into the material that remained in the White Mountain Collection as late as 1990. The exceptional quality of the collection is largely attributed to its storage: the books were kept stacked inside large metal file cabinets, protected from the acidic cardboard and plastic bags commonly used for comic storage during the Silver Age (Sotheby's, 1991:11). Jerry Weist (1949-2011), a pioneer in comic book collecting and Sotheby's comics consultant from 1990 to 2001, persuaded the auction house in 1991 to stage its first major comic book and comic art auction. It was at this time that the White Mountain pedigree was named and the collection formally recognized (see TC's 1992 Weist letter below). Silver Age comic books from the White Mountain Collection are primarily documented in the 1991-1993 Sotheby's auctions, with the most significant "holy grails" individually noted in Overstreet's Comic Book Price Guide (1991). According to detective27.com, "common books from the [White Mountain] collection bring 3x guide, while high-demand comics bring 5x guide or more." White Mountain copies are recognizable by a date stamp on the first page for issues from the 1950s, while later issues often feature a small two-digit year written on the front cover. Neily collected not only comic books but also, notably, video games, which were likewise preserved in pristine condition and marked with the same characteristic acquisition dates (coming later). He continued to collect until the early 2000s.

  • Overstreet's (1991), Sotheby's first-ever auction of rare comic books and related original art! Overstreet's Comic Book Price Update, pp. 5-6 [in coll.: complete issue]
  • Sotheby's (1991), Comic Books and Comic Art. New York, Wednesday, December 18, 1991. 347 lots, 158 pp. [in coll.: upper corner bumped, penciled prices on pp. 29-80]
  • Weist, J. (2000), The Comic Art Price Guide. Second Edition With Pulp, U.G. Comix, and Monster Magazine Price Guides. Arcturian Books, 569 pp. [in coll.: ASSOCIATION COPY, no. 233/350 signed by J. Weist in light blue pen, "This signed & #'ed copy is for Ken Neily", followed by different signature also by J. Weist]

A Wonderful 1992 Letter Epitomising the Making of the White Mountain Pedigree and Its Entry into "comic book history"

Letter from Weist to Neily
Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts: Unpublished, 1992

Description: 1992 letter from Jerry Weist to Kennett Neily regarding the results of the 1991 Sotheby's auction and the making of the White Mountain Pedigree. Typed 2-pp. letter, dated 10 January 1992, signed, J. Weist letterhead, with annotation on the back by K. Neily "Read Wed 1/15/92". Selected excerpts demonstrate the importance of this letter: "... I have enclosed a catalogue for you and I have also xeroxed an advance list for you to study the results. Some of the results are average, some of them are disappointing, some of them are remarkable! The press called the auction a disappointment - at least the Wall St. Journal jumped all over us. But the fact of the matter is that we did one million two hundred thousand dollars and the Vice President of Sotheby's has already given me a green light for next years auctions [...] as you can see some of the White Mountain Books (the name of your collection now) did very well. Be advised Ken, that I do not now own nor did I consign the Hulks, the Fantastic Fours, and some of the other White Mountain comics - These have already come back into the market from people who bought them from me [...] I hope also that you feel that your collection has been treated with respect by the Catalogue and the writing that Patrick Kohanek did in the Pedigree article, for better or worse your collection is now 'famous' and a part of comic book history." The letter refers to the article by P. Kohanek, in which the extent of the White Mountain collection (> 5,000 books) is compared to the historically important Edgar Church Collection of Golden Age Comics (Sotherby's, 1991:11-12). Kohanek mentions the "generally spectacular paper whiteness" of the White Mountain copies. Of the "remarkable" results discussed in the letter, particular mention must go to the near mint copy of The Amazing Spider-Man #1 selling for an unprecedented $14,000 (Overstreet's, 1991).

Provenance: Kennett Neily, White Mountain collection

Select a thumbnail to view its caption.

Unique Manuscript Catalogues of the White Mountain Collection of Silver Age Comics, Intended for Sale to J. Weist, as of 1990

White Mountain Collection Comic Book Sale Catalogue
White Mountains, New Hampshire: Unpublished, 1990-1991

Description: Two steno books (top-spiral notebook) with lists of comic books from the White Mountain Collection, available for sale for the leading connoisseur of the time, Jerry Weist, handwritten by Kennett Neily, comic books listed per title, one number per line with price (on one or two columns), total price given per set:
(i) Yellow cover, "CB Sale 11/19/90 Mon" on cover, "Mon. 11/19/90 Weiss came up- evening. Blue - House, Pencil - Upstairs, Red - Kitchen" title page, followed by 32 pp. + few blank. Consisting of: Thor (#127-145, not consecutive; same applies to the following series), Iron Man (#3,4), Avengers (#23-45), Silver Surfer (#1), X-Men (#28-88), Spider-Man (#21-122), Fantastic Four (#21-71), Daredevil (#21-36), Captain America (#104), Hulk (#104), Strange Tales (#109-167), Journey Into Mystery (#104-125), Tales to Astounish (#44-100), Tales of Suspense (#54-98), etc... Followed by: "following pages 3/23/91 Sat. Sale" title page, 7 pp. + 9 pp. loose + a few additional lists/notes on separate paper sheets. Consisting of a vast selection of miscellaneous comic books, from Flash Gordon to Uncle Scrooge via Metal Men.
(ii) Blue cover, "Comics ?? for 11/90 sale" on cover, "Possible Comics for 11/90 Sale to Weiss w/ #20 for ?? ?? NB organised 11/90 - ?? 1st & 10th" title page, followed by 2 pp. of various items + "Atlas items, Big items", 32 pp. Consisting of: Weird Thrillers (#1-5), Amazing Adv. (#1-6), Tales of Suspense (#4-39), Tales to Hold You Spellbound (#1-34), Mystery Tales (#1-54), etc.. Some blank pages, followed by "Marvel Superhero Items ?? box - in Blue, Kitchen box - in Red, 0 upstair haul, #20 for ?? ??" title page, 21 pp. consisting of (some the same as in (i)): Thor (#127-214), Sub Mariner (#21-65), Iron Man (#21-62), Captain Marvel (#24-27), Fantasy Masterpieces (#1-2), Avengers (#23-114), X-Men (#28-88), Spider-Man (#21-131), Fantastic Four (#21-136), Hulk (#123-167), Strange Tales (#109-170), etc.. Totals of $8261 ans $30,270 penned on inside back cover.
This unique document provides a rare glimpse into the White Mountain Collection comic book holdings as of late 1990, one year prior to the first Sotheby's auction. Since most of the collection was sold in this period, it is likely the most extensive White Mountain Collection catalogue in existence (only missing the comic books previous sold to Weist between 1984 and 1989, and possibly some of the comic books to be sold at later auctions in 1993 and 1996 - no other collection catalogue is known to exist). The fact that it includes prices provides a further insight into comic book dealings at this important transitory time when comic books became highly collectible.

Provenance: Kennett Neily, White Mountain collection

Select a thumbnail to view its caption.

