A Catalogue of the Books in the Library of Dartmouth College. Published by Order of the Trustees.
Hanover: Printed by George Hough, 1825. Item #796 12mo. 185 x 120 mm., [7 ¼ x 4 ¾ inches]. 44 pp. Disbound from pamphlet volume; paper stock toned with age. Catalogue of the collection of approximately 1600 titles, comprised of the various ‘society libraries’ established on the Dartmouth campus in last decades of the 18th century. It also includes the gift of 470 volumes donated to the library in 1819 by Isaiah Thomas, printer, founder of the American Antiquarian Society, and Good Friend of Dartmouth College. The catalogue, probably written by Timothy Farrar librarian from 1823-1826, is organized in short title format, including the location, last name of the author or first words of the title, format, and number of volumes. The collection consists of Greek and Roman classics, American history, literature, rhetoric, natural history, mathematics, chemistry, theology, and poetry. Surprisingly, there are no works by Eleazar Wheelock, clergyman, minister to local Indian tribe, and founder of Dartmouth College, who in the 1760’s published a number of important pamphlets on the need to convert Native Americans to Christianity. For an informative view on the establishment of the Dartmouth College Library see Lois A. Krieger’s pamphlet, The Woodward Succession: A Brief History of the Dartmouth College Library, 1769-2002, Hanover, 2002. It chronicles the fight between the founders and trustees of the College and the New Hampshire State Legislature over control of the institution which initiated a law suit and ended up in the Supreme Court of the United States. John Marshall wrote the decision in favor the College in February of 1819. Krieger highlights the prominent role played by the early Society Libraries on the campus and the formation of the College Library after the Supreme Court decision. OCLC lists only the Harvard College copy, but many other copies are to be found in individual library catalogues, including Dartmouth College and AAS to name only two. Shoemaker. Early American Imprints, 20259.
Price: $300.00