Catalogue of a Selection from the Library of the Society of Writers to Her Majesty's Signet (removed from Edinburgh), the first portion . . . which will be sold by auction by Messrs. Sotheby & Co. [19 October 1959] [bound with] Catalogue of . . . the second portion . . . [2-3 November 1959] [bound with] The Signet Library Part 3 . . . [14-15 March 1960] [bound with] The Signet Library Part 4 . . . [11-12 April 1960] [bound with] The Signet Library Part 5 . . . [27-28 June 1960] [bound with] The Signet Library Part 6 . . . [31 October-1 November 1960] [bound with] Valuable Collection of Books on Science selected from the Library of the Writers to H.M. Signet . . . to be sold by auction by Dowell's Ltd . . . . [31 May-1 June 1962]

SOTHEBY'S & DOWELL'S

Published by London: Sotheby's / Edinburgh: Dowell's

About this Item

7 vols bound in one. Binder's blue cloth, gilt, retaining original wrappers, those of the first and second catalogues bearing the ownership signatures of John Pashby of Sotheby's. Loosely inserted Sotheby's printed lists of prices achieved, some prices written in; Dowell's catalogue a little creased, corner of upper cover missing, most prices written in. From the library of John Collins, with his pencilled notes on pastedown and, loosely inserted, the relevant extracts from Sotheby's sale for 11 June 1959, "Important Old Master Engravings and Etchings, American and Italian Views, Sporting and Costume Prints, etc . . . including The Property of the Society of Writers to Her Majesty's Signet [22 lots]", with printed price-list, an article by Collins, "The Signet Library Sales", extracted from The Scottish Book Collector, June/July 1988, and an old 3pp. manuscript titled in pencil by Collins, "typical M[acvey] Napier list of contents of a composite vol" (Macvey Napier, Signet Librarian 1805-37). John Collins, responsible for Sotheby's Signet Library sales in the 1970s, tells the story in The Scottish Book Collector: "The Advocates' library next door had overtaken the Signet Library as the premier library in Edinburgh, and in 1925 had become the National Library of Scotland (NLS). In 1958 the Writers finally made the sad but inevitable decision to make the library 'once more primarily a legal library for the use of its members'. There was a considerable debate when the decision was made public and it was decided that no Scottish books should be sold. Also the NLS (which having lived next door for so long had come to depend on the Signet) should be allowed to buy a number of books they wanted. So in the spring of 1959, Sotheby's sent up its strongest team, led by Anthony Hobson, the head of the book department and a partner in the firm, as had been his father before him. He was supported by two cataloguers, John Taylor and John Pashby, and Jock Campbell the celebrated book porter from Fife, 'Who fought at Bannockbourne, as some relate, / And joined the firme in 1898'. They stayed in a rather seedy hotel in the suburbs, chosen because the proprietor was, like Mr. Hobson, ex Scots Guards. If Mr. Hobson was surprised to find that his host was drunk every other night (sharing the shifts with his wife) he did not show it. Three or four days were spent in the library picking plums off the shelves and piling them on the floor: and in due course, 6 sales in London resulted . . . The NLS bought some 850 titles in about 2000 volumes, some before the sale, some at the sale when (as usual) Quaritch bid for them. Sotheby's having selected the best books didn't want the rest; this was their aristocratic way in those days, books aplenty as blackberries in a fine autumn, or so it seemed. Dowell's were given the left behind natural history and science and sold them on 31 May-1 June 1962. Although heavily lotted and entirely sold not subject to return, prices were very high indeed (shades of sales to come) . . .". Seller Inventory # 3S100355

Bibliographic Details

Title: Catalogue of a Selection from the Library of...

Publisher: London: Sotheby's / Edinburgh: Dowell's

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good

Edition: 1st Edition