The Confessions of a Collector

At the Auction-Rooms--Their Changeable Temperature--My Finds in Wellington Street--Certain Conclusions as to the Rarity of Old English Books--Curiosities of Cataloguing and Stra...

The Question of Condition considered More at Large--How One most Forcibly Realises Its Importance and Value--Limited Survival of Ancient Coins in Fine State--Practical Tests at...

As an Amateur--Old China--Dr Diamond of Twickenham--Unfavourable Results of His Tutorship--My Adventure at Lowestoft--Alderman Rose--I turn over a New Leaf--Morgan--His Sale to...

My Principal Furnishers--Influence of Early Training on My Taste--Rejection of Inferior Examples an Invaluable Safeguard--I outgrow my First Instructors--Necessity for Emancipat...

Literary Direction given to My Numismatic Studies and Choice--The Wallenstein Thaler--The Good Caliph Haroun El Reschid--Some of the Twelve Peers of France who struck Money--Lor...

Messrs Reeves & Turner--My Literary Work for the Firm--My Advantageous Acquisitions Here--Cheap Rates at which Rare Books were Formerly Obtainable--The Large Turn-over of the Bu...

Coins--Origin of My Feeling for Them--Humble Commencement--Groping in the Dark--My Scanty Means and Equally Scanty Knowledge, but Immense Enthusiasm and Inflexibility of Purpose...

I survey the Ground before I start--I contemplate a New British Bibliography--Richard Heber--His Extraordinary Acquirements--His Vast Library--His Manuscript Notes in the Books-...

Mr Henry Pyne--His Ideas as a Collector, and My Intercourse with Him--His Office One of My Regular Lounges--His Willingness to Part with Certain Books--I buy a Pig in a Poke, an...

The Stamp Book--A Passing Taste--Dr Diamond again--An Establishment in the Strand--My Partiality for Lounging--One of My Haunts and Its Other Visitors--Our Entertainer Himself--...

The Coin Sales--My Stealthy Accumulations from Some of Them--Comparative Advantages of Large and Small Sales--The Disappointment over One at Genoa--The Boyne Sale--Its Meagre Pr...

Mr John Pearson--Origin of Our Connection--His Appreciable Value to Me--He assists, through Me, in Completing the Huth Library--Lovelace's _Lucasta_--The Turbervile--The Imperfe...

My Antecedents--How and Whence the Passion came to Me--My Father's People--And My Mother's--My Uncle--His Genuine Feeling for what was Old and Curious--A Disciple of Charles Lam...

The _Handbook_ of 1867 and Its Fruits--Mr Henry Huth--His Beneficial Influence on My Bibliographical Labours--He invites Me to co-operate in the Formation of His Library--I edit...

Literary Results of My Acquaintance with Mr Huth--The New _Bibliography_ in Progress, and the 1867 Book gradually superseded--Some Other Literary Acquaintances--George Daniel--J...

My Transactions with Mr Ellis--Rarities which came from Him, and How He got Them--Riviere the Bookbinder--How He cleaned a Valuable Volume for Me--His Irritability--A Strange Ta...

At the Auction-Rooms--Their Changeable Temperature--My Finds in Wellington Street--Certain Conclusions as to the Rarity of Old English Books--Curiosities of Cataloguing and Stra...

Literary Direction given to My Numismatic Studies and Choice--The Wallenstein Thaler--The Good Caliph Haroun El Reschid--Some of the Twelve Peers of France who struck Money--Lor...

Mr John Pearson--Origin of Our Connection--His Appreciable Value to Me--He assists, through Me, in Completing the Huth Library--Lovelace's _Lucasta_--The Turbervile--The Imperfe...

Literary Results of My Acquaintance with Mr Huth--The New _Bibliography_ in Progress, and the 1867 Book gradually superseded--Some Other Literary Acquaintances--George Daniel--J...

My Principal Furnishers--Influence of Early Training on My Taste--Rejection of Inferior Examples an Invaluable Safeguard--I outgrow My First Instructors--Necessity for Emancipat...

The Question of Condition considered More at Large--How One most Forcibly Realises Its Importance and Value--Limited Survival of Ancient Coins in Fine State--Practical Tests at...

The _Handbook_ of 1867 and Its Fruits--Mr Henry Huth--His Beneficial Influence on My Bibliographical Labours--He invites Me to co-operate in the Formation of His Library--I edit...

My Antecedents--How and Whence the Passion came to Me--My Father's People--And My Mother's--My Uncle--His Genuine Feeling for what was Old and Curious--A Disciple of Charles Lam...

Messrs Reeves & Turner--My Literary Work for the Firm--My Advantageous Acquisitions Here--Cheap Rates at which Rare Books were Formerly Obtainable--The Large Turn-over of the Bu...

I survey the Ground before I start--I contemplate a New British Bibliography--Richard Heber--His Extraordinary Acquirements--His Vast Library--His Manuscript Notes in the Books-...

Mr Henry Pyne--His Ideas as a Collector, and My Intercourse with Him--His Office One of My Regular Lounges--His Willingness to Part with Certain Books--I buy a Pig in a Poke, an...

The Coin Sales--My Stealthy Accumulations from Some of Them--Comparative Advantages of Large and Small Sales--The Disappointment over One at Genoa--The Boyne Sale--Its Meagre Pr...

As an Amateur--Old China--Dr Diamond of Twickenham-- Unfavourable Results of His Tutorship--My Adventure at Lowestoft--Alderman Rose--I turn over a New Leaf--Morgan-- His Sale t...

Coins--Origin of My Feeling for Them--Humble Commencement-- Groping in the Dark--My Scanty Means and Equally Scanty Knowledge, but Immense Enthusiasm and Inflexibility of Purpos...

My Transactions with Mr Ellis--Rarities which came from Him, and how He got Them--Riviere the Bookbinder--How He cleaned a Valuable Volume for Me--His Irritability--A Strange Ta...

The Stamp Book--A Passing Taste--Dr Diamond again--An Establishment in the Strand--My Partiality for Lounging-- One of My Haunts and Its Other Visitors--Our Entertainer Himself-...