Bookseller trade cards of the 18C

Sir Ambrose Heal's "Bookseller and Stationers' trade-cards of the eighteenth century" appeared in The Penrose Annual, vol. 45 (1951), 29–32. It contains one page of introductory text (which says nothing about the production, publication, distribution and history of bookplates and trade cards or anything of note concerning bookselling and printing in the eighteenth century), four pages of illustrations (showing sixteen separate trade cards, below) and three pages of notes on the booksellers.

About four years ago, shortly after publishing my post on Bookplates of Booksellers and Circulating Libraries, I checked out Heal's essay in the hope that it would provide either more information on (no), or more images of (yes), the 164 bookplates and trade-cards listed in the Franks Bequest Catalogue—of which I was only able to provide two in my original post.

I am not sure why it has taken four years to post these scans, perhaps I was hoping to find more images in his other works. If so, it would appear that I was unsuccessful. However, I have fond a few more images on line, which I will post shortly.

* * * * *

The sixteen trade-cards below are of for James Adams, John Bromley, James Brooke, James Buckland, Thomas Edlin, William Kerby, Lackington, Allen & Co., Arthur Lyon, Ralph Minors, Francis Noble, Bartholomew Penny, Daniel Richards, William Sanby, J. Shove, Samuel Stillingfleet, and Thomas Worrall (none of which are in the Franks Bequest Catalogue).

Bookplates of Booksellers and Circulating Libraries

Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks (1826–97), "arguably the most important collector in the history of the British Museum, and one of the greatest collectors of his age," amassed an enormous collection of bookplates. When he died, this collection (along with his many, many other important collections, went to the British Museum, where they were catalogued).

The catalogue of bookplates and trade cards, Franks Bequest: Catalogue of British and American Book Plates Bequested to the Trustees of the British Museum by Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks (1903), has been an important reference for collectors for more than a century. The Catalogue was digitised by the University of Toronto in January 2009. (For the three volumes, see here, here and here.) In the third volume of the Catalogue are the bookplates of institutions such as Public Libraries (293), Societies and institutions (297), Clubs (301) and business such as Booksellers and Circulating Libraries (310).

Since the University of Toronto OCR is not without it faults, and it is useful to have even a one-hundred-year-old list of bookplates of eighteenth-and nineteenth-century Booksellers and Circulating Libraries, I have edited the text and reproduced it here. BTW: I only have two of the 164 bookplates mentioned below (Franks Cat. nos. 34401 and 34405; though I am about to buy a third). I am not sure how many are eighteenth-century or of businesses based in London, the focus of my interest, but I am a very long way from being a collector of all of the bookplates listed below, or of bookplates in general.