A Suite of Four High-Grade Early Silver Age Comic Books with White Mountain Pedigree

Silver Age Comic Books
New York: DC Comics, 1962; Marvel Comics, 1964-1968.

Description: A suite comprised of early issues from Aquaman, The Avengers, X-Men and Iron Man, all in Certified Guaranty Company (CGC) slabs.:
(i) Aquaman #5 (9-10/62), D.C. Comics, Nick Cardy cover and art. CGC Universal Grade 9.2, penned year '62' by K. Neily.
(ii) The Avengers #10 (11/64), Marvel Comics, Stan Lee story, Jack Kirby cover, Don Heck and Dick Ayers art, first appearance of Immortus, Enchantress, Executioner and Baron Zemo appearance. CGC Universal Grade 9.0, penned year '64' by K. Neily.
(iii) X-Men #14 (11/65), Marvel Comics, Stan Lee story, Werner Roth and Vince Colletta art, Jack Kirby cover and layouts, first appearance of the Sentinels. CGC Universal Grade 9.2, penned year '65' by K. Neily.
(iv) Iron Man #5 (9/68), Marvel Comics, Archie Goodwin story, George Tuska and Johnny Craig art, George Tuska cover, Krylla appearance, letter from Bob Gale. CGC CGC Pedigree Grade 9.6, penned year '68' by K. Neily.
The Silver Age is considered to cover the period from 1956 to 1970.

Provenance: Kennett Neily, White Mountain collection

References: Not found in the 1990 Yellow and Blue catalogues

Select a thumbnail to view its caption.

The Portfolios of Rare Book Leaves Assembled by Biblioclast Otto Ege

Otto F. Ege (1888-1951) was an American educator, calligrapher, and bibliophile whose controversial legacy modified the landscape of rare book collecting in the modern era. A long-time professor of art and design at the Cleveland Institute of Art, Ege was driven by a desire to make rare manuscripts accessible to a wider public. He became best known for his practice of dismantling medieval and early printed books, often damaged or incomplete, and distributing the leaves in curated portfolios to universities, museums, and private collectors. Self-proclaimed biblioclast, criticised by some, he created the twentieth-century market for medieval manuscript leaves in America. He is best remembered for his portfolios of rare book leaves that he started to compile in the 1940s. Today, Otto Ege leaves are widely studied as artefacts of both medieval bookmaking and twentieth-century collecting practices, offering insight into evolving ideas about preservation, accessibility, and the value of the book as object. The Original Leaves from Famous Books (Nine centuries, 1122-1923 A. D.) is one such portfolio (see below), which presents a deliberately crafted overview of the central pillars of rare-book collecting. Through 40 leaves drawn from manuscripts and printed books, it traces the evolution of the written and printed word across nearly a millennium. The selection highlights authoritative works, distinguished printers, and other must-have items. It showcases from specimens of early medieval script and illumination, as well as the rise of influential presses, from incunable-era workshops to major early modern printers, illustrating shifts in typographic design, paper quality, and technical innovation. As a whole, the portfolio functions not merely as a sampling of notable texts, but as a compact survey of what collectors and scholars have long deemed most significant.

  • de Hamel, C., Silver, J. (2005), Disbound and Dispersed: The Leaf Book Considered. Chicago: The Caxton Club, 152 pp. [in coll.; With dust jacket, faded spine]

Deluxe Edition of an Ege Portfolio, no. 28 of 50, or a Collection of Leaves from the Most Collectible Books

Original Leaves from Famous Books. Nine Centuries 1122 A.D.-1923 A.D.
New York: Philip C. Duschnes, c. 1949

Description: Deluxe edition of 40 leaves in total, six manuscript and 34 printed, including five from incunabula, various sizes (15 x 10 cm to 42 x 28 cm); leaves extracted from damaged or incomplete copies by Ege, from volumes in his collection. Printed introductory leaf listing the collection's contents, each leaf hinged to a paper mount with a printed description on an attached slip. In the original brown buckram box, no. 28 of 50 numbered sets (label slightly torn). Compiled by Otto Ege, this elaborate portfolio was one of his later productions. This is the deluxe edition (Nine Centuries) of 40 leaves issued in 50 sets (a regular version of Eight Centuries was issued in 110 sets of 25 leaves) (de Hamel and Silver, 2005:Catalog-Checklist no. 20/98, pp.79-82, 120). The specimens represent texts in various languages (mostly Western) and by many notable authors, including Homer, Aristotle, Cicero, Ovid, Pliny, Virgil, Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Erasmus, Chaucer, Cervantes, Shakespeare, Milton, Montaigne, the Beowulf poet, and the translators of the King James Version. The specimens represent many renowned printers in Western Europe and the United States, such as Nicolas Jenson, Aldus Manutius, Robert Estienne, Lucantonio Giunta, Bodoni, the Kelmscott Press, and the Riverside Press. Not forgetting, among others, a specimen from the Nuremberg Chronicle of 1493 and from the Fourth Folio of 1685. Of the several portfolio created by Ege (Medieval Manuscripts, Famous Bibles, Oriental Manuscripts), Original Leaves from Famous Books is the most educational in terms of rare book collecting in general.

Provenance: Otto Ege (1940s) • Bruce Ferrini • Alexander E. Vida. Bruce Ferrini was one of the foremost dealers in Western Medieval and Renaissance Illuminated Manuscripts in the world. A.E. Vida (?-2018) was an avid book collector.

Select a thumbnail to view its caption.

The Manuscript & Fine Binding Collection of Major John Roland Abbey

COMING LATER

The Working Library of H.P. Lovecraft & Lovecraftiana
"Acquire as many books of the right sort as you can afford to house, for ownership means easy and repeated access and permanent usefulness. Don't be a foppish hoarder of fine bindings and first editions. Get books for what's in them, and be glad enough of that."
H.P. Lovecraft, Suggestions for a Reading Guide, 1936 (published posthumously, 1966)

Howard Phillips Lovecraft, H.P.L. (1890-1937), the central figure of early twentieth-century weird fiction literature, the master of cosmic horror, also plays an important role in the world of book collecting. Although his personal library was primarily a working collection, it has since been celebrated through the catalogues of Joshi & Michaud, which have helped render books from his library legendary among collectors (Joshi and Michaud, 1980). Lovecraft was also a bibliophile, not for fine bindings, but for the significance of the texts. His love of books is evident in the prominent role that rare and antiquarian volumes play in his fiction, most famously in the fictional grimoire Necronomicon, for which he devised an elaborate bibliography complete with the supposed provenance of surviving copies. HPL also wrote the essays Supernatural Horror in Literature (1927), one of the finest historical analyses of horror literature, and Suggestions for a Reading Guide (1936), in which he outlines how to build a comprehensive personal library, both demonstrating the breadth and depth of his literary knowledge. His bibliophilic interests are further attested by a pair of postcards in the TC (see below), in which Lovecraft expresses his appreciation for the "splendid" bookplates created by Talman for his volumes, which he immediately affixed to his "Poe, Machen, & Dunsany" (seminal, foundational figures in weird fiction, gothic horror, and fantasy). From another perspective, the relative scarcity of Lovecraft's works in their original forms, combined with their complex posthumous publication history and the recurring importance of books within the texts themselves, has given rise to a distinctive and rich field of collecting often referred to as Lovecraftiana. Original materials (manuscripts, letters, and related documents) are especially prized, and typically trace back through several key provenance streams: the Clark Ashton Smith / Roy A. Squires path, the W.B. Talman / Gerry de la Ree line, or the odd and obscure Grill / Binkin / McLaughlin path. The Philip Jack Grill collection, in particular, has been regarded as one of the most extensive assemblages of Lovecraft-related material ever formed (Owings and Binkin, 1975). All these collections have however largely been dispersed by the 2000s. Finally, Lovecraftiana encompasses a small number of scarce and notable works on the subject of collecting itself, including The Lovecraft Collector (1949; 1977) and Tales of the Lovecraft Collectors (Faig, 1979+; 1989).

