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Henry B. Wheatley
Prices of Books
An Inquiry into the Changes in the Price of Books which have occurred in England at different Periods
Published by Good Press, 2019
EAN 4064066186968
Table of Contents
CHAPTER III PRICES OF MANUSCRIPT BOOKS
CHAPTER V AUCTION SALES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
CHAPTER VI AUCTION SALES IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
CHAPTER VII AUCTION SALES IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
CHAPTER VIII PRICES OF EARLY PRINTED BOOKS
Editiones Principes of the Classics
CHAPTER IX PRICES OF EARLY ENGLISH LITERATURE
CHAPTER X PRICES OF SHAKESPEARE’S WORKS
THIRD FOLIO, 1664 (some copies dated 1663) .
CHAPTER XI PRICES OF VARIOUS CLASSES OF BOOKS
EARLY EDITIONS OF MODERN AUTHORS
PREFACE
The subject of the prices of books is one which always exercises a certain fascination over the minds of book-lovers, although some have expressed their objection to any discussion of it, lest this should have the effect of enhancing prices.
In a single volume it is impossible to deal with so large a subject in any fulness of detail, and I have therefore endeavoured to give a general view, merely instancing a few cases in illustration of the whole, but making an exception in respect of two of the most interesting and high-priced classes of books in literature, namely, the productions of the press of Caxton, and the original editions of Shakespeare’s works.
It is necessary for the reader to bear two points in mind—
(1) That the value of money has changed during each century of our history to an extent not easy to calculate with precision, because the prices of all articles have not been equally affected. We can say generally that definite incomes a hundred years ago were equivalent in worth to twice their nominal amount at the present day, and that those of two hundred years ago would be worth about five times as much. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries money was worth ten or twelve times what it is now, but there is some difficulty in calculating correctly the rates respectively of necessaries and luxuries. This is a matter for experts, and cannot be more than alluded to here, as a warning to the reader that he must always remember that a pound or a shilling in previous centuries was of more value than it is to-day, and possessed a much greater purchasing power.
(2) That in dealing with prices we are interested with rare and specially valuable books. Ordinary standard books, even in good editions, were never cheaper than at present.
A writer of a work of this kind must feel grateful to predecessors, who have made it possible for him to gather satisfactory material for his purpose. Special gratitude is due to Thomas Frognall Dibdin, Hartwell Horne, and William Clarke (author of the Repertorium Bibliographicum), who were all thorough workers in this field. The labours of Dibdin have been unjustly depreciated by many modern writers. His works, besides being among the most beautiful books produced in Europe, are mines of bibliographical anecdote and useful literary information. Objections may be made by some to his descriptions, but he certainly greatly influenced the bibliomania of a former age, and made many sales famous which otherwise would have been forgotten except by the few.
There is a gap in the literature of our subject between authors at the beginning of the century and the modern writers, who largely obtain their information from French sources.
H. B. W.
PRICES OF BOOKS
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
The treatment of such a subject as the Prices of Books necessarily obliges us to range over a wide field, for books have been bought and sold far back in the historical period, and