* * * * *

* * * * *

34254  Abbott, Printer, Bookseller, Stationer, [and] Binder, Diss.
34255  Adams's, D., Library.
34256  Adams, J., Bookseller and Stationer, Stamford. (C. [and] N. Hull.)
34257  Adolphe, Art Photographer and Miniature Painter, 75 Grafton St., Dublin. (A Trade card?).
34258  Andrews's, John, Circulating Library. Calcutta. 1774. (Shepperd sc.)
34259  Apollo Circulating Library and Music Warehouse, South Street, Worthing.
34260  (Auld.) This Book belongs to Auld's Circulating Library (No. 18) Wardour-Street, Soho.
34261  Bagster, Sam., No. 81 Strand, near Cecil Street.
34262  Balcomb's, T., Circulating Library at Burwash.
34263  (Baldrey.) This Book belongs to Baldrey's Circulating Library No. 279 Holborn, nearly opposite the end of Red Lion Street.
34264  Barber. This Book belongs to the Circulating Library of Joseph, Bookseller in Amen Corner, near St. Nicholas Church, Newcastle. 1756.
34265  Barber, Joseph, and Son, Bookseller and Stationers, in Amen-Comer, Newcastle. (T. Bewick.)
34266  Barfield, Library, Broadstairs. (Biddle sc. Birm.)
34267  Barratt's Library, Bond Street.
34268  (Bates.) This Book belongs to Bates's Circulating Library, Holyhead.
34269  (Bates.) This Book belongs to Bates's Circulating Library, Holyhead. A different plate.)
34270  Baxter, Printer, Bookseller, Binder and Stationer, Lewes. (Jones Sc.)
34271  Beart's Circulating Library. Opposite the Bridge, Yarmouth. (Beart, Printer.)
34272  Beart's Circulating Library. On the Quay, Yarmouth.
34273  Bettison late Henley's. Cheltenham Library.
34274  Blagden's Circulating Library.
34275  Bliss, R., Bookseller, Stationer, and Circulating Librarian, Oxford.
34276  Bliss, R., Bookseller, Stationer, and Circulating Librarian, Oxford. [A different plate.]
34277  Bristow's Kentish Library, Parade, St. Andrew's, Canterbury.
34278  Bristow [and] Cowtan. Kentish Library, Parade, Canterbury.
34279  Brooke, Bought of Richd., Stationer at ye Ship near ye new Church in the Strand.
34280  Brotherton, John, At the Bible in Threadneedle Street over against Mercht. Taylors Hall bindeth all Sorts of Books.
34281  Burn, Bound by Thomas, 37 Kirby Street, Hatton Garden.
34282  Burnett, John, Bookseller and Stationer, at Shakespeare's Head, End of the Broad Street, Aberdeen.
34283  (Cabe.) This Book belongs to Edward Cabe's Circulating Library in Avemary Lane Ludgate Street.
34284  (Cass.) This Book belongs to Cass's Circulating Library. The Comer of Lamb's Conduit Street, Theobald's Koad.
34285  Chamley [and] Compy's. Circulating Library.
34286  Churchill, John, Medical Bookseller, Princes Street, Leicester Square.
34287  … Circulating Library, mutilated. London.
34288  Clarke, Abraham, Bookseller, Stationer, and Bookbinder, at the Bible and Crown, Near the Market Cross, and the Bull's Head Inn, Manchester.
34289  Clarke, John, Bookseller and Stationer, ye Corner of Essex Street, in ye Strand. (C. Mosley sculp.)
34290  Coke's, Leith., Circulating Library.
34291  Colburn [and] Co.'s British and Foreign Public Library, Conduit Street Hanover Square. [1842]
34292  Colegate's, R., Kentish Library, Parade Canterbury.
34293  Commins, Bookseller, Stationer, Musicseller, [and]c. Tavistock. (The Arms of the Company of Stationers.) (Colley Plymo.)
34294  Coppinger, Tho., Hairdresser and Stationer's Circulating Library Hawkhurst.
34295  Cork. The Minerva Rooms, Circulating Library and Beading Room.
34296  Cowtan [and] Colegate's Kentish Library, Parade, Canterbury.
34297  Cowtan [and] Colegate's Kentish Library, Parade, Canterbury. (A different plate.)
34298  Crokatt, Bought of I., at the Golden Key near ye Inner-Temple-Gate Fleet-street.
34299  Crompton, Josh., Stationer; At the Circulating Library in Colmer Row. Birmingham.
34300  Davenport, Music Seller, Oxford.
34301  (Davis.) This Book belongs to Wm. Davis, Bookseller and Stationer, at the Bedford Historical [and] Miscellaneous Circulating Library, No. 15, Southampton Row, Russell Square.
34302  (Dedman.) This Book belongs to Dedman, Bookseller, Stationer [and] Bookbinder, at his Circulating Library, No. 12 New Store-Street, Bedford-Square, London.
34303  Dessy's, Henry, at the Golden Bible, over against Catherine Street, in the Strand. This Book and all sorts are to be had at. (I. Pine Sculp.)
34304  Dunoyer, Sold by Peter, Book, Map, [and] Print-Seller at ye sign of Erasmus's Head, near the Fountain Tavern in the Strand.
34305  Earle's Original French [and] English Circulating Library, 47 Albemarle Street, Three Doors from Piccadilly.
34806  Egerton, Thos., Bookseller, Successor to Mr. Millan. 32 Opposite the Admiralty Charing Cross. (Smith sculpt. Bow Lane.)
