爵 deceased; Fox, quitted; Pridden, Gardner, Collins, Chapman, King, Ogilvie, Joseph White, W. Lowndes, Dennis, Sheppardson and Reynolds, John Hayes, Anderson, Cuthell, Marson, Manson, Thornton, Jefferys, and Barker. Of late years also the Booksellers in many of our Provincial Towns have exhibited Catalogues of no small bulk or value; particularly Oxford, Canterbury, Norwich, Cambridge, York, Exeter, Halifax, Woodbridge, &c. &c. &c. Prices were at first fixed in the first leaf of each Book; afterwards, as at present, transcribed from thence into the printed Catalogue, where some books, however, of great value, are left without price. The Library of Sir Richard Gibbs, knt. of Great Waltham and Bury St. Edmund's, was sold in 1729 by T. Green, Spring Gardens, Bookseller (with fixed prices). Qu. If not the earliest? I have seen an undated "Address to the Learned: or, an advantageous Lottery for Books in Quires; wherein each Adventurer of a Guinea is sure of a Prize of Two Pound Value; and it is but Four to One that he has a Prize of Three, Six, Eight, Twelve, or Fifty Pounds, as appears by the following Proposals:" 1500 lots, at 17. 1s. each, to be drawn with the lots out of two glasses, superintended by John Tale, the Character of the Wife at Bath, the Tale of the Wife at Bath, and her Five Husbands-all modernized from Chaucer; by A. Jackson. The first refiner of our native lays Chaunted these tales in Second Richard's days; And what was sterling verse so long ago Is here new coined to make it current now. Lond. 1750, Svo." The contents of his Catalogues of the years 1756, 1757, 1759, and one without date, as specified in their titles, were in rhime. In 1751, in conjunction with Charles Marsh, he republished, as Shakespeare's, a "Briefe conceipte touching the Commonweale of this Realme of England; originally printed in 1581." He quitted his business about a year before his death, which happened on the twenty-fifth of July 1778, having completed his 83d year the fourteenth of May preceding. Lilly and Edward Darrel, esqrs. Mr. Deputy Collins, and Mr. William Proctor, stationer. 2 lots of 50l. 10 of 12l. 20 of 8l. 68 of 6l. 200 of 3l. 1200 of 21. The undertakers were: Thomas Leigh and D. Midwinter, at the Rose and Crown, in St. Paul's church-yard; Mr. Aylmer, at the Three Pigeons, and Mr. Richard Parker, under the Piazza of the Royal Exchange; Mr. Nicholson §, in Little Britain; Mr. Tooke, at the Middle Temple Gate, Fleet-street; Mr. Brown, at the Black Swan, without Temple Bar; Mr. Sare, at Gray's-inn Gate; Mr. Lownds, at the Savoy Gate; Mr. Castle, near Scotland-yard Gate; and Mr. Gilly flower, in Westminster-hall; Booksellers. D. H. Gent. Mag. vol. LVIII. pp. 1065-1069. * Who had been Clerk to the Stationers Company. See p. 606. +"Mr. Brabazon Ailmer, a very just and religious man. I was partner with him in Keith's Narrative of the Proceedings at Turners Hall, and so had an opportunity to know him. He is nicely exact in all his accounts, and is well acquainted with the mysteries of his trade. He printed Bishop Tillotson's Works, so many of them as came abroad in his life-time. He published Doctor Barrow's Works; and has been as often engaged in very useful designs, as any other that can be named through the whole trade." Dunton, p. 282. + His body is in good case; his face red and plump; his eyes brisk and sparkling; of an humble look and behaviour, naturally witty; and fortunate in all he prints; and is universally known and beloved by the Merchants that frequent the Royal Exchange." Dunton, p. 287. § "His talent lies at projection, though I am thinking his Voyages and Travels will be a little posthumous. He is usually fortunate in what he goes upon. He is a man of good sense, for I have known him lay the first rudiments and sinews of a design with great judgment, and always according to the rules of art or interest. He purchased part of my stock, when I threw up all concerns in trade; and I ever found him a very honest man." Dunton, p. 285. Mr. Benjamin Tooke, immortalized as the Bookseller of Swift and Pope, was an eminent Bookseller at the Middle Temple Gate, Fleet-street. He died May 24, 1723, leaving a considerable estate to his younger brother Andrew Tooke, for many years Master of the Charterhouse School as under and head Master. Dunton, p. 289, says, "he was descended from the ingenious Tooke, that was formerly Treasurer. He was truly honest, a man of refined sense (or could never have been related to Ben Tooke), and was unblemished in his reputation." "Both his eyes were never at once from home; for one $ $2 kept After an interval of nearly six years, the following notice was taken of the preceding article: "Mr. URBAN, May 13, 1794. "In your vol. LVIII. p. 1065, so curious an account is given by D. H. of the origin of selling books by Catalogues, that I am tempted to solicit from the same intelligent writer an historical narrative of the Catalogues by marked prices; in which considerable assistance might yet be obtained from some remnants of the genuine breed,' p. 1068. "One of the Ballards, I believe, still