Books from this library were sold in London on 21st July 1993. See: Sotheby’s (Firm) The Library of the Rt. Hon. the Earl of Granard:extracted from Castle Forbes, County Longford … (London, 1993).
Left: Bookplate of Castle Forbes Library • Right: Anonymous armorial bookplate of
George Forbes, 6th Earl of Grannard (1760-1837) [Arms. Forbes impaling Rawdon. In 1779, he married Selina Frances, daughter of John 1st Earl of Moira] Franks 10892.
Crest of George Forbes, 6th Earl of Grannard (1760-1837). For further details see
British Armorial Bindings: http://armorial.library.utoronto.ca/stamp-owners/FOR001 • Other marks of ownership for this library are illustrated in the sale catalogue. ❧ ❧ Sources of these examples: Gay, Sophie, 1776-1852. Laure d’Estell par Mme. ***. Paris: Ch. Pougens, an X (1802). Call number (EX) PQ2260.G25 L38 • Minutes of evidence taken before the Committee for privileges, on the Earl of Berkeley’s pedigree, in the year 1799. (London) 1811. Call number (Ex) Item 6375489q.
Monthly Archives: June 2012
The Heldenrüstkammer of Archduke Ferdinand II in Schloss Ambras
“A catalogue of the Heldenrüstkammer of Archduke Ferdinand II in Schloss Ambras, the first collection of armour formed for historical reasons in the first purpose-built museum North of the Alps.” The work illustrates 125 suits of armor, one per plate. Its full title runs to 133 words. What follows is a rendering of just the first portion of the full title: “Most true images of the most august emperors, the most serene kings and archdukes, of the most illustrious princes, as well as earls, barons, nobles, and other eminent men, who were either the commanding leaders in war or within their realms performed admirably…[together with] succinct descriptions [of their achievements].” (Sometimes this work is referred to as the “Armamentarium Heroicum,” Latinizing the German for “Heroes Armory.”)
❧ This tour-de-force of Baroque illustration was complied by Jakob Schrenk von Notzing with plates believed to be by the engraver Dominicus Custos. The book was published in Innsbruck in 1601. This date in the Princeton copy has been revised by means of a handstamp to read “M.DC.XIX.” The Library’s copy is bound in contemporary calf and is stamped with the name and arms of its first owner: Hector Le Breton, seigneur de la Doineterie, who held public offices during the reigns of Henri IV, Louis XIII, and Louis XIV. In 1615 he succeeded his cousin as roi d’armes de France.
❧ Call number; (Ex) D106 .S3f. Purchased in 1983 from Robin Halwas (antiquarian bookseller, London; his catalogue 3, number 79).
❧ Cf. Elisabeth Scheicher, “Historiography and Display: The Heldenrustkammer of Archduke Ferdinand II in Schloss Ambras.” Journal of the History of Collections 2 (1990): 69-79.
The Poetical Library • Advertised June 1838 • Including Gems from American Poets
Purchased in March 2012 from E.M. Lawson & Co. (Antiquarian Booksellers), East Hagbourne, Nr Didcot, Oxfordshire. Call number (Ex) Item 6324773
17th century armorial binding and contemporary slip case
 Figure 1 ❧ The figures explained: Armorial binding covering Ogier Ghislin de Busbecq, Legationis Turcicae epistolae quatuor. Frankfurt, A. Wechels Erben, C. de Marne et J. Aubry 1595. Call number (Ex) 1789.229.13. ❧ J. Basil Oldham in Shrewsbury School Library Bindings (Oxford, 1943) notes the following regarding one such book bound for Ramiro de Guzmán, Duque de Medina de las Torres (ca. 1600-1668): On both covers there is a “narrow border formed by a simple conventional foliage roll, with a foliage ornament in each angle; in centre, an heraldic stamp 96×75 mm; a shield, surrounded with the following letters in circles CGDDMMAHPPMIGPCLA, and surmounted by a coronet under which is a scroll bearing the letters FEI. On the upper cover: arms: two coats impaled: Dexter (arms of Felipe Ramirez de Guzman, Duke of Medina de las Torres, Marquis of Torrel): Two caldrons checky with snakes issuing therefrom, flanked in saltire by ten ermine-tails (5 and 5), within a bordure gobony of Castile and Leon; Sinister (arms of Anna Caraffa, Duchess of Sabbioneta, Mondragone and Trajetto, Princess of Stigliano): Quarterly of six (two in chief and four in base): 1. Per fesse (a) three bars (Caraffa) and (b) a band counter-embattled between six stars (Aldobrandini); 2. a cross patty between four eagles crowned, and over all an escutcheon quarterly of three bars and a lion rampant (Gonzaga); 3. four pallets (Aragon); 4. per fesse a castle (Castile) and a lion (Leon); 5. four pallets flanked in saltire by two eagles crowned (Sicily); 6. a column ensigned by a crown (Colonna). On the lower cover: arms (unidentified): Upon a terrace in base, a plant growing between reeds or tufts of grass; in chief an arched band inscribed REVOLUTA FOECUNDANT, with, beneath it, and ranged in the same manner, three rows of stars.” Ramiro de Guzmán’s arms impale those of his second wife, “Anna Caraffa, daughter of Antonio Caraffa, Duke of Mondragone, and Elena Aldobrandini. He had previously married Marie de Guzman, daughter of Gaspar de Guzman, Count of Olivares, Philip IV’s minister, to whose titles, through his marriage, he succeeded on Olivares’ death in 1645, for which reason he used the acrologic inscription round the shields which Olivares had used as an adjunct to his armorial insignia. The letters (C and G being transposed towards the end) stand for: ‘Comitatui grandatum ducatum ducatum marchionatum marchionatum arcis hispalensis perpetuam praefecturam magnam Indiarum chancellariatum primam Guzmanorum lineam addidit.’ The letters FEI stand for: ‘Fortuna etiam invidente.’ As the owner of the book would not be likely to use the boastful inscription of his father-in-law until he had, by the latter’s death, succeeded to his titles, the book was probably not bound till after 1645, and in Spain, not Naples, because by that time the owner had ceased to be Viceroy of Naples. A larger variant of these heraldic stamps is found on some books.” (p. 120-121; Shrewsbury School Library example illustrated on plate XXVI) ❧ Figure 2 • Two inscriptions on titlepage: Alongside right margin, “[Guil.] Godophin” [See a comparable example at the University of Pennsylvania.] This is the signature of English diplomat, Sir William Godophin (1634?-1696) • At bottom:”Ex libris bibliothecae Domus S[anct]ae. M[ari]ae M[ontium] Piorum Operariorum” From the library of the Congreation of the Pii Operarii, a group of religious founded at Naples in 1602.For comparable provenances, see exemplars at Cambridge University Libraryand at Universitats de Catalunya.] ❧ Figure 3 • A remarkable survival • 17th / 18th century slip case custom made for this book. Why would such a case have been made? Perhaps to protect the book during travel — Busbecq’s Turkish Letters provided important detailed information about the Ottoman state and were highly prized (and still are.) |
 Figure 2 (above) ❧ Figure 3 (below) 
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Grace Talbot Cavendish
| Lady Grace was the youngest daughter of George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury. Recent scholarship gives 1562 as her birth year and ‘after 1625’ for her death. She was married in 1567 (sic!) to Henry Cavendish, eldest son of Bess of Hardwick and Sir William Cavendish. It was Bess who proposed the marriage as precondition to her taking the Earl as her fourth husband. ❧ This copy was also once owned by Richard Heber. It is listed as item 336 in A Catalogue of Heber’s Collection of Early English Poetry (London, 1834). ❧ George Chapman, 1559?-1634.Andromeda liberata. Or the nuptials of Perseus and Andromeda. London, : printed for Laurence L’Isle …, 1614.. Call number (EX) 3672.6.312. |
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P.T. Barnum receives The Philosopher’s Stone
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❧ Upper cover is folded toward the front, in order to be used for mailing this copy to a recipient; it has been addressed in ink: ”P. T. Barnum Esqr. American Museum New York”; below the address are the words ”By Steam Liverpool June 1.” (the year ‘‘1850’’ is written in graphite beside the number 1). In the corner of the folded sheet is the booksellers’ label of T.H. Lacy, used as the return address. At an unknown time, someone removed the postage stamp at right. ❧ In addition, this copy has two marks of ownership on the t.p.: the ink stamp of the William Seymour Theatre Collection and a note in graphite, which reads: ”Very good of the kind, but not of our class.” It is not known whether the note was written by Barnum himself. ❧ Taylor, Tom, 1817-1880. The philosopher’s stone : an entirely new and original satirical and politico-economical Whitsun morality, extremely serious and very comical / by the author of Diogenes, The vicar of Wakefield, &c., &c. London : T.H. Lacy, 17, Wellington Street, Strand, [between 1849 and 1857] Call number (THX) TC023 Box 156a ❧ Series: Lacy’s acting edition ; 14 Notes: Libretto only. T.H. Lacy was located at 17 Wellington Street, Strand from 1849 until 1857. In 1857 he moved to larger premises at 89 Strand. Cf. Oxford dictionary of national biography. “First produced at the New Strand Theatre, Monday, May 20th, 1850”–T.p. verso. Includes titles of airs (popular and borrowed) to be sung. Includes cast list. ❧ Text supplied by rare book cataloger, Scott Carlisle. |
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Armorial Bookplate: William Trumbull, Esqr.
| Armorial bookplate of William Trumbull, Esqr. [Franks 29899]. ❧ Bookplate of William Trumbull (1708-1760), son of Sir William Trumbull (1639-1716) Secretary of State and bibliophile. The Trumbull books were consigned to auction by the 8th Marquess of Downshire (d. 2004; obit.). The dispersal of the Trumbull books, extracted from Easthampstead estate, near Bracknell, was distributed across six sales, during 1990 and 1991, as follows: |
Bookplate in: John Kersey, Title: The Elements of that Mathematical Art Commonly called Algebra, Expounded in Four Books. London, Printed by W. Godbid, for T. Passinger and B. Hurlock, 1673-1674. Call number (Ex) QA33 .K4 1674q. (Sotheby’s, London, Feb. 19, 1991, lot 727). |
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