  • Faig, K.W., Jr. (1989), Tales of the Lovecraft Collectors. Evanston, Illinois: The Moshassuck Press, 77 pp. [in coll.: Photocopy of the original edition of 25 copies, made by the publisher in original white wraps with typed title, inscribed: "For John A. Conners, I hope you enjoy these tales. Kenneth W. Faig, Jr., 2-23-90", Errata page included at the end incl. clear reproductions of lines which didn't copy well due to faint originals]
  • Joshi, S.T., Michaud, M.A. (1980), Lovecraft's Library: A Catalogue. West Warwick, RI: Necronomicon Press, 90 pp. [in coll.: copy from the Lovecraft section of the Kennett Neily collection with his inked marks '4-24-80', and '9/4/80' on the Addendum #2 to Lovecraft's Library: A Catalogue, stappled and tipped in]
  • Owings, M., Binkin, I. (1975), A Catalog of Lovecraftiana: The Grill/Binkin Collection. Baltimore, MD: The Mirage Press, Ltd., 71 pp. [in coll.: One of 500 copies bound in full black cloth of a total of 2000 copies, signed by editorial and marketing director Jack L. Chalker and dated "Nov 1, 1975 Providence" below colophon. Also inscribed "For Ken Scher from Mark Owings" on title page]
  • No name (1977), The Lovecraft Collector. West Warwick, RI: Necronomicon Press, facsimile of the 3 articles which first appeared in 1949 [in coll.: one of 500 copies, no. 195, from the Lovecraft section of the Kennett Neily collection (no marking)]

Postcards from H.P. Lovecraft to W.B. Talman, praising "splendid" bookplates & "cover[ing] Poe, Machen, & Dunsany" with them

Lovecraft Postcards to Talman
Providence, R.I., USA: Unpublished, 1929

Description: Two holograph postcards from H.P. Lovecraft to Wilfred Blanch Talman (1904-1986), his friend and collaborator who also designed Lovecraft's iconic ex-libris bookplate:
(i) Featuring an image of the Fairbanks House in Dedham, Massachusetts, postmarked Providence, R.I., August 18, 1929. Lovecraft writes of his reaction to the receipt of the proof of the bookplate Talman designed for him: "Mynheer, I am knock'd out... I grow absolutely maudlin & lyrical... The thing is splendid [underlined], beyond ever those high expectations which I form'd from a survey of your pencil design! You have caught perfectly [underlined] the spirit that I wished to see reproduced" (see full transcript in caption).
(ii) Featuring an image of Manning Hall at Brown University, Providence, not dated, stamped or mailed. Lovecraft invites Talman and his wife to visit him while in Providence on their honeymoon and again mentions the bookplates: "Bookplates arrived safely, & I covered Poe, Machen, & Dunsany the very night they came" (see full transcript in caption).

Provenance: Wilfred Blanch Talman (1929-?) • Gerry de la Ree (?-?)

Select a thumbnail to view its caption.

H.P. Lovecraft's 1928 Copy of 'Landmarks of New York' that he "wish[ed] to Gawd [he]'d had [...] during [his] period of residence"

LOVECRAFT COPY - Landmarks of New York
New York: City History Club of New York, 1923

Description: Peterson, A.E. (1923), Landmarks of New York. New York: City History Club of New York, 261 pp. with fold-out map, illustrated. 12mo, original blue cloth flexi wrapped illustrated covers, worn and coffee spotted. H.P. Lovecraft bookplate (designed by Talman, see below) on front pastedown and Lovecraft's ownership inscription on the opposite front free endpaper: "H.P. Lovecraft Providence, R.I. May, 1928". This copy is mentioned at least twice by Lovecraft in his correspondence, e.g., "Did I tell you that I virtually covered all the sights in that City History Club book before leaving the NY region last spring? There were some splendid specimens, & I wish to Gawd I'd had the book during my period of residence. Have you followed up all of its leads? Don't miss Gravesend Village -or the regions south of Flatbush in general. You will find that local differences in Dutch architecture occur-all-wood & shingle cottages predominating in the southern Long Island region where stone was scarce" (Letters to Wilfred B. Talman, 2019:104). This copy preserves tangible evidence of Lovecraft's use. Seven pages bear pencilled marginal marks, each drawing attention to passages of antiquarian or architectural interest: "there is within a "Lincoln Museum" and a "Netherland Antiquity Museum" containing prints, clippings and relics" (p.51), "the first home of the College of the City of New York" (p.68), "the (214) Republican Club [...] has a large collection of rare prints and maps of old New York" (p.76), "picturesque Tarrytown" (p.122), "the massive Schwab mansion just beyond stands within the site of the old fort" (p.126), "it was in this locality that the ill-fated excursion steamer "General Slocum" was burned with great loss of life on June 15, 1904" (p.131), and "the Dominick Lynch mansion, a stately, square, stone structure; here was celebrated the first mass in Westchester County..." (p.133). One readily imagines Lovecraft consulting this very volume, using it as a guide to uncover survivals of an older New York. The marginal marks in this copy resonate with the descriptive precision of his tales, where landscape, architecture, and history are not mere background but essential elements.

Provenance: H.P. Lovecraft (1928-)

References: Letters to Wilfred B. Talman (2019:104). Copy not listed in Yoshi's Lovecraft's Library.

Select a thumbnail to view its caption.

