CIRCULATING LIBRARIES

1660-1800

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WESTMINSTER msx Kirkman's Circulating Library 1660? [Francis Kirkman]
Gibson, 1949. Moved to Bishopsgate by 1669.
LONDON msx Kirkman's Circulating Library 1661? [Francis Kirkman]
N & Q, 1874,i,69 (J.O. Halliwell).
LONDON msx Richards' Circulating Library 1673? [Godfrey Richards]
Diary of Robert Hooke, 1935.
LONDON msx Kettilby's Circulating Library 1674? [Walter Kettilby]
Diary of Robert Hooke, 1935.
LONDON msx Page's Circulating Library 1674? [? Page]
BL Harl. 5947(20).
LONDON msx Wyer's Circulating Library 1677? [Enoch Wyer]
Diary of Robert Hooke, 1935.
ABERGAVENNY mom Cox's Circulating Library 1706? [William Cox]
1806?-22. Followed by John Cox.
LONDON msx Bickerton's Circulating Library 1709? [Thomas Bickerton]
British Apollo, August, 1709.
LONDON msx Pennock's Circulating Library 1710? [William Pennock]
BL Harl. 5947(36).
ST IVES hun Barton's Circulating Library 1718 [George Barton]
Adv. in St Ives Post Boy, Oct. 28, 1718. Kaufman, Libraries & their Users, 1969.
HUNTINGDON hun Barton's Circulating Library 1718? [George Barton]
- 1732. Also libraries in Peterborough, St Ives, St Neots.
PETERBOROUGH noh Barton's Circulating Library 1718? [George Barton]
LONDON msx Willoughby's Circulating Library 1719? [Robert Willoughby]
Post Boy, 19 September, 1719.
LONDON msx Willoughby's Circulating Library 1720 [Robert Willoughby]
Post Boy, 27-29 Dec. 1720.
WESTMINSTER msx Jackson's Circulating Library 1720 [A. Jackson]
Daily Post, 8 Dec. 1720.
NORWICH nor Goddard's Circulating Library 1720? [Thomas Goddard]
Suggested as possible by Manley. No certain evidence.
EDINBURGH edi Ramsay's Circulating Library 1725 [Allan Ramsay]
- 1740. Succeeded by John Yair.
LONDON msx Wilcox's Circulating Library 1725? [John Wilcox]
According to Benjamin Franklin. ESTC has 1719 imprint.
LONDON msx Bateman's Circulating Library 1727 [Joseph Bateman I]
BBTI.
BATH som Leake's Circulating Library 1728 [James Leake]
- 1764. Old Whig, 2 Oct. 1735. McKillop p. 479.
BRISTOL glo Sendall's Circulating Library 1728 [Thomas Sendall]
McKillop p. 478. Not on ESTC. J. Latimer, Annals of Bristol, 1893.
LONDON msx King's Circulating Library 1728 [Richard King]
Imprint to E. Haywood, Agreeable Caledonian, 1728. Several ESTC imprints.
BIRMINGHAM war Warren's Circulating Library 1729? [Thomas Warren]
Warren imprints in ESTC for 1728-46. Hamlyn's Thesis, 1948.
LONDON msx Chastel's Circulating Library 1730? [Moses Chastel]
BBTI.
SANDWICH ken Silver's Circulating Library 1730? [Jacob Silver]
Silver died in 1740. Advertisement in John Johnson.
SCARBOROUGH yor Chandler & Ward's Circulating Library 1733 [Richard Chandler & Caesar Ward]
- 1744.
SCARBOROUGH yor Ward & Chandler's Circulating Library 1734 [Caesar Ward & Richard Chandler]
ESTC imprints from 1735-43. London booksellers who opened a library in Scarborough.
DURHAM dur Sanderson's Circulating Library 1735 [Patrick Sanderson]
BBTI. 1746-79. Labels in John Johnson.
SALISBURY wil Fancourt's Circulating Library 1735 [Samuel Fancourt]
- 1742. Moved to London. Daily Advertiser, 11 Apr. 1741. Cat. [1741?] in BL.