34307  Fergusson, Army, Navy [and] Mercantile Printer, etc. 108 Patrick -Street, Cork.
34308  (Fitzpatrick.) Bought at Fitzpatrick's Music [and] Musical Instrument Ware-House No. 10 South Mall Cork.
34309  Fitzpatrick, H., Printer and Bookseller to the Royal College of St. Patrick No. 4 Capel Street near Essex Bridge, Dublin.
34310  Flack, M., Music Binder, No. 40 Maiden Lane Covt. Gardn.
34311  Flindall, I. M. No. 51, Lower-Marsh, Lambeth.
34312  (Fox.) This Book belongs to Fox's Circulating Library, Dartmouth Street, Westminster.
34313  Frazer, Army Printer, Stationer and Bookbinder, 37 Arran Quay, Dublin.
34314  (Garner.) This Book belongs to Garner's Circulating Library Margate.
34315  Graham, A. M., Bookseller 16 (Burke sculpt. D'Olier sc.)
34316  Grant [and] Bolton, Booksellers. (No. 4) Dame Street, Dublin.
34317  Grant, Bolton [and] Co. 4 Dame Street, Dublin. (Sandys sculpt.)
34318  Gray's, Mrs., Circulating Library (Ezekiel sculp. Exeter.)
34319  Green, George, All sorts of Books bound [and] sold by, in Whiterose Court Coleman Street. (T. Cole sculp.)
34320  Gregory's Extensive and Increasing Circulating Library on the Steyne Brighthelmstone.
34321  Grisdale, W., [and] Co. Booksellers, Whitehaven.
34322  Groenewegan, I., [and] A. Van der Hoeck in the Strand. This Book is to be sold by.
34323  Grosvenor Gallery Library. 1880. (Harry Soane ft.)
34324  Grosvenor Gallery Library Limited. (Harry Soane sc. London.)
34325  Guy, H., Bookseller [and] Stationer, High Street Chelmsford.
34326  Haly, James, Navy, Army, and Mercantile Bookseller [and] Stationer, King's-Arms, Exchange, Cork.
34327  Harding, Bound by W., Gosport.
34328  Harrison, Matthew, Stationer, 82 Cornhill, London.
34329  Harward's, S., Circulating Library, Colonnade-Buildings, Cheltenham.
34330  Harward, S., Bookseller [and] Stationer, Tewkesbury. (F. Jukes sc.)
34331  Henderson, Bookseller at His Circulating Library, 14 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden.
34332  Hime's, Sold at, Musical Circulating Library, No. 34 College Green, Dublin.
34833  Hodgson's, E., Circulating Library, at the Princess Amelia's Arms, the Corner of Wimpole and Great Marylebone Streets.
34334  Hookham's Circulating Library, New Bond Street, The Corner of Bruton Street.
34335  Hoon, W., Bookseller [and] Stationer, Ashborne.
34336  Hoppers Circulating Library, No. 12 Market St. Lane, Manchester.
34337  Howgate, Samuel, Bookseller at the Dial in Kirkgate, Leeds.
34338  Hull, Library, Bowl Alley Lane.
34339  Humble's Circulating Library, Pope's Head, Side, Newcastle. (T. Bewick.)
34340  Humphry's, This Book belongs to. Circulating Library, Chichester. 1785.
34341  Huntington, Stationer [and] Bookseller, No. 21, High Street, Bloomsbury.
34342  (Ipswich.) Bibliothèque Française D'Ipswich.
34343  Ireland's Library, Lewes, Sussex.
34344  Jacotin's Circulating Library, Patrick Street.
34345  Knightsbridge House Subscription Library. Established 1st January, 1834.
34346  Lambert, Sold by James, in the Cliff, Lewes.
34347  Lane's Circulating Library, Minerva, Leadenhall Street, London.
34348  Minerva Library, Leadenhall Street, London.
34349  (Loveday.) Made [and] sold by John Loveday, Stationer at the White Hart on Fish Street Hill near ye Monument.
34350  (Lucas.) Belonging to T. Lucas's Circulating Library. Bookseller, Auctioneer and Appraiser, No. 10 High Street, Birmingham. (Tolley sct.)
34351  McKenzie, Printer, Bookseller [and] Stationer, To the University of Dublin. (Esdall sculp.)
34352  McLachlan [and] Chalmers Circulating Library, Dumfries.
34353  March, Sold by John, Bookseller near the Conduit in Exon.
34354  March, Sold by John, Bookseller, at ye sign of the Bible a Little Below St. Martins Lane in Exon.
34355  Matthews, Bookseller, No. 38 North Main Street, comer of Broad Lane, Cork.
34356  Maurice, Stationer and Bookseller, at his Circulating Library, No. 52 Fore Street Dock. (Dawson sculpt. Dock.)
34357  Meehan, J. F., Ye Olde Booke Shoppe, Bath. (The Arms of the City of Bath.)
34358  Milliken, Bookseller to his Majesty, the Lord Lieutenant and the University, 104 Grafton Street, Dublin.
34359  Milliken's, E., 104 Grafton Street.
34360  Milliken, Bookseller to the University, 104 Grafton Street, Dublin.
34361  Moetjens, This Book is to be sold by James, in the Strand.
34362  Moore, Peter, Bookseller and Stationer, No. 100 Grafton Street, Dublin. (Gonne sculpt.)
34363  Mortier, Sold by David, Book-seller at ye sign of Erasmus's, head near Bedford house. (Sturt sculp.)
34364  Moule, T., Bookseller [and] Stationer, No. 34 Duke Street, Grosvenor Square.