Book collecting from the Gilded Age to the Roaring Twenties

"It is a curious thing that rare books and the precious things of the collector follow the flow of gold. When the United States became the great creditor nation, taking the place of England, at least for the time being, it was but natural that the various objects of art and interest should gravitate to this side."
A.S.W. Rosenbach, Books and Bidders, 1927:246

TEXT COMING LATER

The Juvenile Book Collection of Rare-Book Dealer A.S.W. Rosenbach

Abraham Simon Wolf Rosenbach (1876-1952) was the most influential rare book dealer of the American Golden Age of book collecting. Thanks to a combination of deep bibliographic knowledge, shrewd business acumen, and personal charm, Rosenbach became the trusted advisor and agent of the industrial titans J. Pierpont Morgan, Henry E. Huntington, and Henry Folger. He became instrumental in bringing some of the greatest literary and historical treasures from European libraries to American collections, especially during periods of British economic distress (including copies of Shakespeare's First Folio, Gutenberg Bibles, and precious manuscripts). Rosenbach provided an intimate account of the international book trade in the early twentieth century in his book Books and Bidders, which combines autobiographical reminiscences with broader essays on the nature of the book trade itself, what makes a rare book valuable, and historical notes on famous collectors from the Renaissance to his days (Rosenbach, 1927a). Alongside his business, Rosenbach began collecting juvenile books after inheriting his uncle Moses Polock's library in 1900. This formed an excellent nucleus, prompting him to pursue further rarities and, by the early 1930s, to assemble a comprehensive collection of American and English juveniles (Rosenbach, 1933). Rosenbach first wrote about the making and contents of his private collection of Early American Children's Books in a booklet issued for its exhibition at the New York Public Library (Rosenbach, 1927b), and again that same year in an article published in the May 14, 1927 issue of the Saturday Evening Post (see below). The collection is now preserved at the Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia.

  • Rosenbach, A.S.W. (1927a), Books and Bidders. The Adventures of a Bibliophile. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, xx pp. [in coll.: Octavo, original brown quarter cloth in its slipcase. Signed limited large-paper issue, number 297 of 785 copies signed by the author on the limitation page, of which 750 were for sale. Contains the red morocco and gilt bookplate of Alfred Sutro on the front pastedown. Alfred Sutro (1869-1945) was a San Francisco lawyer and bibliophile, who served as president of the Book Club of California from 1925 to 1945]
  • Rosenbach, A.S.W. (1927b), Early American children's books 1682-1840 : The private collection of Dr. A. S. W. Rosenbach, on exhibition at the New York public library, 1927. NYC: New York public library, 15 pp., 4 pl. [in coll.: In original stiff-card wrappers, inscribed by the author: "?? Williams with the regards of A.S.W. Rosenbach March 20, 1927"]
  • Rosenbach, A.S.W. (1933, 1983), Early American Children's Books, With Bibliographical Descriptions of the Books in his Private Collection. Millwood, NY: 1983 Kraus reprint, 354 pp. [in coll.]

A Precious and Unique Memento of A.S.W. Rosenbach's Children's Book Collecting, from the Wilbur Macey Stone Library

STONE COPY - Early American Children's Books, by A.S.W. Rosenbach
Philadelphia: Saturday Evening Post, 1927

Description: A precious copy of the article Early American Children's Books, carefully cut out and transformed into a unique clipping book by Wilbur Macey Stone (1862-1941), one of the foremost collectors of juvenile books. Cloth backed paper covered boards, Burgundy cloth, 12 x 16 cm, 37 pp.. This booklet is inscribed by Rosenbach to Stone: "Inscribed for Wilbur Macey Stone with the regard and appreciation of A.S.W. Rosenbach. August 15 1928". It bears Stone's beautifully illustrated ex-libris Collectanea Juvenilia on front pastedown, as well as two rear pastedown bookplates: "Smith Collage Library, Northampton Massachusetts, from the library of Marjorie Bache Mendon, Class of 1930" and M. Bache Mendon personal bookplate. This unique booklet exemplifies meta-collecting at its most concrete: a scholarly work on collecting, a collectible in its own right, and simultaneously part of another distinguished collector's library, illustrating how a single item can embody multiple aspects of collecting practice.

Provenance: Wilbur Macey Stone (c. 1928-1941) • Marjorie Bache Mendon ()

Select a thumbnail to view its caption.

The Library of Robert Hoe III

COMING LATER

Book collecting from the First Empire to the Belle Epoque

TEXT COMING LATER

The Library of Baron Jérôme Pichon

COMING LATER

The Library & Works of the Duke of Aumale

Henri d'Orléans, duc d'Aumale (1822-1897) was the greatest bibliophile and art collector of his time. He was the youngest son of Louis-Philippe of Orléans (1773-1850), the last King of France during the period 1830-1848, and the grand-nephew and godson of Louis-Henri-Joseph, duc de Bourbon, prince de Condé (1756-1830). From the latter, he inherited a colossal fortune, including the Château de Chantilly, where he passionately added to and enhanced the treasures amassed by the castle's former owners, the Princes of Condé. According to his own words, the Duke of Aumale became "decidedly bibliomaniac" around 1850, during his exile in England (following the French Revolution of 1848 and lasting until 1871), all the while secretly managing to retain ownership of the castle. He multiplied his acquisitions across Europe, purchasing from booksellers and attending major auctions. Among his most notable acquisitions was the Book of Hours Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, one of the most precious manuscripts in the world. He had a deep passion for the oldest, rarest, and most valuable books, and, for instance, owned several Grolier bindings. Beyond bibliophilia, he also assembled the second largest collection of antique paintings in France, surpassed only by the Louvre Museum at the time. In the late 1870s, he undertook the reconstruction of the Château de Chantilly and transformed several rooms into museum spaces, such as the Reading Room and the Gallery of Painting, designed by the architect Honoré Daumet, to display his collections. In 1886, the Duke of Aumale donated the Château de Chantilly and its collections to the Institut de France, reserving usufruct for himself. Upon his death in 1897, full ownership passed to the Institut, and the estate became the Musée Condé.

  • Picot, E. (1890), Catalogue du Cabinet des Livres de Chantilly. Spécimen. Paris: Damascène Morgand, 48 pp. [in coll.: One of 50 copies, here inscribed by the editor: "A Monsieur ? Bocher. Hommage empressé de l'éditeur D. Morgand." de Ricci (1918) wrote: "[Emile Picot] avait rêvé de cataloguer le Cabinet des Livres de Chantilly sur le même plan et avec la même ampleur que la bibliothèque Rothschild ; il en publia au moins un charmant Specimen qui est lui-même une rareté bibliographique (Tiré à 50 ex.)."]

A Rare Set of Photographs of the Chantilly Castle & of its Collections by Chalot

Château de Chantilly
Chantilly, France: A. Chalot (photographer), c. 1885

Description: Photographs of the Château de Chantilly, its Reading Room, and its Gallery of Painting (with view of the Rotunda), by Alphonse Chalot. Original photographs mounted on cardboard. Another cardboard piece, not shown here but part of the collection, bears the photographer's signature: "Chalot, Photographe, 18 rue Vivienne, Paris." — Following the reconstruction by architect Daumetof the Château de Chantilly (mutilated since the Revolution), the Duke of Aumale entrusted Alphonse Chalot, a native of Chantilly, with photographing the castle and its park in 1885-86. These historic photographs offer a rare glimpse into his collections: nearly 19,000 books are displayed in the Reading Room, including 1,500 manuscripts. The Gallery of Painting stands as an exceptional example of nineteenth-century museography: paintings are hung in multiple tiers, frame to frame, arranged by format rather than chronology, reflecting the Duke of Aumale's personal taste. In accordance with his wishes, the layout of these collections has remained unchanged to this day. Chalot's photographs of the collection are well known, with many preserved at the Musée Condé.

