Bernard Quaritch

Bernard Quaritch ( born April 23 1819 in Worbis, † December 17, 1899 in Hampstead ) was an English bookseller and collector of German descent.

Life

Quaritch completed a bookseller in 1842 and moved to London, where he joined the publisher Henry Bohn. In 1847 he took part in British citizenship and opened near the Leicester Square bookstore. From the year 1848 he brought out his monthly Catalogue of Foreign and English Books, from about 1858 he began to buy rare books. One of his first acquisitions was a copy of the Gutenberg Bible; within the next forty years should not be less than six copies of this invaluable plant go through his hands.

In 1860, he relocated the company headquarters to Piccadilly. In 1873 he published the Bibliotheca Xylographica, Typographica et Palaeographica, an important catalog of earlier printing of all countries. He regularly bought in the important book auctions in Europe and America and other printed periodically book catalogs. Among these, highlight the Supplemental Catalogue ( 1877) as well as its enormous bearing catalog from 1880, which involved more than 2,000 pages. His last complete stock catalog was published from 1887 to 1888 in seven volumes under the title General Catalogue of Old Books and Manuscripts ( later supplements left the series to twelve volumes grow ). All these catalogs are of lasting value for the bibliographer. Around the turn of the century Quaritch could apply as the largest bookseller companies in the world.

The laid by Quaritch itself works also scored Edward Fitzgerald's influential translation of Omar Khayyam of Robai'yat. He also acted as an agent of the publications of the British Museum and the Society of Antiquaries of London. He died in Hampstead ( London). His company, which he inherited on his son, exists to this day.

His grandson Horace Geoffrey Quaritch Wales was an orientalist and published many of his books published by Quaritch.

Comments

• This text is based on the relevant articles in the 11th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. Today the work is subject to the Public Domain.