Bibliotheca Americana. A Catalogue of a Valuable Collection of Books and Pamphlets, Illustrating the History & Geography of North & South American and the West Indies.
London: 1874. Item #787 8vo. 220 x 140 mm., [8 ½ x 5 ½ inches]. [2], vi, 182pp; pp. 682-733 (West Indies); 2,630 & 1,768 items. Publisher’s terracotta colored cloth; some light wear and discoloration to cloth on lower part of the boards and spine, edges bumped; paper stock toned with age. With the ownership inscription of Lewis S. Hayden on front free endpaper and check marks in the margins suggesting purchases or holdings. Sound copy.
One A. R. Smith’s early Americana priced catalogues directed to private collectors and libraries in the American market. The “Index to Principal Matters”, which appears at the front of the catalogue, is organized geographically from Alabama to the Yucatan. The collection includes English, Continental and American imprints that range from the 15th to the mid-19th century. Some of the descriptions have short annotations, especially the early printed books.
Alfred Russell Smith was the son of the bookseller and bibliographer John Russell Smith who established his business in 1833 or 1834. “In 1852 Smith moved to 36 Soho Square, formerly George Routledge's shop, and from there issued several important catalogues: notably on English broadside ballads (1856), Shakespeare (1864), and America (1865). He also published a bibliography of English works on angling and ichthyology in 1856. Between 1874 and 1880 his son, Alfred Russell Smith, issued catalogues based on his father's extensive stock.” (ODNB).
Price: $200.00