Select a thumbnail to view its caption.

A Fine Binding from the Duc d’Aumale’s Library for One of His Scholarly Work on Early Manuscript Collections

AUTHOR COPY - ... deux petites Bibliothèques françaises du XVe siècle
London: Philobiblon Society, 1855

Description: Orléans, Henry d’ (1855), Notes sur deux petites Bibliothèques françaises du XVe siècle. Bibliographical and Historical Miscellanies [of the] Philobiblon Society, I, 64 pp. Followed by Lettre de Guillaume III, 5 pp.. In-8, full midnight blue morocco binding signed by Capé, spine with raised bands richly decorated with gilt fillets, motifs, and arabesques, covers framed with a triple gilt fillet, featuring fleur-de-lis at the corners, gilt edges. Duke of Aumale's coat of arms (HO) at the centre of both covers, bearing the motto born of exile "J'attendrai" (I will wait). Ex-dono manuscript (signature illegible): "Offert à Mr F. Ferroud en souvenir de bonnes relations, Paris, ce 10 mars 1910." The Duke of Aumale commissioned works from the finest binders of his time (Trautz, Capé, Duru), and in 1850, he remarked, "I know rare books are expensive; I know that beautiful bindings are too; but I love both, and especially the two together, and I want to pay the price they deserve." The present copy, bound by Capé, stands as a prime example of exquisite bookbinding - An invaluable work by the Duc d'Aumale on two early fifteenth-century manuscript collections, which he discovered within the book collection inherited from the last Prince of Condé. By identifying recurring coats of arms, he was able to reassemble the libraries of Antoine de Chourses (?-1485) and his wife Demoiselle Katherine de Coetivy, as well as of Jean Du Mas, seigneur de L'Isle (1437-1495). Including a detailed list of the books in these collections, this work can also be regarded as a collection catalogue. The author's passion is evident in his writing, providing rich bibliographical details about each manuscript, its physical characteristics, and provenance.

Provenance: Henri d'Orléans, duc d'Aumale

Select a thumbnail to view its caption.

The 1840 Fortsas Hoax

In 1840, booksellers, collectors, and librarians received an auction catalogue announcing the sale of the library of the Comte de Fortsas, a man said to collect only unique books, works of which only a single copy was known to exist! Naturally, the prospect electrified the bibliophilic world. Numerous collectors traveled to Binche, Belgium, hoping to bid on these extraordinary items. Upon arrival, however, they discovered that the auction address simply did not exist. The legendary Fortsas catalogue, which famously lists the 52 imaginary books of the imaginary Comte de Fortsas, remains the sole documentation of the celebrated so-called Fortsas hoax of 1840. The deception had been orchestrated by the antiquarian Renier Hubert Ghislain Chalon. Only 132 copies of the catalogue were printed, along with 73 copies of the “Avis” sheet, in which Chalon announced that the sale had been cancelled and that the books had been acquired en bloc by the public library of the town of Binche. Owing to its historical importance, several later editions were produced: a second printing (recognizable by minor typographical differences); the 1850 facsimile published in the Journal de l’Amateur de Livres (rarely noted in studies of the Fortsas hoax); the Brussels edition of 1856; the Lyon edition of 1863; and others (Quérard, J.-M. (1869), Supercheries Littéraires Dévoilées).

WANTED: First printing of the Fortsas catalogue

The first facsimile of the 'Catalogue... de la bibliothèque de feu Mr. le Comte J.-N.-A. de Fortsas', one of 150 copies published in 1850

de RIS COPY - Catalogue... Comte J.-N.-A. de Fortsas (facsimile)
Paris, France: M. Jannet, 1850

Description: [Chalon, R.H.G.] (1840, repr. 1850), Catalogue d'une très riche mais peu nombreuse collection de livres provenant de la bibliothèque de feu M. le comte J.-N.-A. de Fortsas, dont la vente se fera à Binche, le 10 août 1840 à onze heures du matin, en l'étude et par le ministère de Me Mourlon, Notaire, rue de l'Église, n°9. Mons, Belgium: E. Hoyois, Libraire. Facsimile reprint in Journal de l'Amateur de Livres, comprising title page, preface, and pp. 141–152. Contemporary binding in comb-pattern paper boards; fold to upper cover, original to the binding process and reinforced on the verso with thick paper, likely to prevent splitting at the joints. Binding typical of those commissioned by Count Clément de Ris, here bearing his inscription: "Cte L. Clément de Rys – 1868 – Payé 1 fr. à Angers, septembre." Ink annotation in the journal postface: "En mai 1850 un exemplaire a été vendu 26fr50, no 1371bis Baudeleveque [TBC]." This edition constitutes the earliest facsimile, and arguably the closest substitute, for the original 1840 Fortsas catalogue. Issued in 1850 as a supplement to the Journal de l'Amateur de Livres separately printed in an edition of 150 copies (barely exceeding the original edition), it remains comparatively scarce. The journal itself was published by the bibliophile Pierre Jannet between 1848 and the early 1850s. The postface to the facsimile (pp. 151-152) underscores the historical significance of the 1840 Fortsas catalogue, reproduces a letter by Baron de Reiffenberg identifying works of interest to the Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique, and concludes: "Le catalogue de Fortsas avait été tiré à petit nombre. Il est rare depuis long-temps et se paie fort cher dans les ventes. Nous croyons faire plaisir à nos lecteurs en réimprimant cette facétie, une des meilleures de ce genre, sans y rien ajouter ni changer." It should be noted, however, that the typographical layout of the title page differs from that of the original edition. Newspaper clipping tipped in, titled Bibliofolie, Des lots vides (by B. Galimard Flavigny, c. 2005).

Provenance: Louis Clément-de-Ris (1868-1882 TBC). Louis Clément de Ris (1820-1882) was a famous collector and museum curator at the Louvre. He wrote several books on the history of collections.

Select a thumbnail to view its caption.

