Bibliotheca Ratcliffiana Christie Paperback Cambridge University Press

Bibliotheca RatcliffianaA Catalogue of the Elegant and Truly Valuable Library of John Ratcliffe\nAuthor(s): James Christie\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom\nImprint: Cambridge University Press\nISBN-13: 9781108065825, 978-1108065825\nSynopsis\nThe library of the chandler John Ratcliffe [tel] was amassed before the onset of 'bibliomania', and perfectly illustrates the last days of a period of book collecting when scholars and commoners could hope to compete with wealthy noblemen. The collection contained over a hundred incunabula, including forty-eight Caxtons, and a fine selection of sixteenth-century English books, alongside contemporary literature and Presbyterian tracts. Many of Ratcliffe's incunabula had been purchased from James West, others from Anthony Askew. In turn, his books were acquired by a circle of his contemporaries, including William Herbert, Charles Chauncy and William Hunter. However, the purchase of some of the finest books.