DUBLIN dbl Hoey's Circulating Library 1735? [James Hoey I]
- 1775.
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE nob Linn's Circulating Library 1736 [John Linn]
1736-41.
SALISBURY wil Easton's Circulating Library 1736 [Edward Easton I]
BBTI.
STOCKTON-ON-TEES dur Marshall's Circulating Library 1737 [James Marshall]
1737-40. BBTI. Advertisement in John Johnson.
BERWICK-UPON-TWEED bew Taylor's Circulating Library 1739 [Robert Taylor]
1739-78.
LONDON msx Payne's Circulating Library 1739 [Thomas Payne]
Daily Advertiser, 20 Jan. 1741. Cat. 1739 (BL).
WESTMINSTER msx Ryves' Circulating Library 1739 [Mrs Ryves]
Hamlyn's Thesis, 1948.
BEVERLEY yor Munby's Circulating Library 1740 [John Munby]
VCH East Riding, vol. VI.
BATH som Frederick's Circulating Library 1740? [William Frederick]
- 1770. ESTC imprints. Frederick & Bull collaborated.
LONDON msx Powell's Circulating Library 1740? [Ebenezer Powell]
Label in John Johnson.
NORWICH nor Chase's Circulating Library 1740? [William Chase]
No certain evidence.
CIRENCESTER glo Hill's Circulating Library 1741 [George Hill]
Cirencester Flying Post, 5 October, 1741.
LONDON msx Collyer's Circulating Library 1741 [Joseph Collyer]
Daily Advertiser, 17 Nov. 1741.
LONDON msx Torbuck's Circulating Library 1741 [John Torbuck]
Daily Post, 18 Oct. 1741.
WESTMINSTER msx Wright's Entertaining [Circulating] Library 1741 [Thomas Wright]
Cat. [1750?] - Bodley. Daily Advertiser, 16 June 1741. Later called the Universal Circulating Library. McKillop p. 483. Library History, viii,3, p. 75. Succeeded by Batho then Bell then Cawthorn. Known as The British Library to 1913. N & Q, 1937, Mar. 13, 190.
LONDON msx Crane Court [Fancourt's] Circulating Library 1742 [Samuel Fancourt]
Cat. 1748. 1609/462. ESTC t121489 - dated 1748. See entry under Fancourt. BL copy lacks vol. 2. Bodley has both - Don.e.208.
LONDON msx Fancourt's Circulating Library 1742 [Samuel Fancourt]
Cat. 1748 (Bodley). Known as the Crane Court Universal Circulating Library. It evolved into a Subscription Library.
LONDON msx Mynors' Circulating Library 1742 [Willoughby Mynors]
Daily Advertiser, 29 Oct. 1742. Hamlyn's Thesis, 1948.
LONDON msx Rowland's Circulating Library 1742 [J.E. Rowlands]
Hamlyn's Thesis, 1948.
READING ber Newbery's Circulating Library 1742? [John Newbery]
Moved to London; publisahed children's books. Cp. John Carnan and Anna M. Smart, who may have continued his library. Reading Mercury, 20 December, 1742.
WESTMINSTER msx Rowlands' Circulating Library 1742? John E. Rowlands]
- 1752. Succeeded by E. Rowlands.
CHELTENHAM glo Hill's Circulating Library 1743? [George Hill]
Also library in Cirencester. Cirencester Flying Post, 30 May, 1743.
NOTTINGHAM not Heath's Circulating Library 1743? [Joseph Heath]
- 1892. BBTI. Cats. 1748 (BL), 1775.
BRISTOL glo Hickey's Circulating Library 1744 [Benjamin Hickey]
Hamlyn's Thesis, 1948. - 1753? Bristol Oracle, 16 June, 1744.
LIVERPOOL lan Sibbald's Circulating Library 1744 [John Sibbald]
- 1796. BBTI. Advertisement in John Johnson.
LONDON msx Heard's Circulating Library 1744? [W. Heard]
BBTI.