Book collecting from the Regency Era to the Victorian Era

TEXT COMING LATER

The Library of William Thomas Beckford

William Thomas Beckford (1760-1844), who inherited a colossal fortune from transatlantic slavery, was a novelist, art collector and bibliophile. The legendary setting of his collections, Fonthill Abbey, his dream house, is perhaps better known than the collections themselves, or at least contributed to their elevation. Known as Beckford's Folly, it was an enormous country house built in the Gothic revival style between 1796 and 1813. Once completed, Beckford lived in near-total seclusion, enjoying both the splendour of the building and his vast treasures alone. He had effectively exiled himself from British society following a scandal, and was later widowed when his wife died in Switzerland while giving birth to their second child. During this continental exile, Beckford had seized the opportunity to acquire the Lausanne library of Edward Gibbon, forming the foundation of his own library, which would grow to an extraordinary scale. By 1822, however, mounting debts forced him to put Fonthill Abbey up for sale. An illustrated catalogue was prepared by Christie's, and the pre-sale viewing drew such crowds from London that every farmhouse in the surrounding area was filled with visitors. Before the auction could take place, Fonthill, along with part of its contents, was sold to John Farquhar, a millionaire dealer in gunpowder. Farquhar promptly auctioned the art and furnishings in the famous Fonthill sale of 1823. The Fonthill sale event was vividly recorded by William Hazlitt in Sketches of the Picture Galleries of England: "FONTHILL ABBEY, after being enveloped in impenetrable mystery for a length of years, has been unexpectedly thrown open to the vulgar gaze, and has lost none of its reputation for magnificence – though, perhaps, its visionary glory, its classic renown, have vanished from the public mind for ever. It is, in a word, a desert of magnificence, a glittering waste of laborious idleness, a cathedral turned into a toy-shop, an immense Museum of all that is most curious and costly..." Adding to its legend, the central tower of Fonthill collapsed in 1825. Farquhar sold what he could and died six months later of apoplexy. Beckford, a compulsive collector, had repurchased many of his former possessions during the 1823 sale, often at prices lower than those he had originally paid, assisted by his son-in-law, the Duke of Hamilton. This effectively constituted a second collection, which Beckford developed and housed at Lansdown Tower in Bath, yet another architectural folly known as Beckford's Tower. His enduring passion for books is attested by letters written to his bookseller, George Clarke, between 1830 and 1834 (Gemmett, 2000). This second collection was inherited by his younger daughter, Susan Euphemia Beckford, wife of Alexander Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton. The books and most important treasures were transferred to Hamilton Palace. The collection was ultimately dispersed in the Hamilton Palace sale of 1882, one of the major auctions of the century, with the library sold by Sotheby's in 1883.

A Rare 1787 Art Collection Notice from 'Beckford's Folly' Library, in Precious Kalthoeber Binding, sold at the 1823 Auction

Catalogue of the several paintings in the King of Spain's palace at Madrid
London: printed for C. Dilly, in the Poultry and J. Walter, Charing-Cross, 1787

Description: Cumberland, Richard (1787), An accurate and descriptive catalogue of the several paintings in the King of Spain's palace at Madrid; with some account of the pictures in the Buen-Retiro. London: printed for C. Dilly, in the Poultry and J. Walter, Charing-Cross, 131 pp.. 12mo (160 x 91mm). Contemporary full tree calf binding by C. Kalthoeber, London (orange ticket to front fly-leaf verso) with beautifully tooled coat of arms in gilt to both covers (arms of the Order of the Garter 'honi soit qui mal y pense' founded by Edward III of which Beckford claimed descent). Covers framed in gilt. Spine in six compartments between gilt-decorated raised bands, red morocco lettering piece gilt, all edges gilt. Penned notes 'Beckford copy' and 'From Clumber Library'. This beautiful binding echoes what William Hazlitt wrote of Beckford's holdings: "... the most highly finished, the most costly and curious, of that kind of ostentatious magnificence which is calculated to gratify the sense of property in the owner..." - In his day, Christian Samuel Kalthoeber (1752-1819), a German bookbinder working in London and binder to George III and Catherine the Great, was considered one of the finest in the world. A number of books from the Beckford library have been bound by Kalthoeber, demonstrating Beckford's taste for Kalthoeber's craftsmanship.

Provenance: William Thomas Beckford, Fonthill Abbey (?-1822) • John Farquhar (1822-23) • Fourth Duke of Newcastle, Clumber Library - The magnificent ducal library at Clumber House, in its heyday, seems to have resembled a very grandiose gentlemen's club. The library was dispersed at auction by Sotheby0s in 1937 and Clumber House demolished a year later.

References: The Valuable Library of Books, in Fonthill Abbey. A Catalogue of the Magnificent, Rare, and Valuable Library... (1823:368, lot 3487) - The present copy was sold on the thirty-fifth day of the auction (Saturday, the 25th of October, 1823), as part of bookcases nos. 1 to 4 in the Buhl Cabinet. From a study of the catalogue's listings, it seems that this Buhl cabinet was located in the yellow damask Drawing Rooms of Fonthill Abbey.

Select a thumbnail to view its caption.

The start of Bibliomania

COMING LATER

Book collecting during the Enlightenment

TEXT COMING LATER

The Library of John Ker, the 3rd Duke of Roxburghe

John Ker, Duke of Roxburghe (1740-1804) was a distinguished bibliophile whose celebrated collection included illuminated medieval manuscripts, incunabula, and other exceptionally rare books. He is best remembered for the historic dispersal of his library after his death, an event that reshaped the culture of book collecting and became the defining moment of Bibliomania in the early 19th century. The 1812 auction of the splendid Roxburghe library, conducted by the noted bookseller and auctioneer Robert Harding Evans, drew the rare-book dealers and wealthy private collectors of the time and set unprecedented price records. Among the most famous lots was the Valdarfer Boccaccio, an early edition of The Decameron, which sold for £2,260 to the Marquis of Blandford, a remarkable sum for the period. The auction quickly attained mythological status in the world of book collecting, and in its aftermath, the Roxburghe Club was founded by Thomas Frognall Dibdin (with George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer as its first President), becoming the first society dedicated to the appreciation and celebration of rare books. We learn more about the tastes of the Duke of Roxburghe in the preface of the 1812 catalogue: "He idolized the talents of Shakspeare and Cervantes, and collected every thing that could illustrate their works [...] there are in this Library, not only the rarest, but, in point of condition, the most beautiful specimens that exist [...] Among the books printed by Caxton in this Collection, which, in point of condition, and cleanness, are unparalleled in any Library in the world [...] Among the Novellists is the first edition of Il Decamerone di Boccaccio, 1471. This is certainly one of the scarcest, if not very scarcest book that exists [...] But of the rarity of the books, or the beauty of the copies in this Collection, it would be endless to speak."

A Scholar's Priced Copy of the Legendary 1812 'Catalogue of the Library of the late John Duke of Roxburghe'

A Catalogue of the Library of the late John Duke of Roxburghe
London, England: W. Bulmer and Co., 1812

Description: [Roxburghe Library] (1812), A Catalogue of the Library of the late John Duke of Roxburghe, arranged by G. and W. Nicol, booksellers to his Majesty, Pall-Mall; which will be sold by auction, at his Grace's late residence in St. Jame's Square, on Monday, 18th May, 1812, and the Forty-one following days, Sundays excepted, at Twelve o'clock, by Robert H. Evans, bookseller, Pall-Mall. London: W. Bulmer and Co., . Octavo. Old calf and marbled boards, rebacked in half calf with modern endsheets at some point in the last century, gilt label. Forecorners worn, some wear to spine, uniform tanning to textblock, small water-stain to preliminary blank. As with many copies, this copy is bound without the slightly later supplement (iv, 20pp) and the printed price list (73pp). Priced throughout in an early hand. On page 173 an early manuscript note about the historic sale of the Valdarfer Boccaccio and its 1819 resale fills the lower margin. With the bookplates of Randolph Greenfield Adams (1892-1951) and Thomas Randolph Adams (1921-2008). Tipped in front is a sheet of typescript of R.G. Adams's bibliographical notes on this copy, signed in ink with initials and dated 10 September 1942, with an additional note in manuscript about the 1819 Marlborough sale. Adams records the provenance of this copy (he acquired it from Peter Bailey as a discard from the Bay City Public Library) and compares it to copies at the Clements and at the University of Michigan General Library.