34365  Murch, Sold by Fidelio, Booksr. [and] Bookbinder, In the Highstreet, Barnstaple. (J. Woodman Sc. Exon.)
34366  Muskett, Charles, Printer, Bookseller, Binder, and Stationer, 5 Gentleman's Walk, Old Haymarket, Norwich.
34367  Nelson, This Book is the Property of E., Circulating Library, 127 Snow Hill, Birmingm.
34368  Newsell's Library. (This is said not to be a circulating Library.)
34369  Nicholson's, John, Circulating Library, Post-Office, Alford.
34370  (Noble.) This Book belongs to Saml. Noble's Circulating Library at Popes head in Camaby Street near Carnaby Market.
34371  O'Hara [and] Co., Account-Book Manufacturers, Booksellers and Stationers, Patrick Street, Cork.
34372  Olds's Circulating Library, Upper Temple Street.
34373  Owen's, E., Circulating Library, Wine Street, Swansea. 1792.
34374  Packer, G., late Lintern, Music Seller, Bath, No. 13 in the Grove.
34375  (Page.) This Book belongs to Page's Circulating Library.
34376  Parker, T. H., Dealer in Paintings, Drawings, and Prints. No. 7 Spur Street, Leicester Square, W.C.
34377  Parsons and Galignam's British Library in Prose. (I. P. Simon del. sculp.)
34378  Payne, Tho., Bookseller in Wrexham.
34379  Pope, John, Bookseller in Southgate Street Exon. (Coffin Xon.)
34380  Power [and] Co. Sold by William, at their-Music [and] Musical Instrument Warehouse No. 4 Westmorland Street College Green, Dublin. (S. Close sc.)
34381  (Quaritch.) From the Sunderland Library, Blenheim Palace, Purchased, March, 1883, By Bernard Quaritch, 15 Piccadilly, London.
34382  (Quaritch.) From the Sunderland Library, Blenheim Palace, Purchased, March, 1883, By Bernard Quaritch, 15 Piccadilly, London. (The last plate printed on grey paper.)
34383  (Randell.) Printed at London, and are to be sold by Richard Randell, and Peter Maplisden, Booksellers in Newcastle, upon the Sand-hill near the Bridge.
34384  Richardson's, Welld. M., Circulating Library, Annan. (P. Clark, sculpt. Annan.)
34385  Rives, Joseph, Maker at the Black Cap, In Fenwick Street Liverpool.
34386  Rogers. Printer Bookseller and Stationer. Newmarket.
34387  Rose's Circulating Library, Newport-Pagnel.
34388  Shandon, St. Ann's, Eeligious Circulating Library.
34389  Sala D., London. (A bookplate.) (Butcher Sculp. May's Buildings Covt. Gard.)
34390  Sharp, G., High Street, Bedford.
34391  (Sheate.) This Book belongs to Sheate's Circulating Library.
34392  Stacy, J., Bookseller Norwich.
34393  Swinborne [and] Walter, Colchester. Sold by.
84394  Tennant's Circulating Library, Top of Milsom-Street, Bath.
34395  Terry. Sold by G., 54 Pater Noster Eow St. Pauls.
34396  Thomas, Bookbinder, Bookseller [and] Stationer, 14 Boscawen Street, Truro.
34397  Thorn, Sold by Nathaniel, Bookseller in St. Peter's Church Yard Exon.
34398  Town's, John, Circulating Library South Shields. (T. Bewick.)
34399  Trickett, Willm., Vellum Binder and Stationer, opposite Cock Lane Snow Hill London.
34400  Upham, Edward, Bookseller, Stationer, [and] Printer, Broad Gate, Exeter.
34401  Vaillant's, This book is to be had at Paul [and] Isaac, at the Ship in the Strand London.
34402  Vandenhoeck, This Book is to be sold at the shop of Abraham, and George Richmond, the sign of Virgill's Head, Opposite Exeter Exchange in the Strand.
34403  Varenne, This and, All Sorts of Foreign Books are to be had, at Math, de. Bookseller at the Senecas Head in the Strand London.
34404  Varenne's, This Book and all sorts are to be had at Math., at the Senecas head near Sommerset house in ye Strand. (H. Hulsbergh sc.)
34405  Ward, Caesar, [and] Richard Chandler. At the Ship Between the Temple Gates in Fleet-Street, And at their Shop at Scarborough.
34406  Ward, Caesar, and Richd. Chandler, Booksellers, At the Ship, without Temple-Barr, London. (T. Haynes Sculpt. York.)
34407  Webb's Circulating Library, Bedford.
34408  Westley, R. H., Bookseller [and] Stationer, No. 159, Opposite the New Church, Strand.
34409  White's Circulating Library, No. 13 St. Augustine's Back, Bristol.
34410  White, Thomas, at the Exchange of Cork. Bookseller [and] Stationer.
34411  Wigan Subscription Library
34412  Wildy [and] Davis, 12 Brownlow St. Holborn, and Lincoln's Inn Gateway, Carey St.
34413  Wilson, Wm., Bookseller [and] Stationer, at Homer's head No. 6 Dame Street, the Comer of Palace Street, Dublin.
34414  Withers, Ewd., Bookseller at the Seven Stars over Chancery Lane Fleet Street.
34415  (Woodbridge.) This Book is the Property of Woodbridge's Circulating Library, Brentford Bridge.
34416  (Yearsley.) This Book belongs to Ann Yearsley's Public Library In the Crescent, Hotwells.
34417  Young, John. Musical Instrument Seller, at the Dolphin and Crown at the West End of St Pauls Church.

