The library of the chandler John Ratcliffe (1707–76) was amassed before the onset of 'bibliomania', and perfectly illustrates the last days of a period of book collecting when scholars and commoners could hope to compete with wealthy noblemen. The collection contained over a hundred incunabula, including forty-eight Caxtons, and a fine selection of sixteenth-century English books, alongside contemporary literature and Presbyterian tracts. Many of Ratcliffe's incunabula had been purchased from James West, others from Anthony Askew. In turn, his books were acquired by a circle of his contemporaries, including William Herbert, Charles Chauncy and William Hunter. However, the purchase of some of the finest books by the aristocratic Justin MacCarthy Reagh provided a hint of what was to come. Reissued here is James Christie's 1776 sale catalogue, featuring handwritten annotations by an attendee at the auction who recorded the prices paid and the names of buyers.

Cambridge University Press (Virtual Publishing)

University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations

Cambridge Library Collection

Cambridge Library Collection - History of Printing, Publishing and Libraries, Place of publication not identified, Cambridge, 1776

Cambridge library collection, Cambridge, 2013

United Kingdom and Ireland, United Kingdom

2014

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The library of the chandler John Ratcliffe (1707-76) contained over a hundred incunabula, including forty-eight Caxtons, and a fine selection of sixteenth-century English books, alongside contemporary literature and Presbyterian tracts. Reissued here is the 1776 sale catalogue, annotated by an auction attendee with the prices paid and the names of purchasers.