细节
CHRISTIE-MILLER FAMILY, Britwell Court Library – Catalogue of the Renowned Library. London: Sotheby's, 1916-1927. Parts II, III, V-VIII, X-XXI bound in 7 volumes. Plates, some of which coloured and some folding. (Without part I for 24-25 Febraury 1910, part IV for 28 November 1919, nor the 1971 catalogue, but with the Catalogue of books unsold or returned as imperfect at the sales of the Britwell Court Library. 11 July 1927.) Later blue half morocco. Provenance: some catalogues priced in a contemporary hand. [Sold with:] – Another copy of Part II with the 12pp. Notes on this historical interest of some of the more important volumes in the magnificent collection of Americana from the renowned Britwell Court library. Contemporary green half morocco (extremities rubbed). Together 8 volumes, various 4° (most approx. 250 x 180mm).
A VIRTUALLY COMPLETE SET OF SALE CATALOGUES FOR ONE OF THE GREATEST LIBRARIES ‘EVER BROUGHT TOGETHER BY A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL’ (De Ricci). Parts I and IX were sold en bloc before the sales which explains their absence, but with De Ricci's 'Part XXI'; they are all in the illustrated issues (parts XX-XXI were not illustrated). These series of sale catalogues are the only comprehensive record of the Britwell Library. ‘In many respects it rivalled or even surpassed the British Museum’ (De Ricci). Its founder was a Scotsman, William Henry Miller (1789-1848), member of Parliament for seventeen years, who kept his library in his house in England, Britwell Court in Buckinghamshire. He began his collecting career by making important acquisitions at the sale of the library of Sir. M.M. Sykes in 1824, and was one of the principal buyers at the sales of Richard Heber's library and at other important dispersals, as well as buying extensively from the leading booksellers, such as Payne & Foss and Thorpe. Dying without an heir, the house and library passed for a few years to a female cousin and from her to Samuel Christie-Miller (originally called Christy) who died in 1889, and finally to Sydney Richardson Christie-Miller. All three made considerable additions to W.H. Miller's already unequalled library. Finally, the trustees of S.R. Christie-Miller's estate sold the remainder ‘formerly at Britwell Court’ in 1971; this alone realized £174,866, whereas all the previous sales had brought ‘over half a million sterling, the largest sum ever obtained by any library in any country... At all these sales, the chief buyer was the late Mr. Henry E. Huntington, represented, first by George D. Smith and, after 1922, by Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach’ (De Ricci, pp. 105-113). A complete list of the individual sale catalogues is available on request.
A VIRTUALLY COMPLETE SET OF SALE CATALOGUES FOR ONE OF THE GREATEST LIBRARIES ‘EVER BROUGHT TOGETHER BY A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL’ (De Ricci). Parts I and IX were sold en bloc before the sales which explains their absence, but with De Ricci's 'Part XXI'; they are all in the illustrated issues (parts XX-XXI were not illustrated). These series of sale catalogues are the only comprehensive record of the Britwell Library. ‘In many respects it rivalled or even surpassed the British Museum’ (De Ricci). Its founder was a Scotsman, William Henry Miller (1789-1848), member of Parliament for seventeen years, who kept his library in his house in England, Britwell Court in Buckinghamshire. He began his collecting career by making important acquisitions at the sale of the library of Sir. M.M. Sykes in 1824, and was one of the principal buyers at the sales of Richard Heber's library and at other important dispersals, as well as buying extensively from the leading booksellers, such as Payne & Foss and Thorpe. Dying without an heir, the house and library passed for a few years to a female cousin and from her to Samuel Christie-Miller (originally called Christy) who died in 1889, and finally to Sydney Richardson Christie-Miller. All three made considerable additions to W.H. Miller's already unequalled library. Finally, the trustees of S.R. Christie-Miller's estate sold the remainder ‘formerly at Britwell Court’ in 1971; this alone realized £174,866, whereas all the previous sales had brought ‘over half a million sterling, the largest sum ever obtained by any library in any country... At all these sales, the chief buyer was the late Mr. Henry E. Huntington, represented, first by George D. Smith and, after 1922, by Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach’ (De Ricci, pp. 105-113). A complete list of the individual sale catalogues is available on request.
注意事项
No VAT on hammer price or buyer's premium.