James Hammond's Circulating Library

New York Society Library (NYSL; NNYSL on ESTC) recently announced on the SHARP-list that it has completed an online catalogue of its Hammond Collection, which is comprised of 1,152 novels, plays, poetry, and other works from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries (i.e., mostly 1770–1820).

James Hammond's Circulating Library (information here), which operated out of Hammond's store in Newport, Rhode Island, reflected the popular reading interests of the time: including Gothic novels, romances, epistolary fiction, musical comedies, and other genres. A number of the books are quite scarce; in a few cases, being the only known extant copy.

I read through the entire catalogue in the hope of finding something of interest and wasn’t disappointed: there are only two Haywood items, the first of which I already knew about (Ab.64.4 Epistles for Ladies (London: H. Gardner, 1776) [No.542; here]; Ab.70.5a The Wife: interspersed with a variety of anecdotes and observations … (Boston: A. Newell, 1806) [No. 655; here]).

But there are also copies of Jacques Cazotte, The Devil in Love: Translated from the French (New York: C. S. Van Winkle, 1810) [No. 993; here], Memoirs and Adventures of a Flea (London: T. Axtell, 1785) [No. 1317; here] and Denis Diderot, The Nun (Dublin: Brett Smith, 1797) [No. 1372; here].

The 1810 New York edition of The Devil in Love had escaped my notice when I was compiling a list of early editions of this novel. Looking further into this omission, I realise I have missed all the nineteenth-century American editions of Cazotte, so I will have to update my post on that subject (here).

What I have not yet done, but will, is read through the Catalogue of James Hammond's Circulating Library, 142 Thames Street, Newport, R.I. (Newport, RI: Mason & Pratt's Power Press, 1853) (online here)—which claims to list eight thousand volumes. The Charles Sumner copy of this catalogue, held at Harvard—contains both of the items now at NYSL—Epistles for the Ladies, by the author of the Female Spectator [No.542, on p.21] and Wife; advice to the married of all conditions [No. 655, on p.70]—but it is possible that there are more Haywood items that did not make it to NYSL.

