William Goodhugh, The English Gentleman's Library Manual, First Edition, 1827

Overview:

Title: The English Gentleman's Library Manual; or, A Guide to the Formation of a Library of Select Literature
Author: William Goodhugh
Published: London, William Goodhugh, 1827
Edition: First Edition
Format: 8vo
Leaf Size: Approx. 22.3 × 14.2 cm
Pagination: x, 392 pp.

Description

A fascinating 1827 guide to the formation of a gentleman's private library, written by bibliographer, linguist and bookseller William Goodhugh.

Published during the great 19th-century enthusiasm for book collecting and "bibliomania", Goodhugh's English Gentleman's Library Manual was intended to guide the educated reader in selecting the books considered worthy of a well-appointed library.

Far more than a simple list of titles, Goodhugh provides recommendations for particular authors and editions alongside biographical, bibliographical and critical commentary. Subjects range across theology, history, voyages and travel, English literature, poetry, drama, science, philosophy and bibliography.

Among the numerous authors discussed are Shakespeare, Spenser, Ben Jonson, Beaumont and Fletcher, James Thomson and many others. The theological section includes discussion of important editions of the Bible, including Benjamin Blayney's influential edition of the King James Bible.

Of particular interest to modern book collectors is Goodhugh's discussion of bibliography itself, describing the study of books and the importance of catalogues in tracing the history of literature. Contemporary editions and prices are frequently recorded, providing an unusual window into what an English collector might have been advised to purchase almost 200 years ago.

An Early Guide to Book Collecting

Published at a time when the collecting of rare and early books was becoming increasingly fashionable in Britain, Goodhugh's manual belongs to the developing literature of bibliography and private library formation.

The result is essentially an antiquarian book about collecting antiquarian books. It provides a fascinating snapshot of the literary canon of Georgian Britain and of the books considered essential to an educated gentleman's library in the 1820s.

Bibliographical sources also record that a separate large-paper issue of the work was produced. The present copy has not been identified as that issue, but is notably wide-margined and substantially untrimmed.

Binding & Condition

Sympathetically rebound in a later quarter leather binding over grey paper-covered boards, with raised bands and a paper spine label reading An English Gentleman's Library 1827.

An especially attractive feature of this copy is the preservation of its wide, substantially untrimmed leaves, measuring approximately 223 × 142 mm, with a typical printed area of only approximately 150 × 82 mm. Irregular deckled edges remain visible throughout.

Internally generally well preserved for a book approaching two centuries old. Some expected age toning, scattered foxing and occasional marks are present. The untrimmed edges show some irregularity and wear consistent with age.

Why Buy This Copy?

An unusual and highly appropriate book for the modern bibliophile: a nearly 200-year-old guide explaining which books a collector should own.

Its combination of literary history, bibliography, book collecting, recommended editions and contemporary prices makes it particularly appealing to collectors interested in the history of books and private libraries. The unusually generous surviving margins and sympathetic later binding further enhance the character of this copy.

Dimensions:

• Weight - 540g
• Height - 23.3cm
• Width - 15.5cm
• Thickness - 2.8cm