Prices of Books: An Inquiry into the Changes in the Price of Books which have occurred in England at different PeriodsWheatley, Henry B. (Henry Benjamin)
History
Prices of Books: An Inquiry into the Changes in the Price of Books which have occurred in England at different Periods
Wheatley, Henry B. (Henry Benjamin)
Books -- Prices -- History
R. Smith (1682), 5s. F. Child bought Bryan Fairfax’s perfect
copy in 1756 for £3; this was sold to Mr. Quaritch at the Earl
of Jersey’s sale (1885) for £195. J. West had two copies, which
were sold in 1773--a perfect one to George III. for 12 guineas,
and a very imperfect one to Richard Gough for £2, 13s. The
latter sold at Gough’s sale (1810) for £4, 14s. 6d. Mr.
Cracherode’s perfect copy (now in the British Museum) was
bought by him at Ratcliffe’s sale (1776) for £2, 15s. The Duke
of Roxburghe’s fine and perfect copy, for which he gave 9
guineas, was sold at his sale (1812) to the Duke of Devonshire
for £351, 15s.
The following copies (in addition to the Earl of Jersey’s,
mentioned above) have been sold since the publication of Mr.
Blades’s book:--
In 1877 Mr. Quaritch had a copy for sale with a vi, a viii, and
the last leaf in facsimile, which he priced £200.
Sir John Thorold (1884), £335--Quaritch (perfect, excepting the
blanks). Earl of Hardwicke (1888), £60--Quaritch (very
imperfect). W. H. Crawford (1891), £160 (perfect, with the
exception of one blank). Earl of Ashburnham (part 2, 1897), £225
(leaves in facsimile).
_The Mirrour of the World_, second edition (84).
West’s perfect copy was bought by Willett in 1773 for £9, 15s.;
at his sale (1813) it was bought for Lord Spencer for £136,
10s.
A perfect copy, very clean and large, was sold in 1844 with the
library of Calwick Hall, Staffordshire, to Rodd for £41. Thorpe
gave Rodd £94 for it, but sold it to Mr. C. Hurt for £90. At
Hurt’s sale in 1855 Sir William (then Mr.) Tite bought it for
£105. At his sale in 1874 it realised £455.
A perfect copy in the original binding of oak, covered with
stamped leather, and almost uncut, is in the library of the
Baptist College at Bristol, having been presented by A. Gifford,
D.D. It has the following notes on a fly-leaf in Dr. Gifford’s
autograph:--
“Memoranda. Pd. Simco £2 12 6
Another at Mr. Ratcliffe’s
sales to perfect y^s 2 16 0
Repairing and gilding, &c. 0 2 6
------------
5 11 0
Mem. Mr. White gave for another perfect one
at Ratcliffe’s sale £8, 8s.
Mem. 2. No copy of this in Museum.”
The following sales, in addition to Sir William Tite’s,
mentioned above, have taken place since the publication of
Blades’s book:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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