This two-volume account of the life and friendships of the publisher John Murray (1778 1843), told largely through his voluminous correspondence, was published in 1891 by Samuel Smiles (1812 1904), whose Lives of the Engineers, Self-Help, and other works are also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection. Murray was only fifteen when his father, the founder of the famous firm, died, but after a period of apprenticeship he took sole control of the business, becoming the friend as well as the publisher of a range of the most important writers of the first half of the nineteenth century, in...

This two-volume account of the life and friendships of the publisher John Murray (1778 1843), told largely through his voluminous correspondence, was published in 1891 by Samuel Smiles (1812 1904), whose Lives of the Engineers, Self-Help, and other works are also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection. Murray was only fifteen when his father, the founder of the famous firm, died, but after a period of apprenticeship he took sole control of the business, becoming the friend as well as the publisher of a range of the most important writers of the first half of the nineteenth century, in...

This two-volume work, originally published in 1705 and now reissued in John Nichols' edition of 1818, was one of the earliest examples of autobiographical writing in English. John Dunton (1659 1732), a highly eccentric bookseller and publisher, was also responsible for one of the first periodicals in London, the Athenian Gazette, which invited its readers to submit questions on any topic, to be answered by the Athenian Society, a group of learned men (in fact, Dunton himself and some cronies). However, he was not a practical businessman, and the death of his wife and his own illness led to...

First published in 1881, this popular and entertaining work by the printer and bibliographer William Blades (1824-90) examines the numerous threats that books have faced throughout their existence. Based on the author's experience of collecting printed works, the book explores such destructive forces as fire, water, disgruntled pirates, ignorance, and vermin. Even bookbinders and collectors are accused of causing mischief. In 1886, Blades was cruelly tormented by one of his enemies when his printing works burned down. A founder of the Library Association, he most notably investigated the work...

A prolific author and bibliographer, Henry Benjamin Wheatley (1838-1917) wrote or edited dozens of works during a distinguished literary career. First published in 1898 as the fourth volume in Richard Garnett's 'Library Series', Prices of Books traces the market value of books in England from the seventeenth century to the late nineteenth century. Wheatley recounts the history of booksellers, and manuscript and book pricing in England, providing detailed analyses of significant auction sales over three centuries. He also devotes chapters to the pricing history of Shakespeare's works and other...

Bibliomania, the almost obsessive collecting of rare books and early editions by the aristocracy, which peaked in 1812 with the sale of the Valdarfer Boccaccio, was fuelled in no small part by the work of the bibliographer Thomas Frognall Dibdin (1776-1847). His most famous book, Bibliomania, popularised the word's use in England. The present work was first published in three volumes in 1817 and may be considered a continuation of Bibliomania in both style and content. Using a dialogue format with extensive footnotes, it covers all aspects of bibliography from early illuminated manuscripts...

Bibliomania, the almost obsessive collecting of rare books and early editions by the aristocracy, which peaked in 1812 with the sale of the Valdarfer Boccaccio, was fuelled in no small part by the work of the bibliographer Thomas Frognall Dibdin (1776-1847). His most famous book, Bibliomania, popularised the word's use in England. The present work was first published in three volumes in 1817 and may be considered a continuation of Bibliomania in both style and content. Using a dialogue format with extensive footnotes, it covers all aspects of bibliography from early illuminated manuscripts...

Bibliomania, the almost obsessive collecting of rare books and early editions by the aristocracy, which peaked in 1812 with the sale of the Valdarfer Boccaccio, was fuelled in no small part by the work of the bibliographer Thomas Frognall Dibdin (1776-1847). His most famous book, Bibliomania, popularised the word's use in England. The present work was first published in three volumes in 1817 and may be considered a continuation of Bibliomania in both style and content. Using a dialogue format with extensive footnotes, it covers all aspects of bibliography from early illuminated manuscripts...

When this work was published, its original author had been dead for fifty years. As the title page explains, the work of Joseph Ames (1687 1759) was considerably augmented by William Herbert (1718 95), and then 'greatly enlarged, with copious notes, and illustrated with appropriate engravings' by Thomas Frognall Dibdin (1776 1847), several of whose other works are also reissued in this series. Ames' history of printing, based on his own collection, was published in 1749, as an aid to booksellers in identifying old works (and modern forgeries). Herbert, a printseller and bibliophile, acquired...

When this work was published, its original author had been dead for fifty years. As the title page explains, the work of Joseph Ames (1687 1759) was considerably augmented by William Herbert (1718 95), and then 'greatly enlarged, with copious notes, and illustrated with appropriate engravings' by Thomas Frognall Dibdin (1776 1847), several of whose other works are also reissued in this series. Ames' history of printing, based on his own collection, was published in 1749, as an aid to booksellers in identifying old works (and modern forgeries). Herbert, a printseller and bibliophile, acquired...