survives; as does that Trypho Emeritus, Mr. Thomas Payne, one of the honestest men living, to whom, as a Bookseller, Learning is under considerable obligations;' and from whom the publick would be happy to receive such information as he, perhaps, above all other men in his profession, is enabled to bestow. By age and long experience rendered wise,' to him we look with confidence for instruction; and, I flatter myself, we shall not look in vain. "Of the two Sams mentioned by D. H. Mr. Paterson is living; and no one more capable of supplying so material a desideratum. Not less able also is Mr. Leigh, the partner and successor of the other Sam, who continues to support (and long may he do so!) the credit of the York-street Auctions. M. GREEN *. Oct. 3, 1794. Which was thus answered by Mr. Gough +: "Mr. URBAN, "You hold out so fair a challenge to continue the circulation of Learning by Catalogues of Books with the prices affixed, that I am tempted to take kept house, and observed the actions of men, while the other roamed abroad for intelligence. He loved his bottle and his friend with an equal affection. He was very tetchy upon some occasions: yet thriving was part of his character. He printed L'Estrange's sop, Lord Halifax's Advice to his daughter, and many excellent copies." Dunton, p. 290. *Gent. Mag. vol. LXIV. p. 396. + Ibid. p. 897; corrected and enlarged by Mr. Gough's MS. up up my pen once more, to gratify the curiosity of yourself and your Readers, by such a List as a pretty regular perambulation among the various Bibliopoles of the Metropolis, for a course of at least 40 years, enables me to make out. So little do we reflect that the pursuits of early life will contribute to the information or amusement of more advanced age, that it required the economy of a Rawlinson to preserve sufficient materials to render this List complete. You must take it as it is; and, if the Booksellers who have survived, or the representatives of those who are no more, can fill up the hiatus, they will merit your and my thanks, and prevent our regretting that so many of their Catalogues have been added to the Boghouse Miscellany, or other miscellanies of equal utility. The intrinsic merit of some has kept the series almost uninterrupted; while others, who had not even a name to live,' are lost in Lethe's stream. Such as have names will shew posterity that the Dignitaries, the Lords, the Esquires, and men of all ranks in the present century, had Libraries, and perhaps will obliquely point out to Biographers the dates of their deaths or preferments. D. H. Anderson, John, Holborn Hill, 1787. Arrowsmith, Middle-row, Holborn, 1795, 1757 Arthur Ashley Sykes, D. D. Dean of Burien; John Young, M. D. Cheshunt. 1758 Dr. Thomas Rundle, Bishop of Derry; and Italian and Spanish books of a deceased Noble man. Hon. John Talbot, a Welsh Judge; Abra * He died soon after the publication of his last Catalogue. † Only brother to Henry Earl of Deloraine. He was of Gray'sinn, a counsellor at law, and a commissioner of bankrupts. He was born in October 1738; and died Dec. 30, 1788; having married Miss Young, who died Aug. 17, 1791; by whom he had one son, who died in America in 1779. ham After an interval of nearly six years, the following notice was taken of the preceding article: "Mr. URBAN, May 13, 1794. "In your vol. LVIII. p. 1065, so curious an account is given by D. H. of the origin of selling books by Catalogues, that I am tempted to solicit from the same intelligent writer an historical narrative of the Catalogues by marked prices; in which considerable assistance might yet be obtained from some remnants of the genuine breed,' p. 1068. "One of the Ballards, I believe, still survives; as does that Trypho Emeritus, Mr. Thomas Payne, one of the honestest men living, to whom, as a Bookseller, Learning is under considerable obligations; and from whom the publick would be happy to receive such information as he, perhaps, above all other men in his profession, is enabled to bestow. By age and long experience rendered wise, to him we look with confidence for instruction; and, I flatter myself, we shall not look in vain. "Of the two Sams mentioned by D. H. Mr. Paterson is living; and no one more capable of supplying so material a desideratum. Not less able also is Mr. Leigh, the partner and successor of the other Sam, who continues to support (and long may he do so!) the credit of the York-street Auctions. M. GREEN." Which was thus answered by Mr. Gough †: Oct. 3, 1794. "Mr. URBAN, "You hold out so fair a challenge to continue the circulation of Learning by Catalogues of Books with the prices affixed, that I am tempted to take kept house, and observed the actions of men, while the other roamed abroad for intelligence. He loved his bottle and his friend with an equal affection. He was very tetchy upon some occasions: : yet thriving was part of his character. He printed L'Estrange's Æsop, Lord Halifax's Advice to his daughter, and many excellent copies." Dunton, p. 290. * Gent. Mag. vol. LXIV. p. 396. + Ibid. p. 897; corrected and enlarged by Mr. Gough's MS. up |