Provenance: Randolph Greenfield Adams • Thomas Randolph Adams. R.G. Adams (1942-1951 TBC), bibliographer and historian who served as the first Director of the Clements Library (1923-1951), establishing it as one of the great North American research libraries. Thomas Randolph Adams (1951 TBC-2008) followed in his father's footsteps as bibliographer and historian, librarian of the John Carter Brown Library.

Select a thumbnail to view its caption.

A Very Rare Book from the Legendary Duke of Roxburghe Library

Absconditorum a constitutione mundi Clauis, by Guillaume Postel
n.p. [Basel, Switzerland]: n.p., [c.1547]

Description: 16mo. 52 unnumbered ff. Italic letter, occasional Roman. Light browning to first, slightly toned in places. Handsomely bound in 18th century crimson morocco, marbled endpapers, bordered with gilt floral roll, gilt armorial centrepiece of John Ker, 3rd Duke of Roxburghe to covers, spine gilt to a design of fleurons and Greek fillets, all edges gilt and gauffered, corners, head and foot of spine a bit rubbed, ink splashes to covers and spine. 'CP' to verso of ffep, '624' later pencilled, occasional early underlining - The rare first edition of this important work on religious mysticism. The compiler of the 1812 catalogue notes: "It seems to be proper to say, that there is one class of books in this Catalogue, among which there are some very rare ones, that were not purchased by the late Possessor. They were collected early in the late century, when free-thinking was much the fashion. William Postel, Giordano Bruno, or Benedict Spinosa, could be no favourites with the late Proprietor, who only valued philosophical writers, in proportion as they improved the morals of mankind" (p.16). This book likely originated with the 2nd Duke and was later incorporated into his son's celebrated library for its rarity.

Provenance: John Ker, 3rd Duke of Roxburghe • John Broadley

References: Roxburghe auction catalogue (1812:lot 624); Evans (1833:lot 321). R.H. Evans' Catalogue of the second portion of the library, prints and original drawings of John Broadley, Esq. records six works by Postel in red morocco, including the present copy. Four of these (lots 319, 321, 322, and 323) correspond to the same titles sold at the 1812 Roxburghe auction (lots 626, 624, 625, and 623, respectively). Given the rarity of these works, it is highly likely that at least four of Broadley's Postel volumes originated from the Roxburghe library and retain their identical red morocco bindings. Notably, a digitized copy of the 1812 catalogue shows that all four lots were acquired by the same buyer, identified as 'Massey' (TBC). It is also worth noting that the 1812 catalogue dates all four works to 1552, whereas Evans's 1833 catalogue corrects the date to 1547 for the present copy.

Select a thumbnail to view its caption.

Book collecting during the Renaissance

TEXT COMING LATER

The Library of Louis-Émeric Bigot: Bibliotheca Bigotiana

Louis-Émeric Bigot (1626-1689), after inheriting the precious library of his father Jean Bigot, significantly increased its holdings through his trips across Europe. His house became the gathering place of savants and writers to discuss questions of history, philosophy or literature under his presidency. This celebrated regional cabinet was sold at auction in 1706 after being bought by a group of Parisian booksellers, Jean Boudot, Charles Osmont and Gabriel Martin. Bibliotheca Bigotiana was the first book auction in Paris for which a catalogue was printed. The notice to the reader of the catalogue indicates that "inspired by ancestral examples and following in his father's footsteps, [LOUIS EMERIC BIGOT] resolutely undertook the augmentation and embellishment of the BIGOTIANA Library, which was already renowned at that time for the number and selection of both manuscripts and printed books, regardless of the cost, care, or industry required." The books of the famous Jacques de Mesmes library, for whom Gabriel Naudé had dedicated his Avis pour dresser une bibliothèque in 1627, were dispersed alongside the Bigot library. The volumes were included anonymously, despite their historical value, to the Bibliotheca Bigotiana catalogue by the three Parisian booksellers.

A Partially-Priced Copy of the First Parisian Book Auction Catalogue

Bibliotheca Bigotiana seu catalogus librorum..., by G. Martin
Paris: Apud Joannem Boudot, Carolum Osmont, Gabrielem Martin, 1706

Description: Martin, Gabriel (1706), Bibliotheca Bigotiana seu catalogus librorum, quos (dum viverent) summa cura & industria, ingentique sumptu congessere viri clarissimi DD. uterque Joannes, Nicolaus, & Lud. Emericus Bigotii. Paris: Apud Joannem Boudot, Carolum Osmont, Gabrielem Martin. Five parts in one volume, I-II: 220 pp., III: 248 pp., 59 pp., IV: 31 pp., V: 31 pp. Contemporary binding, brown calfskin, spine with raised bands adorned, title label in red morocco. An angular page loss with some characters missing p.21 of part IV. Marginal notes in ink and pencil giving the prices realised on c. 75 pages. Unknown owner's name "Gonnant" and a short manuscript biography of Louis-Émeric Bigot - This catalogue comprises about 16,500 items: 2954 in-folio, 4345 in.quarto, 8147 in-octavo, 597 varia in supplement and 450 manuscripts. This is a rare book notable on many aspects. The Bigot library sale in 1706 was the first book auction conducted in Paris for which a catalogue was printed. Prior to this auction several auction catalogues for private libraries had been printed in Paris, but these libraries were sold privately and thus never went to auction. This is also the first of the 148 catalogues compiled by Gabriel Martin (1679-1761) in which he employs a novel bibliographical system (books grouped according to sizes, and within them, according to subjects).

Select a thumbnail to view its caption.

A Theological Book from Louis-Émeric Bigot's Section of 'Bibliotheca Bigotiana', with his Marginalia

Two texts, by Cameron, John & Cappel, Louis
Geneva: Petrum Auberum, 1632

Description: Cameron, John & Cappel, Louis (1632), Ioh. Cameronis Myrothecium evangelicum, hoc est Novi Testamenti loca quam plurima ab eo, post aliorum labores, apte & commode vel illustrata, vel explicata, vel vindicata - Lud. Cappell Spicilegium & diatribae dux - I. De interpretatione loci Matth. XV.5, II. De voto Iephthae. Geneva: Petrum Auberum, Quarto (23.5 × 16 cm), (14) + 360 pp. and 184 pp.; text in Latin with passages in Ancient Greek and Hebrew. Contemporary full vellum binding, smooth spine without lettering; printed on fine seventeenth-century laid paper. Louis-Émeric Bigot armorial bookplate (large version, 7 x 7.5 cm engraving) pasted on the front pastedown, with his name "L E Bigot". Seven pages with marginalia from Bigot's hand (still to decipher). This is a book from one of the most important private libraries in France. "He is the young man in France with the greatest passion for letters, and one of those who, without ostentation, is most deeply immersed in Greek and Latin. His vehement inclination is to contribute to the restoration of the good authors of both languages," wrote Jean Chapelain of Louis-Émeric Bigot. The marginalia point to a theologically trained and disciplined reader.