WESTMINSTER msx Minors' Circulating Library 1744? [Willoughby Minors]
BATH som Matthews' Circulating Library 1745 [Benjamin Matthews]
1745-55. BBTI.
CAMBRIDGE cam Watts' Circulating Library 1745 [Robert Watts]
1745-52. Hamlyn's Thesis, 1948.
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE nob Barber's Circulating Library 1745 [Joseph Barber]
- 1784. ESTC imprints 1749-72. 1773 Imprint in 1493.w.27. Opened in 1745 till 1781. Cat. 1757? Hamlyn's Thesis, 1948. 1756 label in Franks.
WESTMINSTER msx Noble's Circulating Library 1745 [John & Francis Noble]
Cat 1755? Bodley Don.e.207(1). BL has xerox 1600/1471. Cat. 1761 ESTC. Library History, viii, 3, p. 75. Harvard's copy of the novel 'Twas wrong to marry him (ESTC n014103) has a 15 page "Appeal to the public" - a defence of their publications and their circulating libraries. Date = 1773. General Advertiser, 14 May 1745. McKillop p. 483. Cp. ESTC t204463 - sep. pub. "Appeal" - NL C.107.e.58.
WESTMINSTER msx Taylor's Circulating Library 1745 [Thomas Taylor]
Penny London Post, 1-3 Jan. 1746. McKillop p. 483. Cat. Library History, viii,3, p. 75.
LONDON msx Gentlemen & Ladies Circulating Library 1745?
Cat. [1745] - Bodley Don.e.208-9.
BRISTOL glo Darbyshire's Circulating Library 1746 [J. Darbyshire]
Hamlyn's Thesis, 1948.
CANTERBURY ken Smith's Circulating Library 1746 [Thomas Smith I]
1741 - BBTI. 1746-88. D. Knott, The Book Trade in Kent, 1982. Label in Canterbury PL. Label in BL 5405.aa.8. Bodley has cat. [1780?] - 2593.e.18(4).
DURHAM dur Ashworth's Circulating Library 1746 [Michael Ashworth]
BBTI.
EDINBURGH edi Yair's Circulating Library 1746 [John Yair]
Succeeded Allan Ramsay. Full name in a 1747 imprint. There are ESTC imprints for Mrs Yair. Took over Allan Ramsay's library. Several imrpints in ESTC. Hamlyn's Thesis, 1948. Adv a cat. in Caledonian Mercury, Sept. 30, 1746.
LONDON msx Taylor's Circulating Library 1746 [Thomas Taylor]
Cat. [1745?] - Bodley. Hamlyn's Thesis, 1948.
DAVENTRY noh Clay's Circulating Library 1746? [John Clay]
- 1775. Northamptonshire RO - D64.
WELLS som Crofts' Circulating Library 1747? [John Crofts]
Bath Journal, 23 March, 1747. Proposal for library in advertisement in BL.
LONDON msx Slater's Circulating Library 1749 [Henry Slater]
- 1766. 1754 imprint in 1295.c.27. Hamlyn's Thesis, 1948.
NORWICH nor Wardlaw's Circulating Library 1749? [William Wardlaw]
- 1784. BBTI.
SHAFTESBURY dor Sandell's Circulating Library 1749? [John Sandell]
BBTI.
FAVERSHAM ken Rigg's Circulating Library 1750? [James Rigg]
Kentish Post, 5 July, 1755.
KENDAL wes Birket's Circulating Library 1750? [W. Birket]
Cat. 1759 (Kendal PL).
LONDON msx Cabe's Circulating Library 1750? [Edward Cabe]
ESTC. Imprint in 1081.h.5. Label in John Johnson and Franks.
MANCHESTER lan Harrop's Circulating Library 1750? Joseph Harrop]
Manchester mercury, 1 January, 1754.
MANCHESTER lan Whitworth's Circulating Library 1750? [Robert Whitworth]
Whitworth's Manchester Magazine, 5 February, 1754.
PENZANCE cnw Hewett's Circulating Library 1750? [John Hewett]
E.A. Rees, Old Penzance, 1956.