Book Auctions in England in the Seventeenth Century (1676-1700). With a Chronological List of the Book Auctions of the Period.

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Quarter-cloth and patterned boards, 8vo, 20 cm, xliv, 241 pp. Lawler discusses the background to the first English book auction, in 1676, and the rapid growth of the auction market - by 1700, some 350,000 titles worth a quarter of a million pounds had been auctioned in England, representing both libraries dispersed by collectors and excess stock disposed of by booksellers. "An excellent monograph." - Rosenblum. From a contemorary review: "Most of the early |catalogues| were preceded by more or less quaintly worded addresses to possible purchasers, and Mr. Lawler prints many of these at length. The auctioneers for a long time deemed it necessary to commence by extolling the merits of the auction system ; but later on these addresses reveal, and occasionally denounce, tricks both of the trade and of buyers. It is amusing to find one auctioneer pluming himself on not practising the devices of some of his rivals, who put forward 'the stale and formal pretences of their [wares] being the Libraries of some late learned Divines or famed Antiquaries deceased, to recommend them'." The author, John Lawler, was compiler of the Sunderland, Gennadius, Ashburnham and other important sale catalogues, etc. Contents: Preface; Introduction; Chapter I. William Cooper's Sales. 1676-88; II. Edward Millington's Book-Auctions, 1680-1698; III. Other English Book-Auctioneers of the Seventeenth century; IV. Dr. Bernard's Library, 1686; V. John Dunton's Irish Book Auctions ; Index. Spine dulled, otherwise Very Good. N° de ref. del artículo ABE-58874

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