Catalogue of Books in the Boston Atheneum; To which are added The By-Laws of the Institution. And a list of its Proprietors and Subscribers.
Boston: Printed by William L. Lewis, 1827. Item #807 8vo. 220 x 135 mm., [8 ½ x 5 ¼ inches]. [4], 356 pp. Disbound; boards missing, remnants of spine and spine label remain; text block clean and sound. This is the second printed catalogue of the Boston Athenaeum, the first appearing in 1810. The Athenaeum was originally organized in 1807 as the Anthology Society. The Society grew quickly, adopted a new name, and organized a membership library that served the cultural elite of Boston. The catalogue was published to celebrate the expansion of the institution and its rise as one of the most important membership libraries in the country. “In 1827, it added an Art Gallery and began a series of yearly exhibitions of American and European art. For nearly half a century the Athenæum was the unchallenged center of intellectual life in Boston, and by 1851, had become one of the largest libraries in the United States.” Nicely printed on good paper, the catalogue is organized alphabetically by author and first words of the title. The description are in short-title format, indicating size, number of volumes and shelf location. One of the strengths of the catalogue is its collection Boston and New England history, with a special emphasis on printing history. It also includes a strong collection of American and English literature and history, and many titles in the field of decorative arts. As the title suggest, the library catalogue is followed by the By-Laws of the institution and the rules which govern the library and its collections. With faults this is a sound and complete copy of this important catalogue.
Price: $175.00