Beschreibung:

SPENCER LIBRARY CATALOGUE -- Manuscript catalogue of the Spencer library at Althorp, formed chiefly by George John second Earl Spencer (1758-1834). Widely regarded as "the greatest collector of incunabula and early printed books the world has ever seen" (A. Thomas), Spencer built on the family collection to create one of the finest private libraries ever assembled. Its many treasures were fulsomely described in numerous publications by Thomas Frognall Dibdin, Spencer's librarian in 1822-23. The library remained at Althorp until 1892, when it was purchased by Mrs. John Rylands to found the Rylands Library at Manchester. The catalogue consists of 240 vellum-backed volumes holding paper slips on which each book is described, written in several 18th-century hands. 210 of these volumes are the main catalogue, 26 are the "new catalogue" and 4 are labeled "4 sections of supplementary sheets not incorporated in the General Catalogue." The catalogue is housed in a purpose-built mahogany travelling chest (height 46", width "38", depth 24½") with brass carrying handles, resting on a stand. Its four drawers have plain turned knobs, and the upper 3 have two circular inlaid lettered labels. Three drawers are divided internally into 80 compartments, each holding an individual volume, and the fourth drawer contains empty vellum-backed covers, loose slips, a large leather box and some unbound sheets of Dibdin's publications. Four additional volumes in the fourth drawer are labelled "4 sections of supplementary sheets not incorporated in the General catalogue." Although there are no explicit published references to this library catalogue -- or indeed to the daily functioning of the library -- some mention is made of its use. In a letter from Althorp by Spencer to Dibdin on 3 December 1813, the earl wrote that in perusing the Merly catalogue he came across a copy of Augustine's De civitate Dei , and that he could "not find that edition in my alphabetical catalogue." The catalogue which Spencer consulted is likely to have been the present catalogue or the very similar one now at the Rylands Library, Manchester. That catalogue is also housed in a handsome chest, which may have graced the Library at Althorp, a room depicted in an engraving in Dibdin's Aedes Althorpiana . Spencer would have needed both library catalogues for two reasons: in the early part of the 18th century the library was divided between Althorp and Spencer House in London, and, as a purpose-built travelling chest, the present catalogue could accompany Spencer on his extensive book-hunting travels to the Continent. The letter quoted above shows that Spencer consulted his catalogue. There are also indications that it accompanied him on journeys. When Spencer viewed the collection of Count d'Elci in Italy, he spent his time "observing most particularly those articles which are wanting in my own collection." Since the Duke of Cassano had lent him a manuscript catalogue of d'Elci's library, Spencer was able to "extract from it all those books which either were not in my collection, or which I was uncertain about" (letter dated Naples, 1 Feb. 1820). Spencer obviously had the means of ascertaining this while in Italy, very probably because the present manuscript catalogue of his library was with him; perhaps the same catalogue accompanied Dibdin on his own bibliographical tour of the Continent as well. The catalogue is written in several hands. Many slips are in the hand of Tomaso d'Ocheda, Spencer's librarian from 1790 to 1818 and formerly librarian to Pieter Anthony Bolongaro-Crevenna, and it is likely that George Appleyard, who gradually took over the running of the library, was responsible for many more. The main catalogue seems to have been compiled up to 1822, the New Catalogue between 1831 and 1848, and the Supplements between 1850 and 1858. One final inference regarding the use of the present manuscript catalogue may be made from the subject classification(s) added to each