Provenance: Louis-Émeric Bigot

References: Bibliotheca Bigotiana (1706:77, lot 129)

Select a thumbnail to view its caption.

The Manuscript Collection of Jean Bigot

At the beginning of the seventeenth century, it was extremely rare for a private, provincial, lay collection to gain any reputation. The admiration is therefore all the greater for the treasures of the Bigot family. Dean of the counselors in the Court of Aids of Normandy, Jean Bigot (?–?) spent enormous sums for the time in building his library of six thousand volumes, including several hundred manuscripts, by 1644. His manuscript collection was the richest ever built by an individual in Normandy, with specimens procured from other amateurs as well as from abandoned monasteries (Delisle, 1877:iii-v). His son Louis-Émeric Bigot inherited the library and significantly increased its holdings.

  • Delisle, L. (1877), Bibliotheca Bigotiana Manuscripta. Rouen, France: Henry Doissel, 105 pp.

A Heraldic Manuscript with Prestigious Jean Bigot Provenance

French treatise on heraldry and armorial
France: Anonymous manuscript, c. 15th century

Description: In-4 (191 x 135 mm). (1) leaf, 96 pp., (12) pp. Elegant seventeenth-century binding of tan polished calf over pasteboard, decorated spine with gilt lettering (partly erased): "Armaries. T. L. M. S." (TBC) and gilt armorial, double gilt fillets forming frame on boards. Jean Bigot's armorial bookplate (9 x 11 cm engraving) pasted on the front pastedown, with his name "Johannes Bigot". Bigot's shelf-mark number on front pastedown 'D 15'. French manuscript with polychrome illuminations containing a treatise on heraldry, illustrated with 34 coats of arms, followed by an armorial comprising 447 coats of arms with their identification and heraldic description. At the beginning of the manuscript, there is an annotated leaf containing 2 coats of arms, bringing the total to 483 drawn and watercolor-painted coats of arms. The text, in a late fifteenth-century Gothic script, has approximately 15 lines per page, usually with 6 coats of arms per page. At the beginning of the manuscript is a leaf containing two pages filled with cursive writing, barely legible. It appears to be an acknowledgment of debt, dated August 14, 1594. This is followed by two large unidentified coats of arms. An 11-page index of names was added at the end of the volume in the seventeenth century (possibly by Jean Bigot). A loss of paper on pp. 41-42 removes a coat of arms with its corresponding text".
This manuscript, of prestigious provenance, with finely executed and painted heraldic shields likely executed by a skilled arms painter, remaining anonymous, was probably excerpted from the armorial of the herald Navarre, a collection created around 1368-1375 containing descriptions of over 1,500 coats of arms. According to Saffroy, its author would be Martin Carbonnel, herald to Charles the Bad, king of Navarre. While the original is now lost, the BnF preserves a few manuscript copies. One of these is titled Blazon et deviz des armes de tous les Roys chrétiens Princes et seigneurs du sang de France et autres barons, baneroys et chevaliers du Pays de France, Normandie, Champaigne, Bourgongne, Bretaigne, le Maine, Anjou, Tourayne, Vermandoys, Beauvoisin, Pontif, Artois, Corbyois, Poitou, Berry, Breban, Flandres, Henault et Angleterre (ms. fr. 14356, fifteenth century, on paper, 130 pp.). The present manuscript appears to be an excerpt from one of the manuscript copies of this famous armorial.

Provenance: Jean Bigot, seigneur de Somesnil. The Bigot collection was dispersed at auction in 1706. The manuscripts were purchased in bulk by the Bibliothèque Nationale. Léopold Delisle catalogued them in 1877 as Bibliotheca Bigotiana Manuscripta. Some volumes remained in the family and were probably dispersed through inheritance.

Select a thumbnail to view its caption.

The Library of Jacques Auguste de Thou: Bibliothecae Thuanae

Jacques Auguste de Thou (1553-1617) was one of the great book collectors of the Renaissance, alongside Jean Grolier, Cardinal Richelieu, Cardinal Mazarin, and Colbert (Rosenbach, 1927:21). A politician and diplomat, he is famous for negotiating the Edict of Nantes. He was also a historian of the contemporary history of Europe and of its religious wars with his 1604 book put on the Index librorum prohibitorum for his denouncement of the persecution of heretics. de Thou "had the finest library of his time [and] was the truest type of book lover. He had not one but several copies of each book he felt a particular affection for; he ordered them printed on the best paper obtainable, expressly for himself. His bindings are richly beautiful, of the finest leathers, exquisitely designed. They are easily recognizable, as his armorial stamp, with golden bees, is on the sides, and the back is marked with a curious cipher made from his initials" (Rosenbach, 1927:24). Called "the Prince of Bibliophiles" by Le Roux de Lincy (LRdL1866:xxxix), de Thou owned for example eight volumes with Grolier binding (LRdL1866:xj), some of which had been gifted to his father Christophe de Thou from Grolier. de Thou's notoriety as a book collector was such that he was taken as Dean by the Société des Bibliophiles Français presided by the famous bibliophiles Duke of Aumale and Baron Jérôme Pichon in the 19th century.

The Bibliothecae Thuanae Copy of a Chivalric Book, Part of Don Quixote’s Fictional Library

Historia del Valorisissimo Cavallier della Croce
Venice: Pietro Deuchino, 1580

Description: De Salazar, Alonso (1580), Historia del Valorisissimo Cavallier della Croce. Venice: Pietro Deuchino. Binding of the finest leather, with typical plain brown boards with minimal tooling, bearing on each side the gilt coats of arms of Jacques Auguste de Thou (while still a bachelor, pre-1588). '(J4)' de Thou shelf mark written on the front board. Canting arms made of a chevron between three horseflies (in French = 'taon' = Thou), and his initials. Boards worn with edge and corner wear and some rubbing; front joint cracked and worm hole at bottom of spine; spine possibly professionally rebacked; ink notes by old hand on title page. Stored in modern clamshell case - This is a rare book with only three copies of this edition listed in Worldcat. The original Spanish version was first printed in 1521. Cervantes mentions this book in Don Quixote, the Knight of the Cross being one of the instigating books in Don Quixote's library and was subsequently burnt by the priest, niece and housekeeper for being the genesis of Don Quixote's troubles.

Provenance: Jacques Auguste de Thou (pre-1588) • de Thou's sons (1617-1680) • Jean-Jacques Charon, Marquis de Ménars (1680-1706) • Armand de Rohan (1706-1749) • Charles de Rohan, Prince de Soubise (1749-1788) • ... • Kenneth Rapoport (?-2022 TBC)

References: Catalogus Bibliothecae Thuanae (1679:409); Prince de Soubise auction catalogue (1788:lot 5342)

Select a thumbnail to view its caption.