It is good to see that the NYSL is continuing to make information about its important collection available online. For my post on the NNYSL borrowing register (July 1789 to April 1792), see here.

18C Readers of Eliza Haywood in New York

New York City's oldest library (the New York Society Library [NNYSL], founded 1754) has digitized and transcribed its earliest surviving borrowing ledger, which documents the reading history of its members from July 1789 to April 1792.

The five hundred or so NNYSL members whose reading habits are represented in these circulation records include physicians, members of the clergy, lawyers, and merchants, and a number of women. Among the notable readers are familiar figures like George Washington, but biographical information is available for many of the borrowers.

Since borrowing records like these are both extremely rare and extremely interesting I took a close look at this resource as soon as I read about it on the SHARP list (the information was reposted by Ellen Garvey from "H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences Online" on 18 September).

In 1995 I wrote in my essay "Measuring the Success of Haywood's Female Spectator (1744–46):

Although it is clear that [The Female Spectator] was in many public libraries we do not have borrowing records from these libraries. We know [that it was in ten circulating libraries and a number of research collections] … However, we do not know if the copies of The Female Spectator that these libraries contained were ever read and, if so, by whom. Only in the case of the Harboro Library, Pennsylvania, is this sort of information available. From 1762 to 1774 The Female Spectator actually surpassed Samuel Richardson’s Pamela in circulation (and The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless was almost as popular). It would be extremely interesting to know if this borrowing pattern was typical.

The NNYSL charging ledger—ledgers actually, but the later ledgers are not yet available—is the first real opportunity Haywood scholars have had to test this question.** This post can only scratch the surface, but future posts and (I think) an article will explain just how important this information is to Haywood scholars.

Although the NNYSL ledger is searchable by borrower name, book (i.e., author/title), or keyword, the "book" list is not organised alphabetically under each author's name, and the keyword search is not a reliable guide to authors included. This is because both the short author/title which you can browse, and the more detailed descriptions which you can search, are taken directly from the original 1789 catalogue. (A pdf of the 1789 catalogue is available here; see below for the other pre-1850 catalogues.)

As is typical of eighteenth-century catalogues, some books appear under an author's name, followed by a short descriptive title (such as, "Arbuthnot (John) on coins"), others appear under a short descriptive title only (such as, "Antiquities of Scotland") and a few appear under a short descriptive title followed by an author's name ("Antient Measures, by Bishop Hooper").

All items are listed under the first letter used (either from the author's name or the title), in sections organised by the size of the book (large to small: folio, quarto, octavo, duodecimo): but only in very rough alphabetical order ("Antient Parliaments of France, by Boulainvilleriers" comes after "Aubrey's miscellanies on fatality, omens, dreams …").

Since the author's name is most frequently omitted from works of fiction, it is not surprising that Haywood's name does not appear anywhere in this catalogue. Which means that, if you search for Eliza Haywood you will find nothing. But a search of the "books" list (the individual titles) reveals three works by Haywood were held by the New York Society Library. These are:

[Ab.57] Memoirs of an Unfortunate Young Nobleman (1743) 21 borrowers.
[Ab.60] The Female Spectator (1744–46) 24 borrowers.
[Ab.67] The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless (1751) 22 borrowers.

Also present are many other well-known novels and periodicals. This is hardly surprising, though the relative popularity of the titles in the following list (indicative, but not exhaustive) is:

Novels: Henry Brooke's Fool of Quality (46 borrowers); Frances Burney's Evelina (60 borrowers) and Cecilia (47 borrowers); Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (10 borrowers); Henry Fielding's Amelia (only two borrowers) [but the twelve volumes of his Works had 77 borrowers]; Oliver Goldsmith's Vicar of Wakefield (27 borrowers); Charles Johnstone's Chrysal; Or, The Adventures of a Guinea (23 borrowers); Samuel Richardson's Pamela (17 borrowers), and Sir Charles Grandison (26 borrowers).

