The Auction Catalogue and One Hundred (and Ten) Years of the London Book Trade

Jacqueline Snyder

Books and manuscripts have been around for centuries, and the book trade for just as long. But auction catalogues are still considered a fairly recent development in the book trade, with the first printed sale catalogue in England dating back to 1676. Although auction catalogues were primarily developed for the purpose of promoting the buying and selling of rare books from private libraries and collections, they possess a scholarly asset to researchers. Sale catalogues provide a distinct level of clarity for institutions and collectors who are interested in the object’s provenance. The first auction catalogue published in England was dedicated to the library of Lazarus Seaman, a learned English clergyman whose private library was put up for auction in London after his death. The dismantling of Lazarus Seaman’s library marked the very beginning of England’s growing interest in book connoisseurship. It was customary in the seventeenth and eighteenth century book trade for booksellers to work as the auctioneer when the owner of a distinguished library was deceased. When book publishing took off in the late seventeenth century, so did the publishing of auction catalogues. English publisher Jacob Tonson (1655 - 1736) capitalized on many facets of the booming book trade in London, and although sale catalogues were not his necessarily a part of his business, he published the sale of Richard Davis’ library in Latin verse. But in the late eighteenth century, London salerooms were acquiring an international reputation. Books produced in the European continent were being shipped directly to London. Paris maintained its reputation as the capital of the book trade, as the quality of their manuscripts was superior to the English capital. That is until the French Revolution, at which point booksellers in England bought out the important collections from Paris and then made a significant profit in London. At this time, James Christie began his career as a leading auctioneer as he auctioned off the libraries of distinguished eighteenth century figures and scholars, including literary figure Samuel Johnson and the private collections of esteemed gentleman of the highest social order. The auction catalogue marked an era of social and economic change in the London book trade. These sale catalogues not only afforded future scholars primary material in provenance research, but it also allowed “people of modest means”* to build their own special collections.

*Wall, C. (1997). The English Auction: Narratives and Dismantlings. Eighteenth-Century Studies, 31.1, 1-25.

The History of the Book Auction Catalogue

William Cooper (auctioneer), Catalogue of the Library of Lazarus Seaman (1676)

Auction Catalogue, property of the Grolier Club

William Cooper worked as bookseller and a publisher during his career, but he is also distinguished for publishing the first auction catalogue in England. In the catalogue’s preface, he declares that “It hath not been usual here in England to make Sale of Books by way of Auctions, or Who will give most for them; but it having been practised in other Countreys to the advantage of both Buyers and Sellers, it was therefore conceived to published the Sale of Books in this manner of way.” This catalogue highlighted the private library of non-conformist clergyman Lazaraus Seaman who resided in Cambridge. The sale of Seaman’s collection was a success, and Cooper continued to publish catalogue after this first sale.

George Smalridge, Auctio Davisiana (1689)Auction Catalogue, property of the Grolier Club

Published by Jacob Tonson in 1689, this auction catalogue is uniquely formatted in that it describes the sale through Latin verse rather than listing each object of the sale by lot number. Tonson was a late seventeenth century book publisher who had a fondness for poetry. His favorite composition being John Milton’s Paradise Lost, and he even maintained relationships with seventeenth century poets. Auctio Davisiana is a catalogue that reflects the sale of the library of Richard Davis. Like William Cooper, Tonson capitalized on book and sale catalogue publishing. The Latin text describes the sale which took place in Oxford for three days.

James Christie, Catalogue of the MarquisLenori of Pesaro (Christie’s, 1772)

Auction Catalogue, property of the Grolier Club

James Christie’s first book auction took place in 1770. This catalogue for a sale in 1772 highlights some Arabic manuscripts that were once owned by a gentleman known as the Marquis Lenori of Pesaro. Christie’s sales were located in Pall Mall in London, where auctions were starting to come into fashion. He helped turn auctioneering into a profession so that it was no longer solely up to booksellers and publishers, especially when it came to the distinguished private libraries and collections owned by gentlemen. These auctions were open to the public, making it a commercial business. He also helped manufacture the idea of the Auction House as a “sacred” space that allowed buyers to bid on the collection.

