Aspects of Book Culture in Early Modern England (Variorum Collected Studies)

Thomas Anthony Birrell (1924-2011) was a man of many parts. For most of his working life he was Professor of English Literature in the University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands, where he was famous for his lively, humoristic and thought-provoking lectures. He was the author of some very popular literary surveys in Dutch, one of which - a history of English literature - has had seven editions so far. However, first and foremost he was a bibliographer and a book historian. The present collection contains fifteen of his book-historical articles, two reviews and one published version of a lecture for the illustrious ’Association Internationale de Bibliophilie’. The lecture - with a wealth of illustrations - about the British Library as the ’Custodian of the Unique’ gives one a sense of Birrell’s ability to present an audience with a complicated topic in comprehensible, but not simplified, terms. The reviews serve as a statement of principle of how to tackle the subject of ’English readers and books’ and the standards that ought to apply. The articles demonstrate Tom Birrell’s in-depth knowledge, dedication and scholarship. He once said that he felt that he could have talked to the 17th-century London booksellers on an equal footing and his work convinces one that they would have enjoyed these conversations. Aspects of Book Culture was edited by Birrell’s former pupil, colleague, friend and fellow-bibliographer Jos Blom. Cover 1 Series 3 Half Title 4 Title 6 Copyright 7 Contents 8 Introduction 12 Editorial Preface and Acknowledgements 14 I John Dryden’s purchases at two book auctions, 1680 and 1682 16 II Books and buyers in seventeenth-century English auction sales 44 III John Locke at three English book auctions: December 1681 to June 1682 58 IV The reconstruction of the library of Isaac Casaubon 78 V The printed books of Dame Margaret Nicollson: a pre-Reformation collection 92 VI Reading as pastime: the place of light literature in some gentlemen’s libraries of the 17th century 100 VII Review of Bibliotheca Higgsiana: A Catalogue of the Books of Dr Griffin Higgs (1589–1659), by P.S. Morrish (Oxford, 1990) 120 VIII Review of Private Libraries in Renaissance England: A Collection and Catalogue of Tudor and Early Stuart Book-Lists, eds R.J. Fehrenbach and E.S. Leedham-Green. Volumes I & II (Binghampton / New York, 1992/93) 124 IX Mary of Nemmegen: provenance, context, genre 130 X The library of Sir Edward Sherburne (1616–1702) 146 XI The influence of seventeenth-century publishers on the presentation of English literature 166 XII The making of a bookseller: the journals of John Petheram (1807–1858) 178 XIII The circle of John Gage (1786–1842), Director of the Society of Antiquaries, and the bibliography of Medievalism 192 XIV ‘A sentimental journey’ through Holland and Flanders, 6 June to 3 July 1815, by John Gage 204 XV Anthony Wood, John Bagford and Thomas Hearne as bibliographers 218 XVI Some rare Scottish books in the Old Royal Library 236 XVII The British Library: custodian of the unique 248 XVIII The BM duplicate sales 1769–1832 and their significance for the early collections 270 Bibliography of T.A. Birrell’s works 288 Selective Index 302 1500-1699;,1500-talet;,1600-talet;,Bibliofili,historia;,Bibliophilie,Angleterre,Histoire,16e,siècle;,Bibliophilie,Angleterre,Histoire,17e,siècle;,Bokhistoria;,Bokutgivning,historia;,Book,collecting;,Book,collecting,England,History,16th,century;,Book,collecting,England,History,17th,century;,Books,and,reading;,Books,and,reading,England,History,16th,century;,Books,and,reading,England,History,17th,century;,Böcker,och,läsning,historia;,England;,General;,History;,Livres,et,lecture,Angleterre,Histoire,16e,siècle;,Livres,et,lecture,Angleterre,Histoire,17e,siècle;,Publishers,and,publishing;,Publishers,and,publishing,England,History,16th,century;,Publishers,and,publishing,England,History,17th,century 1500-1699,1500-talet,1600-talet,Bibliofili historia,Bibliophilie Angleterre Histoire 16e siècle,Bibliophilie Angleterre Histoire 17e siècle,Bokhistoria,Bokutgivning historia,Book collecting,Book collecting England History 16th century,Book collecting England History 17th century,Books and reading,Books and reading England History 16th century,Books and reading England History 17th century,Böcker och läsning historia,England,General,History,Livres et lecture Angleterre Histoire 16e siècle,Livres et lecture Angleterre Histoire 17e siècle,Publishers and publishing,Publishers and publishing England History 16th century,Publishers and publishing England History 17th century Thomas Anthony Birrell (1924-2011) was a man of many parts. For most of his working life he was Professor of English