Archives & Special Collections Q

Soffer Ornithology Collection Notes (alphabetical by author)

Main  A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

Q

Quaritch, Bernard (Bookseller) Catalogue of works on natural history  1881

Quaritch, Bernard (bookseller's catalog). Catalogue of works on natural history from the libraries of the late Alphonse Milne-Edwards, N. Burgess... 1902

Quaritch, Bernard (Bookseller). A catalogue of books on natural history Part I I. General Works II. Zoology.  1915

Quaritch, Bernard (Bookseller) Fine bird books 

Quaritch, Bernard

Catalogue / of works on / natural history / offered for cash at the affixed net prices by / Bernard Quaritch  21.5 x 14.2 cm.  π13-17⁸ χ (including wrappers that are printed on both sides and included in pagination)[$1, 2 signed]; 42 ll including wrappers.  Pp.  [155-157]158-234, 239[240].  Original tan printed wrappers. No.  335. London, March, 1881.  Printed by G. Norman and Son, Printers.

This catalogue is arranged by geographical regions and should comprise items 916-2086.  However, two leaves that would be 18¹ and 18² (pp.  235-238) containing items 1991-2045 are lacking.  These leaves are concerned with Palearctic ornithology.  There is no evidence that the missing leaves were ever bound into this particular copy.  Interestingly, my collection contains the next section of April 1881 listed under “Catalogs, Booksellers”.  Not including its wrappers, that catalog begins with 19¹, page 241. So, if we assume that the missing leaves from the present catalog are 18¹ and 18², then the last leaf of this catalog and the first of the next must be 18³ and 18⁴ and the 18th signature must contain only four leaves.

The areas (Palearctic Region) covered include northern and western Asia; China; Japan; northern Africa and the Atlantic Islands; and Egypt and N. E. Africa.  The subjects covered include: Amphibia; Anthropology; Botany; Conchology and Mollusca; Crustacea; Entomology; Geology, Minerology and Paleaeontology; Icthyology; Infusoria; Mammalia; Ornithology and Zoophytes.

Quaritch, Bernard (bookseller's catalog)

Catalogue / Of Works on / Natural History / From the Libraries of the Late / Alphonse Milne-Edwards, N. Burgess / William Matthews / Miss E. A. Ormerod, G. R. Ryder / and John Young / With some important Books from other Sources   23.5 x 15.5 cm.  π²1-7⁸8⁴X¹²[$1, 2 signed]; 74 ll.  Pp. (4)1-119[120](24).  Contemporary red cloth with gilt lettering on spine.  London, 15 Piccadilly, No. 215, June, 1902.

  π1r, Title; π1v, blank; π2r, contents; π2v blank; 1-119, list of items 1-1481; 120, blank; X1-X24, advertisements, many full-page, for specific items.

"General Works" comprises items 1-153, "Ornithology",  items 1038-1200 but the entire catalog is of considerable interest for the different perspective it presents from that existing 100 years later.  For example,  a first edition of Lilford's Coloured Figures is described as "very rare" and offered at £72.00.  It now sells for about £2,500.  By contrast, copies of a double-state Liliacées and a double-state, large-paper Roses by Redouté are offered at £54 and £84 respectively.  Copies of these have recently fetched about 220,000 and 275,000 pounds.  Of course, many of the offerings in this catalog now seem fabulously rare.  The selection of fine French books, voyages and botanicals amongst others, is particularly spectacular and must have come from the auction of Milne-Edwards's library.

Quaritch, Bernard (Bookseller)

A Catalogue / of / Books on / Natural History / Part I / I. General Works / II. Zoology  1-8⁸9⁴[$1, 2 signed]; 68 ll.  Pp.  [1]2-132(4, advertisements).  Original printed brown wrappers.  London, Bernard Quaritch, July, 1915.  No.  339.

This catalog contains items 1-2205.  Items 1-453 are in the "General Works" category and #s 1567-2068 are in "Ornithology".  Bibliographical information for most items is limited to an indication of size ("folio"), dates of publication, and a breakdown of multiple volumes in works that contain them.  There are occasional informative annotations.  It is the list, however, that is really spectacular.  Furthermore, the prices viewed from the perspective of 85 years in the future, are fascinating. For example, Lilford's Coloured Figures is listed at approximately the same price as Gould's Birds of Great Britain and three times that of a first edition Catesby.  Many books are offered that have probably not been seen at auction since the second World War.  And most prices, but not all, are 0.1% or less of what they are today (2000).

Quaritch, Bernard (Bookseller)

Fine / bird books  23.4 x 15.8 cm.  Pp.  [1]2-56.  Original tan printed wrappers with offerings on verso of titled upper wrapper and on upper and lower rear wrapper.  Catalogue No. 868, 1966.  London, Bernard Quaritch Ltd., 1966.    Printed by Harding & Curtis, Ltd., Printers, Somerset Hall, Bath, England (lower wrapper).

Contains entry numbers 1-820 as well as additional unnumbered offerings on wrappers.   Also contains uncolored half-tone plates I-VIII.

This is perhaps the last bookseller catalog to contain most of the great 19th century English and French ornithological works.  Unfortunately, a few of the most interesting are designated "sold" without a price.  The price of books was just beginning to climb precipitously at the time of the catalog.  As usual with catalogs from the great book-selling firms, there are many interesting tidbits of odd information.

The Richard L. Soffer Ornithology Collection by Richard L. Soffer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.amherst.edu.