Christie, Catalogue of the Library of Books of Samuel Johnson (Christie’s, 1785)Auction Catalogue, property of the Grolier Club

The sale of Samuel Johnson’s private library is one of the most significant sales of Christie’s career. Samuel Johnson (1709 – 1784) is one of the most distinguished figures in early modern literary history. He published the Dictionary of the English Language in 1755, and is renowned for possibly being England’s greatest literary critic. After his death, Johnson’s library was auctioned off by Christie. This catalogue illustrated the early success Christie experienced as an auctioneer and the growing popularity of obtaining books and manuscripts that once belonged renowned individuals.

Christie, Library of the Deceased Rev. Mr. Anstey (Christie’s, 1785)Auction Catalogue, property of the Grolier Club

Ten auction catalogues are bound together in this one volume, all of which advertising Christie’s sales. By the late seventeenth century, England has already welcomed culturally dominant presence of the connoisseur. Book collecting was no longer just a curiosity, but it became an entirely exclusive interest in which “experts” judged an object’s value through critical assessment. Critic’s not only judged an object’s aesthetic, but its provenance as well. For the connoisseur, it was not enough for a book to produce wonder, but it also had to follow certain aesthetic standards in order to be considered collectable.

Further Reading:

Feather, J. (1984). The Commerce of Letters: The Study of the Eighteenth-Century Book Trade. Eighteenth-Century Studies,17.4, 405 - 424.

Geduld, Harry M. (1969). Prince of Publishers: A Study of the Work and Career of Jacob Tonson. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Hind, C. (2012). Publishing Palladio in England, 1650-1750. In Publishing the Fine & Applied Arts 1500-2000. (pp. 35-50).London: The British Library.

Lynch, Kathleen M. (1971). Jacob Tonson: Kit-Cat Publisher. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press.Mount, H. (2006). The Monkey with the Magnifying Glass: Constructions of the Connoisseur in Eighteenth-Century Britain.

Oxford Art Journal, 29.2, 167 - 184.Munby, A. N. L. (1977). British Book Sale Catalogues, 1676-1800: A Union List. London: Mansell.Pearson, David. (1994). Provenance Research in Book History. London: The British Library.Plant, Marjorie. (1974). The English Book Trade: An Economic History of the Making and Sale of Books.

London: G. Allen & Unwin Ltd. Taylor, Archer. (1986). Book Catalogues: Their Varieties and Uses. Winchester: St. Paul’s Bibliographies. Wall, C. (1997). The English Auction: Narratives and Dismantlings. Eighteenth-Century Studies, 31.1, 1-25.

Curatorial Reflection

Although our digital exhibitions are small, I really enjoyed the overall experience of creating one. For my research, I made several trips to the Grolier Club in order to become familiar with material and choose which items I wanted to incorporate into my exhibition. I initially wanted to focus the topic of my exhibition on Stieglitz, but I soon discovered I was more fascinated with seventeenth and eighteenth century auction catalogues dealing with rare books and private libraries in London. It was definitely a privilege to work with the material that the librarians at the Grolier Club suggested to me. Early auction catalogues are very rare, and very few copies survive. And as someone who is interested in provenance research and the history of collecting, I was very excited to be able to page through some of the very early Christie’s catalogues that were published during the career of James Christie. I was actually overjoyed when I found the catalogue for Samuel Johnson’s private library at the Grolier Club, as I was considering working towards a Ph.D. in eighteenth century English literature before going to grad school. To be a connoisseur in London during that time, collectors looked for objects that fit their own standards for their private collections and libraries. I eventually thought it was amusing that I was creating a special collection exhibition on the history of “dismantling” privately owned special collections. I considered focusing my online exhibition on Christie’s catalogues alone. However, I reconsidered when I thought that the pool of objects and information that I provided to the audience would be too shallow. That’s why I also included the Lazarus Seaman catalogue and the Auctio Davisiana. I thought that they not only highlighted the history of the auction catalogue, but they also reflected the history of the English publishing industry, which for a short time ran parallel to the publishing of catalogues.