Periodicals: Richard Steele and Joseph Addison's The Spectator (20 borrowers); Oliver Goldsmith's Citizen of the World (30 borrowers); John Hawkesworth's The Adventurer (20 borrowers); Samuel Johnson's The Rambler (12 borrowers) and The Idler (13 borrowers); Henry Mackenzie's The Lounger (25 borrowers); Richard Steele's The Tatler (11 borrowers); Richard Steele's The Guardian (7 borrowers); George Coleman and Bonnell Thornton's The Connoisseur (19 borrowers).

What this preliminary survey suggests is that Haywood's Memoirs of an Unfortunate Young Nobleman and Betsy Thoughtless were quite popular at the end of the eighteenth century—more popular than many novels that have been the focus of more sustained critical attention, such as Richardson's Pamela and Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. Also, Haywood's Female Spectator was even more popular—more popular than almost all other periodicals, including almost all of those that have been the focus of sustained critical attention such as The Spectator and The Rambler.

* * * * *

** In 2005 the Harboro Library records were only available to me third hand. Chester T. Hallenbeck published a transcript of the Loan-Book in his "A Colonial Reading List" in The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography in 1932, details of which were used by Mary Summer Benson in her Women in Eighteenth-Century America in 1935. Only Benson's volume was available to me in 2005.

The NNYSL catalogues are not easy to find on the nysoclib.org site. After considerable digging I found a directory for library catalogues here, which contains links to searchable pdfs of the 1758, 1761, 1773, 1789, 1791, 1792, 1793, 1800, 1825 and 1850 catalogues. All but one of these catalogues have been online since July 2009. Links to individual pages of the borrowing ledger are here.

Lewcock's Circulating Library, 1782

Paul Kaufman, Libraries and their Users: Collected Papers in Library History (1969), 222, reports a "Printed label of Lucock's library, with written date 1782." Robin Alston, Circulating Libraries, 1660–1800 offers a different spelling: "Lewcock's Circulating Library." He also names the proprietor—S. Lucock—and adds a question mark to the date.

Lucock's circulating library was in Sheerness, a naval town on the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent. After the Sheerness fort was destroyed during the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1667) the Secretary of the Admiralty, Samuel Pepys, ordered the construction of a naval dockyard at Sheerness as an extension to that at Chatham. The first dry-dock was not completed until 1708. Using materials they were allowed to take from the yard, dockyard construction workers built the first houses in Sheerness. The grey-blue naval paint they used on the exteriors led to their homes becoming known as the Blue Houses. This was eventually corrupted to Blue Town, the modern name of northwest area of Sheerness. This is why the location of Lewcock's Circulating Library is, as you can see, "Blue Houses, Sheerness"

As Wikipedia explains, Blue Town was not a particularly healthy place to live. The town was a small self-contained community built on wet ground reclaimed from marshes. It was very confined, a dense triangle of houses and alleyways compressed between the dockyard wall and Well Marsh; it was also prone to both flood and fire. At one point separated from Sheerness fort by a moat and drawbridge, the area was enclosed by an earthwork bastioned trace at the end of the 18th century amid growing fears of a French invasion (pictures here). In such an unhealthy and dangereous place it is quite likely that Lewcock's copy of George Cheyne, An Essay on Health and Long Life, 8th ed. (1734), was much in demand!

In fact, this book seems to have had a very busy life before it even reached Lewcock's. There are four ownership inscriptions, two dated in the same year. These are, in the order in which they appear: "James Mullett's Book"; "Eleanor Boxer, her book"; "Elizabeth Marsh Jones, Her Book June 22/[17]52"; "John Derby, 1752." How many of these people were denizens of Blue Town only a local historian could tell.

It would be good to know how much of the last two centuries this book spent on the shelves at Lewcock's before it was carried to America. At some point it has been partially re-backed but it is in remarkably good condition for a Circulating Library book, and it was remarkably cheap (USD36) for a book which is so interesting and—for my research—so useful. (But not rare, there are thirty two copies listed under ESTC: t127366, including one at Monash.)

[UPDATE: 2 July 2016: After all my pictures disappeared (again) I decided to give up on external hosts for large versions (1000px) of my image files and, for now on, will stick with the smaller images (500px), which Blogger is prepared to host.]

[UPDATE: 10 August 2026: although Monash University acquired this copy from my in July 2017, it remains uncatalogued (perhaps because they already had a copy in the Australian Medical Association collection here).]