Literature in the University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands, where he was famous for his lively, humoristic and thought-provoking lectures. He was the author of some very popular literary surveys in Dutch, one of which - a history of English literature - has had seven editions so far. However, first and foremost he was a bibliographer and a book historian. The present collection contains fifteen of his book-historical articles, two reviews and one published version of a lecture for the illustrious ’Association Internationale de Bibliophilie’. The lecture - with a wealth of illustrations - about the British Library as the ’Custodian of the Unique’ gives one a sense of Birrell’s ability to present an audience with a complicated topic in comprehensible, but not simplified, terms. The reviews serve as a statement of principle of how to tackle the subject of ’English readers and books’ and the standards that ought to apply. The articles demonstrate Tom Birrell’s in-depth knowledge, dedication and scholarship. He once said that he felt that he could have talked to the 17th-century London booksellers on an equal footing and his work convinces one that they would have enjoyed these conversations. Aspects of Book Culture was edited by Birrell’s former pupil, colleague, friend and fellow-bibliographer Jos Blom. Cover 1 Series 3 Half Title 4 Title 6 Copyright 7 Contents 8 Introduction 12 Editorial Preface and Acknowledgements 14 I John Dryden’s purchases at two book auctions, 1680 and 1682 16 II Books and buyers in seventeenth-century English auction sales 44 III John Locke at three English book auctions: December 1681 to June 1682 58 IV The reconstruction of the library of Isaac Casaubon 78 V The printed books of Dame Margaret Nicollson: a pre-Reformation collection 92 VI Reading as pastime: the place of light literature in some gentlemen’s libraries of the 17th century 100 VII Review of Bibliotheca Higgsiana: A Catalogue of the Books of Dr Griffin Higgs (1589–1659), by P.S. Morrish (Oxford, 1990) 120 VIII Review of Private Libraries in Renaissance England: A Collection and Catalogue of Tudor and Early Stuart Book-Lists, eds R.J. Fehrenbach and E.S. Leedham-Green. Volumes I & II (Binghampton / New York, 1992/93) 124 IX Mary of Nemmegen: provenance, context, genre 130 X The library of Sir Edward Sherburne (1616–1702) 146 XI The influence of seventeenth-century publishers on the presentation of English literature 166 XII The making of a bookseller: the journals of John Petheram (1807–1858) 178 XIII The circle of John Gage (1786–1842), Director of the Society of Antiquaries, and the bibliography of Medievalism 192 XIV ‘A sentimental journey’ through Holland and Flanders, 6 June to 3 July 1815, by John Gage 204 XV Anthony Wood, John Bagford and Thomas Hearne as bibliographers 218 XVI Some rare Scottish books in the Old Royal Library 236 XVII The British Library: custodian of the unique 248 XVIII The BM duplicate sales 1769–1832 and their significance for the early collections 270 Bibliography of T.A. Birrell’s works 288 Selective Index 302 1500-1699;,1500-talet;,1600-talet;,Bibliofili,historia;,Bibliophilie,Angleterre,Histoire,16e,siècle;,Bibliophilie,Angleterre,Histoire,17e,siècle;,Bokhistoria;,Bokutgivning,historia;,Book,collecting;,Book,collecting,England,History,16th,century;,Book,collecting,England,History,17th,century;,Books,and,reading;,Books,and,reading,England,History,16th,century;,Books,and,reading,England,History,17th,century;,Böcker,och,läsning,historia;,England;,General;,History;,Livres,et,lecture,Angleterre,Histoire,16e,siècle;,Livres,et,lecture,Angleterre,Histoire,17e,siècle;,Publishers,and,publishing;,Publishers,and,publishing,England,History,16th,century;,Publishers,and,publishing,England,History,17th,century 1500-1699,1500-talet,1600-talet,Bibliofili historia,Bibliophilie Angleterre Histoire 16e siècle,Bibliophilie Angleterre Histoire 17e siècle,Bokhistoria,Bokutgivning historia,Book collecting,Book collecting England History 16th century,Book collecting England History 17th century,Books and reading,Books and reading England History 16th century,Books and reading England History 17th century,Böcker och läsning historia,England,General,History,Livres et lecture Angleterre Histoire 16e siècle,Livres et lecture Angleterre Histoire 17e siècle,Publishers and publishing,Publishers and publishing England History 16th century,Publishers and publishing England History 17th century Thomas Anthony Birrell (1924-2011) was a man of many parts but first and foremost he was a bibliographer and a book historian. The present collection contains fifteen of his book-historical articles, two reviews and one published version of a lecture for the illustrious 'Association Internationale de Bibliophilie'.